March 12, 2009

Coupon Crazy

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Three things happened in a short amount of time that made me think something strange and cosmic was going on.

1) I read somewhere that people on eBay sell coupons online and get big bucks for them. I thought that was so weird and went to check. It's true! I still can't get over that.

2) My mom called to tell me I needed to start clipping coupons because she knows a lady who gets hundreds of dollars worth of food for like $1.62. I decide she doesn't really know this lady, but actually probably saw her on TV because sometimes my mom pretends that people on TV are her friends. (Not really, but it seems to work out that way in her mind at least.)

3) A friend of mine called to tell me she has decided she wants to start clipping coupons because people save hundreds of dollars clipping coupons and since she's a SAHM she thinks it would show her husband she's doing her part. I ponder for a moment that perhaps she and my mom have the same TV friends. This is a woman who pays $4 for drinks at Starbucks. I thought about telling her to just stop the Starbucks drinking and she'd break even without having to clip coupons, but who am I to spoil her fun.

So, now I'm feeling completely inadequate because a couple of times I've tried to clip coupons and the best score I've ever had is $1 off two tubes of toothpaste. That's good and all but I had to spend probably $5 to do it. I don't purchase anything that's on a coupon for the most part. I wish they had coupons for broccoli or butter lettuce or maybe cottage cheese. But no, they don't do stuff like that.

THEN, to top it off I ran across a site called Extrabux where you can shop for stuff and get cash back rebates on stuff you buy. It's a free site with 800 stores where you can do comparison shopping and check out online shopping deals. THEN you buy your stuff through them. They get some kind of money for passing through your business and you get some kind of rebate in the process. I don't quite get all the details, but that's the gist. To me it seems quicker and easier than clipping coupons.

Although, someone says that fishing isn't about the fish you've caught it's all about the chase of getting the fish. Is that how it is for coupon clippers? Do you clip? Do you want to clip? What's your best clip?

7 comments:

  1. Wendy, what does "paid post" mean? Sorry. Too new to blogging to be suave yet.

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  2. I use coupons IF I find one that's for something I was going to buy. I won't buy something just because I have a coupon. I guess my best recent coupon was the Glade motion censored smell goods :) It was buy one get one free and since they're 6 bucks each I thought that was pretty good :D

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  3. Lawyer Mom: every now and then I get an offer from a company who wants me to put a link to their site for a specific keyword. I generally only do these if I can work it into a post that matches the tone of the site and if I can make it personal to me and fun and interesting to anyone who wanders by. I turn quite a few down because it's not easy to work some of the more obscure keywords in. (For example, software drivers. How could I manage that??) I also like to put "paid post" on them so if people want to skip it they want.

    Kathy: That's a pretty good deal. I still haven't run across one of these mysterious women who get their groceries for free, but I'm still looking!!!

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  4. Wow. Thanks for explaining "paid post." No such offers on my blog. lol.

    I don't have enough patience for coupons, but the site you describe seems intriguing.

    I once chuckled when a comedian questioned how can fishing be a "sport" when one can GAIN weight doing it? lol.

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  5. Funnyrunner, it'll happen probably. I didn't have any for a long time and then a couple weeks ago I started getting quite a few. I turn most of them down because I don't like the topics, but every little bit helps. I think it must have to do with your site ranking or something. Give it a few months and probably it'll happen!

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  6. Wendy I clip coupons every Sunday and also check for printable coupons online for products I need. My grocery store doubles them (up to $1) so it is definitely worth it.

    I buy two newspapers per week: Sunday (coupons) and Wednesday (ads). I plan my weekly menu and make my grocery list based on what is on sale at the three grocery stores that I pass every day. They all have "buy one, get one free" offers -- each item rings up half price so you don't have to actually buy two. Then I try to get coupons for all of those items too. I skipped shopping last week, but the week before I paid a total of $74.10 for $190 worth of groceries. It's absolutely worth the effort and you can do it! If you need help, email me. Peace, Lisa

    P.S. Ironically, my word verification today is ching (as in cha-ching lol)

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  7. I just started clipping coupons, and you are right to wonder if part of the fun is in the search for a great bargain. I love to see how much I can save on stuff I would already by. To me the secret is not buying stuff when you need it, but buying it when it is on sale. The big savings comes when you pair a coupon with a sale. Sometimes you can even get stuff for free. At Walgreen's you can even get enough off that it credits some of your other purchases...it's liking being paid to shop!

    I now have a stock of items that I don't currently need, but will need in the future. They were bought when I paired a coupon with a sale...now I don't have to pay full price for those things just because I've run out.

    Also, I find that I save a lot more on non grocery items than I do on actual food. Stuff like cleaners, medicine, etc.

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