Okay, so as I briefly mentioned in the first entry, I've recently been bitten by the coupon bug. Yes, it's true. I'm an unashamed newbie who jumped on the coupon bandwagon amid all the recent media buzz and hype about "extreme couponing." I think I saw my first news feature on it last spring or so, and I was mildly curious. Then after a virtual media blitz on it around the winter holidays, I was determined to find this magic formula for using coupons to get things free or next to free.
I suspected that for many coupon doubling had something to do with it, and I was right. I briefly dabbled in coupons when supermarkets started doubling them in this region eons ago. But my interest died out with the doubling. Plus I found that the stuff you could buy with coupons wasn't really the stuff I used. And it wasn't really saving money if I was buying things I normally wouldn't buy. Fast forward to now, doubling does help, but what I found was the really big secret to using coupons was to clip the coupons you think you might want and then hold on to them. Yes, that's it. You see (after the coupon doubling stopped) I used to think - well if I can at least find enough coupons to justify the price of the newspaper, it will be like getting it (the paper) for free. And look through the fliers to find coupons to use that week. Oh no no, I found. This isn't the way to do it at all!
Instead you hold on to your coupons and wait until your favorite store (and that is a relative term with couponing) offers you the best deal. Because a coupon paired with a great store sale or promotion, and sometimes even a store reward program can net you some really fabulous savings. Sometimes you can even get an item for free. But what good is say a free tube of toothpaste, especially when there is a lot of time and legwork involved. Okay, maybe not a lot. But what about 5 free tubes of toothpaste? That means you may not need to buy toothpaste for 5 months. Cross that off your list and the money you would have paid for toothpaste is freed up for something else.
The basic premise is stocking up when prices are good, which many of us tend to do anyway. This just takes it to another level because you get to add your coupon onto the money you would save when you bought that item on sale anyway. For some it saves money to use on other things. For others it allows them to buy things more easily that were tough on their pocketbooks and may have done without (raises hand.)
In the short time I've been couponing I've stocked up on some items I need and got some things for free that I didn't necessarily need but do appreciate having. So now when I clip a coupon I don't think in terms of "do I need that?" I think in terms of "would I like that if I got it for free or close to free?" As a result, I clip a lot more coupons than I used to, and my mind is much more open in terms of things I will buy or try. My cupboard is full, my freezer stocked, and my bathroom storage area - don't ask! Hopefully I'll get around to organizing it soon.
Plus I have to admit, it's fun. Especially when you haven't got a lot of extra money lying around, coupons are like money. They have dollar amounts and values, so the act of clipping, sorting, storing, and planning feels a lot like the feeling you would have if it were actual dollars. Coupons may not ever make you rich, but they can make you feel like you are! And then there is the whole waiting for that one great deal. It's a little bit like going to Vegas without the plane fare, flashing lights, and alcohol. You clip your coupon. You know that a great deal is right around the corner. You could use the coupon now or wait for something better, or lose out altogether if another couponer (or several) beats you to it. There is anticipation, an adrenal rush if you score your deal, even disappointment when you don't. The "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," as it were.
Which is why maybe a lot of couponers won't tell you how much they enjoy their couponing. It's a guilty pleasure, and well, maybe even a little embarrassing. I mean, get a life already! But why not. As long it doesn't become a compulsion or addiction (and oh it can, I have seen it), as long as there is balance in your life, and you, your family, the stores and the manufacturers win, who is to say?
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