I'll admit it: I'm spoiled. Spoiled rotten. I do not want to pay .15 for a can of evaporated milk, nor do I think that .99 for a tub of butter is a good deal either. I want it free! That's what I'm used to. But times are a-changing. If you've been couponing for a while now, you've probably said these words this year: The deals just aren't that good. And for those of us who have been couponing longer than a few months, they really aren't.  Why is that? Is it because there are more couponers? Maybe--but I really don't think so. Coupon rules have definitely tightened, but the value of coupons have risen and there are more coupons being issued this year than ever before.  Is it because of the economy? That's a whole lot more likely. Truth is, the economy "improved" in early 2011. Consumers started spending more again. When that happened, manufacturers took the opportunity to raise their prices. If prices are higher to begin with, then the sale prices aren't going to be as low as I'm used to. This has not set well with me. I've been throwing a bit of a tantrum this year. (You may have seen me wandering through stores muttering "are they on crack? Why would I ever pay that much?!?) My internal frugalista is way too used to getting groceries at the price I'd become accustomed to. I've not really shopped all that much this year, instead living more and more out of my stockpile and shopping only when I really have to. It just was too hard to spend that extra money when I knew in the past I'd gotten things a lot cheaper. But that stockpile is now getting woefully low.  It's been a year since I started feeling this way, which tells me that things aren't going to get better any time soon. I need to suck it up and deal. Paying .15 for evaporated milk is still a decent deal in the scheme of things, I guess. Maybe. Sigh... Time for me to adjust my attitude and stop letting my inner three year old rule. If you see me looking distraught in the stores, you'll know that I need a hug. Paying more isn't going to be fun.