The Crazy Coupon Lady of OC

This post goes out to all of you new couponers. It’s a very important post and you should definitely take the time to read it.

There are bad people out there. No, I’m not talking about the people who rob banks, burglarize homes, commit grand theft auto, sell drugs or forge checks.  I am talking about something just as illegal…fraudulent couponing.

I just want to point out, I am not making this post to scare newbies off, I just want to point you in the right direction. I don’t want you to become the enemy, I want you to be the victorious.

There are things you need to know about couponing and a fellow couponer of mine pointed out:  making this post is extremely important.

I want to share with you what couponing is really about. Or what it means to me. I  coupon as a form of employment. My family lives on one income, and I looked into couponing as a way to help my family. I want you to know, at first, I expected it to be a breeze. I had watched a few episodes of that stupid show, Extreme Couponing and I thought I would walk into a store, fill my cart full of stuff and get everything for FREE after using coupons, but I was EXTREMELY disappointed. My trip was actually nothing like that and I was so upset. I mean how could they do it on the show, but I couldn’t make it happen? That’s when I started doing some research. I looked into what couponing was about and I have to admit, I was a little bit sad when I noticed deals posted for items, but not all shown as FREE. Isn’t that what using coupons was all about? Getting items for free? This is where we begin. Let us first discuss this extremely misleading and super f-ed up show…

EXTREME COUPONING

There is nothing amazing about this show except the producers willingly allow people to use coupons illegally. Not only are they using them the wrong way, they are using forged coupons. There is no way in the world a  person could ever get a manufacturer’s coupon for a FREE bottle of Tide, let alone 50 bottles. Those coupons were illegally made and sold to people who love the idea of FREE. Don’t get me wrong, free is great. I love FREE as much as the next person, but I’m not about to buy a coupon from someone to attain it. If you would like to know more about the terrible tactics of the Extreme Couponers, go here and read about the CIC’s (coupon information center) attempts to battle the show.

In regards to the show, that’s all I have to say because there are more important issues to address. The next thing I want to talk about is couponing for FREE.
FREE is great, heck it’s A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Please allow me to let you in on a little secret though…it’s not always attainable. In all reality, it happens seldom. If you are part of a site showing nothing but FREE deals, chances are those FREE deals are slim to none. I’m not saying every deal you see isn’t legit because anything I post about a freebie will not steer you wrong. You can’t trust everyone though. There are sometimes catches to those freebie deals. Sometimes it may be a product is like free after you receive a register reward from Walgreens or “like free” after MQ and a gift card back from Target. Those deals appear free and ultimately are. (After rebates, rewards or gift cards.) You can’t expect to walk into a store willy nilly and get something for FREE every single time you go.

You need to know that. It’s important.

I want to tell you what the good in couponing is though. The good is that you can save money. You can save hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars a year depending on your spending habits. Using coupons has allowed our family to clear $30,000 worth of debt, it’s allowed us to go on two family vacations in the past year, it may not have been Disney Land, but it wasn’t the next town over either. We were able to put money into savings and not live that dreadful paycheck to paycheck lifestyle we had become so used to. Couponing has allowed me to create a stockpile in my home and save my family from those dreaded trips to Wal-Mart because we ran out of shampoo again or needed another package of paper towels. Building my stockpile was a task though. That’s another thing about couponing I want to address.

THE STOCKPILE

Building a stockpile takes time. It won’t happen over night and if it does, it most likely wasn’t created legally. Over time you get deals on products and you slowly build the stockpile one item at a time. Sales rotate, occurring at different times of the year. About every 8-12 weeks you can see sales for the same products, but they won’t be available every week. The best thing to do is learn the price points of the items your household uses most and record them. Figure out what the every day prices are. Begin keeping track of sales and what the prices are. After about 3-4 months, you should have a couple different products built up. Another thing to note is buying enough to last for 6 months based on your family’s use of those products. The reason I recommend this is because you never know what tomorrow brings. Who really knows if there is going to be an economic downfall and you or your spouse loses a job? What if someone were injured and you had to take off work to help take care of them? Maybe even zombies attack? Who knows, maybe!!! ;)

IN CLOSING…

I just want newbies to understand, couponing is an art. Honestly. If you do not abuse coupons, they can do amazing things for you and your family. Beware though, it can be addicting. the first time I was at the register, I got so nervous. Clammy hands, heart racing, an adrenaline rush I had never really experienced. To this day, 3 years later, I still get that same feeling. I tend to say, I’d rather get a rush from saving money than spending it on something like drugs to try to get my thrill. You should also be sure to pace yourself. If you try to go to the store and get every single deal every time you see it, you’ll get burnt out. Don’t go chasing waterfalls deals, let them come to you. And please, learn who the real couponers are and who is out there for an extra buck or a free product. Couponing isn’t all about free products or the money makers, it’s about the pride you get in knowing you saved your family money. Knowing you made the paycheck last a little bit longer, that you are saving for today, for a better tomorrow.