broke 207

if you read around the web for a while, you will begin to see before you a sort of “standards and practices” for coupon clipping. those rules are a good place to start, but i don’t necessarily have any great need to reiterate what is already ubiquitous. there are a few important things that i think i have figured out along the way that i deem worth sharing:

-BE UNFAILINGLY POLITE. yeah sure, coupons are your right as a consumer, but if you’re a cashier working for minimum wage at the walmart or cvs and someone comes to the front of the line with a 3 inch stack of coupons… it’s an inconvenience. i have had very few multiple coupon transactions go off without a hitch, and more than likely a manager will need to be called… or something will need to be put in manually… or something will get rejected. it’s absolutely a pain in the ass. thus, no matter where you are, and how wrong things have gone,  be courteous (to both your checkout clerk and customers in line behind you), be thankful, be polite.  and frankly, just because it SHOULD work (and you’re armed with your printed coupon policies), doesn’t mean it will. and sometimes, the classy thing to do is just give up the ship and go home.

- BE RIDICULOUSLY ORGANIZED. on a similar tip to the above section regarding politeness, it is very important that you have your shit together before you get to the counter. part of politeness is making sure your transaction takes as little time as possible. coupons should be given to the clerk in a neat stack in the following order: store loyalty card, $/$$, manufacturers coupons, rewards $s. also make sure that your coupons are nice and flat, neatly clipped, and not expired (unless of course your store accepts expired coupons).

-STEP AWAY FROM THE COUPON FRAUD. committing coupon fraud (like printing out a $/$$ for cvs that wasn’t sent to you and then trying to use it), is not only ethically wrong (and totally NOT CLASSY), but also tends to take up extra time at the register. any time you use a coupon that doesn’t match up to your store rewards card, or for a product that doesn’t quite fit the bill, or whatever- IT HOLDS UP THE LINE AND CAUSES PEOPLE TO BE IRRITABLE. not cool. there are many great deals out there to be had legitimately, don’t get greedy.

-DON’T BUY SHIT YOU DON’T NEED. being an obsessive couponer seems to snowball easily into compulsive hoarding. ok, i bought 10 boxes of cereal, but my boyfriend goes through about 2 boxes a week. thus, not a problem. a lot of the big chain money maker deals are for stuff you might never use, so even if you MAKE MONEY, it’s still not really worth it to now saddle yourself and your life and your home with this excess crap. i certainly buy things that i don’t use, but ONLY IF there is a worthy cause to which i could donate them where they will be of genuine help. i heart the preble street resource center , and they always need personal care items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, razors, shampoo, feminine hygiene needs… any time i find a good deal on one of those items that isn’t my brand, i buy it, and donate it. things i will never get- even if they are totally free: air freshening systems, diet pills, energy shots, adult diapers, blood sugar testers, body spray, fake fingernails, box haircolor… and i’m sure i whole bunch of other stuff. seriously- if you don’t actually use it- and you can’t reasonably donate it- THEN DON’T BUY IT.  IT’S NOT WORTH IT.

-JUST BECAUSE IT’S FREE/CHEAP, DOESN’T MEAN IT’S WORTH THE CALORIES/SATURATED FAT/CHEMICALS. there’s a lot of crap food out there you can get for cheap. similar to my position above, inexpensive snack food is always seductive, but it’s better to be reverent to your body and your health. i say this as a vegetarian who cares as much about the quality of her food as she does about how much she pays for it. great places like mambo sprouts and eat better america have coupons on healthier options. i even got free tofu coupons one time for filling out a survey.  also, it is COMPLETELY CRAZY to only buy coupon food. shop farmer’s markets, grow your own, but for the love of god- take care of yourself!

-DONATE! i can not stress enough the power of donation. with the economy in ruins, people are cutting back on their charitable contributions more than ever, which means that lot’s of worthwhile charities & nonprofits are being forced to shut their doors.  if we the couponers have regular access to the internet, and enough $$$ to stock our pantries to the ceilings, chances are we can stand to toss a few bucks to those that need it more. we need not be so focused on our own penny pinching that we forget the value of giving.  food pantries, homeless shelters, and teen centers all need in kind donations.  i also have a rule that every time someone at a checkout counter asks me to make a $1 donation to a worthy cause, i always say yes.  it’s not thousands, or hundreds even… but it’s all needed, and it all helps.