Tradin'

Of the many places my newfound love of couponing has taken me, one of the more surprising and rewarding places has been trading of said coupons. Because like any addiction, you start off needing just a smidge, and before long you want more. Trading works, at least for me, because I also end up with a whole stack of coupons for things that my family can't use. And one of the saddest things in the world is an expired, unused coupon.

It also happens that many of my favorite coupons are internet printables, most of which limit you to two prints per computer. So into the exciting, underground world of coupon tradin' I went. I joined what is called a train, which is basically a congo line list of couponers. Each member must create a wishlist of coupons they are seeking. There are different rules for different trains-- on the one I'm a-ridin', every week you send 30 coupons to another member of the train, and at least half of those coupons must be from their wishlist. Which in turn means that I receive a nice packet of coupons I desire each week as well. It also means that occasionally I'm spending time that probably would be better spent sweeping the kitchen floor (since my kiddo seems to be on a constant scavenger hunt for scraps of food) or showering. But, on a good day, when I have a little snippet of time, it's almost like a scavenger hunt-- it becomes a fun challenge to try and put together an envelope (or envie, as they are slightly annoyingly referred to) that someone I'll never meet will be happy to open.

All in all, it's been a great way to score extra coupons. Some go the route of Ebay or a coupon clipping sight for coupons they want extra of, and that is definitely the most no-nonsense way to go. But if you're a little geeky and you like getting surprises in the mail (and who doesn't?!), I'd recommend this. All aboard!