Good afternoon friends and savers. As usual, Americans can't just have one of everything. We need to hve 20 of everything. So as everyone got turned on to the TLC show Extreme Couponing, the deals that people were getting got bigger, then more limited and now they are being eliminated.
Some stores will be eliminating the use of coupons when the item is on sale. Target will be limiting the number of Buy One Get One free coupons to be used. Why? Why is the hammer coming down on a simple act of using a coupon? One word ... GREED. Greed is good was a theme of a movie, but it is amazing that the theme has never left the American psyche. If I can get shaving cream regularly $3.25 a can for $0.19 a can, then by all means ... I need to get up a midnight, get to Walgreens, and duke it out for all the shaving cream I can get my hands on. Really? Has it come to this? There is no way you will use 20 cans of shaving cream in a year. Even if you give these items to charity, there is no reason to get up at the crack of dawn to duke it out with other coupon cutters. NOt only do you give those that use coupons a bad name, but there is no more product for others to purchase and for retailers to sell. In fact those that are clearing the shelves are really ticking off managers of some stores (Walgreens).
Now, per my last post in May, I was on this band wagon. I thought that this was a really neat thing to do. You save money and by having some items stocked up, you eliminate the number of trips to the grocery store. Now, I did try to get the most coupons as possible in my area to save some money. I played within the rules of my local grocery stores. Only 15 coupons (Schnucks, Dierbergs) and no doubling (Shop N Save) ... our area doesn't have discount cards for grocery stores like those shown on the Extreme Couponing show. That's ok, I was able to work the deals (use coupon with sale price) and save over 50% on my grocery bill.
But then came ... couponers remorse. I forgot to check my favorite websites for sales. Then the number of coupons that were printed one Sunday were less than lackluster. So, it came down to where is my time most useful? Cutting, sorting, and searching? Or enjoying time with my family? Hmmm.
Now, there has to be a happy medium. Do I cut a coupon for everything on my list? No. Do I still try to get a bargain? Sure. But 1 package of Chi Chi's tortillas will do me just fine. I don't need 10 of them. But if they are on a great sale and I can combine it with a coupon, be my guest. I'm losing ground with my deep freeze too. There is only so much room at the inn and I don't need to buy 5 freezers like one of the show's participants.
So, needless to say I'm frustrated again. Big shock. I want to save money but I really resent being punished for nothing I did. I'm waiting to see them come out with a junior and an adult sized coupon holder. I didn't realize how bad I was becoming until I picked up my purse and realized it weighed 20 pounds thanks to the coupons.
We'll see how the rest of this plays out, but plan on paying more money f0r everything and pay attention to the rules ... They are a Changin'!
