Miz Persnickety Comments....

So I had a comment on my blog that needed "moderated" before it could be published or deleted.... It called me a hypocrite for talking so "nasty about overweight people". Of course, the commenter hid behind their statement, as it was posted from "Anonymous". But I just had a couple of thoughts I wanted to share with Miz Persnickety, regarding the general purpose of my last post.

[And just for the record--I am totally aware of the national trends in obesity and lifestyle choices. Thus I would never set myself up to be used as an Extreme Couponing model for the way I shop. What I do with coupons for my family is a blessing. I share my tips and ideas with others so that they can also be blessed. If I was truly a hypocrite--I wouldn't offer you any advice on how to save your hard-earned dough. So leave your impudent comments about my family and my kids in your empty wallet!]

My comments about Extreme Couponing were directed at the abuse of some shoppers, and particularly the ones that sometimes commit fraud. [Fraud is always a bad thing. But in any extreme case--it could also be a felony--and a serious trespass of moral and ethical values--but, nonetheless, a crime...just saying!] In this episode of Extreme Couponing with Faatima, what she was doing missed the "coupon fraud" title--just barely--but crossed over into unethical and abnormal behavior. She based her entire purchase around coupons that were not intended for the items that she purchased. And because there was no mention of size restrictions on her particular coupons, the store honored them--although the pictures clearly showed full-size boxes, and not trial-size single servings. Fine. I have no problem with that. But she went on to purchase ONE THOUSAND boxes--all of which had a 6-9 month expiry date clearing noted on the box--all for a family of three people. Bells went off in my head. Actually, more like screams! Screams that said SOMETHING is wrong here. She accrued a $500 deficit (what the store owed her) because of her "Save $1 on 2 boxes of cereal" coupon. It was a coupon of questionable use to begin with.

She deliberately plotted her purchase of 1000 boxes to cover a vast portion of the $1800 worth of more items--on which she used additional coupons for. This would mean that she was technically "doubling",tripling, or quadrupling and more, the savings of each coupon's face value! Many of which, I'm sure, openly stated that they are NOT to be doubled or tripled. **That is the gross abuse of the coupon's intended purpose.** But I'm thrilled she got her deceptive ways out in the open. Because you can guarantee that things are going to change! Most stores and chains have already added safety nets in the computer and register software to catch such actions. That's reality. You can't have something for free that didn't have a properly designated coupon applied towards it to begin with. Ask yourself this: Why would General Mills want to give any family $500 of free groceries and 1000 boxes of cereals??? Think on that and then tell me what you think they'll do to prevent that from happening again!

What is shown on TV for millions to see as their guide to shopping with coupons, is mostly, utter nonsense. As a fellow consumer--you need to be aware of why store policies change, how manufacturers market with coupons, how stores redeem coupons, etc. etc. etc. And when there is a NATIONAL CAMPAIGN showing the exploits of how one savvy shopper milked the system--you can be sure that the stores are going to catch on and make sure that there is NOT a national trend of coupon abusers rushing to the market!! So, Miz Persnickety, I could care less about the size, color, or gender of this or any other fellow couponer. But what I am concerned about is that she was being heralded as a great, albeit questionable, example of extreme couponing. And the icing on the cake was the ignorant comments about how she was going to ship it all to Hawaii!! Yep. And I thought we were talking about reality TV.

Things to remember: Food has expiration dates. It has to be rotated and used--not just stockpiled and mass accumulated. It's exceptionally heavy when you're talking about the massive amounts Extreme Couponers, like Faatima, have conglomerated (as depicted in the episode I am referring to). By the time she saves enough money to pay the freight charges to get out of her violence-riddled neighborhood--the bulk of the food won't be any good. The show is exasperating and a farcical example of the EXTREME. Extremely questionable. Not to mention that she was extreme in her approach, her attitude, and her quantities, but most importantly--she was extreme in her perception of Reality.

So my advice to anyone who is trying to learn mad couponing skills to make ends meet in today's economy--do not follow the example of sensational TV. Practice some common sense. Follow the store's rules. Be honest in your efforts and use of copuons. There's always going to be a bad apple in the bunch--but if you have a good relationship with your stores and yourself--couponing is a lifestyle choice and not a freak break from reality!

And despite Miz Persnickety's extreme criticism--I think couponing is awesome. It closes the gaps in what could be deemed as trying times for so many families. It empowers shoppers' purchasing abilities without relying on the arm of administrative government programs. It means that you can have peace of mind in times of draught, famine, economic, natural or financial disasters. It's a "savings account" of money you didn't have to spend. But that could all come to an end because some extremists efforts were capitalized on for ungainly purposes. The national retail market has already started to limit and quantify the amount of items sold to avoid exorbitant exploitation by greedy and selfish people. So file that thought, Miz Persnickety. And till then---Happy Couponing!

EXTREME Thoughts on Coupons

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/video-dos-and-donts-of-drugstore-shopping-26592701

I saw this article this morning--and totally agreed. Drug stores have added a whole new dimension to my super shopping streak. But there are things that I would never buy at the local drug store. Cereal. That's right. It already has a very convoluted price because it's an emergency/fast purchase item if you are really needed cereal when you stop for your health and beauty needs. But I have found some GrEaT deals on snack foods. Just yesterday I bought 18 bags of Bugles and Chex Mix at Walgreens. I had printed off the 50 cent on 1 and $1 off 2 coupons from the printable coupon sources and used them on the store sale of 99cents a bag. They are normally $2.49+, so 99 cents seemed like a fair price to begin with. But with the coupons--it went stellar. I threw a couple of Register Rewards in from other transactions--and I came under $5 for all the snack items. And the bonus--most of the expiration dates on the packaging are for June-August of 2012. There's no need to use these all up right away. It's an awesome deal, all the way around.

Normally I would not buy granola bars from a drug store. They go on sale at the grocery store way too often to worry about stockpiling an assortment from drug stores that don't usually have more then 8 boxes of one item on their shelves. But this week at Walgreens'--Nature Valley granola bars and Thins are on sale for 2/$4. In the ad circulars this weekend, there were lots of coupons for these very products. The best was 75 cents on Nature Valley Thins. That makes a box of these yummies only $1.25. Now that's fair and pretty good for a drug store, especially since they are also on sale at Albertsons' this week and the best price after the coupon is still $1.75 a box. So crunching the numbers pays off here--but don't plan to buy your stockpile of snack bars at Walgreens', unless you have made arrangements with the store to order the amount you would like to purchase ahead of time.

Last night, during some Internet researching, I came across two websites that might be a boon for couponers. I still have to go through them closer and try them myself--but from what I can gather so far--www.savingstar.com and http://www.dealoftheday.yp.com/ look like great places to get savings information for your local areas.

As one of my kids was flipping channels last night, they stopped on TLC's Extreme Couponing. I made him stop and we watched the episode with Faatima (LaRgE black lady who wants to move to Hawaii) and a military mom from Las Vegas. AGGG!! At first I thought the show was pretty awesome because it would inspire people to see the potential in planning their grocery trips and to use the coupons that are already available to the public. To me--couponing means building up a reserve and having things on hand that didn't cost me a fortune. But the nut jobs that TLC uses for their shows do not show practical shopping methods or common experiences. They capitalize on the hoarding, marketing abuse, and shocking behaviors or circumstances that lead to this kind of shopping. The episode wasn't too neurotic for me until the black lady started taking over 1000 boxes of single serving cereal at 25 cents a box, and paying for them with $1/2 coupons that were intended for larger boxes. Because the coupon didn't state that it was for a certain size or larger...the store took it. Ok. I get that. BUT 1000 BOXES??? Yep. She planned her whole savings trip around the purchase of this much cereal because it created an overage that the registers allowed her to use towards the purchase of other items. She had a $300 overage that she stockpiled meat and higher dollar items that didn't have coupons for. Thus the name EXTREME Couponing. And I don't remember what part of the country she was in or recognize the chain of stores--but that would NEVER go over here in Spokane. Our main grocery stores have registers that would stop that kind of coupon abuse.

She had her head wagging, and her attitude on display during the whole check-out time. [That's the kind of customer I would walk a mile away from if I were the grocery store.] NINE hours in the store and at least that many carts and she takes it out to her brand new truck and trailer. The most idiotic and outrageous thing I heard her say was that she was building up her food supply because she was going to take it all with her to Hawaii--which they were saving money to get there. And she was going to take ALL of her mounds of food with her. Um. Yea. Stupid!! Obviously she hasn't checked with freight companies that ship belonging to Hawaii--because you have to pay by the pound for your belongings to be transported. So, MOST people would be eliminating whatever is the heaviest and bulkiest--like FOOD--to save money on freight charges. But Faatima is thinking that all her "free" food is going to Hawaii with her. Well--good luck with that, because it won't be so "free" after she pays the exorbinant amount to move it!

I just have one other friendly bit of advice for "Faat"-ima and her man. They need to revisit the story about the Alphabet tree before they head for the land of palm trees. Some very important letters like HCG would come in very handy so that they can save even more money! Like for airplane tickets. Right now, they'd have to buy FIVE+ tickets to get their family of three to Hawaii. Those three little--or big letters, depending on how you look at them--could save them a lot of money when the airlines won't force them to buy TWO seats a piece to see those palm trees. Plus!! She's really going to need that extra money to pay the shipping costs for all that food! Lord, Have Mercy!

I think the next part that made my skin crawl was the previews for an upcoming episode with the North Carolina woman who deems herself the "Shelf Clearer". Yep--that's a proud title. She was snotty enough to say--too bad--you should have gotten here earlier. Ugh. Such white trash mentality. Who really needs 56 bottles of Hot Sauce? I get hoarding. I really do. I hoard things that I'm going to USE!! Toilet paper. Cereal. Canned vegetables. But hot sauce? Not so much. And I doubt she will either--and she just made it impossible for the customer that wants to buy the ONE bottle, that would last them a year, impossible. Rude!! http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/31/extreme-couponing-season-2/

Watch this clip to see the annoying woman at work! Now I confess--I've cleared a few shelves myself. But I've also shared when others have asked...and I don't clear the shelves of things that I won't personally use. But never to the extent that the Queen of North Carolina does here. There definitely is no shame in using a coupon anymore! But she is the perfect reason as to why stores place limits on certain products. It's the abuse of the store and their desire to please all customers that truly impedes the power of a single coupon user. Stores don't want unhappy customers and shoppers like QNC make for other unhappy shoppers. So watch out! Changes will be made. Quantities rationed. Policies updated. It's already happening in other parts of the grocery universe.

Couponing has become a new sport. Once naysayers, now reformed, are filling their carts with items that match sought after coupons. Printable coupons have made searching and clipping anonymous coupons less tedious. Coupons equal money saved. And a whole new breed of shoppers is coming to life. But that brings some pros and CONS with it, as well. Fraud. Coupon fraud is rampant. I know it's out there. I preach against it. But now I've seen it. Guess where? That's right--on Extreme Couponing! The show is such a breeding ground for misinformation and abuse. The most notorious example is Jamie Kirlew from Maryland that appeared in one of the first episodes. Check out her abuses! http://jillcataldo.com/alleged-tlc-extreme-couponing-fraud My advice: DO NOT DO WHAT SHE DOES!!

Crime is crime. She is the poorest example of what couponing is all about. She's a coupon whore. Agg......did I really just say that? Yep. It's true though. And I hope they nail her butt to the wall for it. Everyone should play by the rules. Too much of our world has revolved into an Entitlement mentality. And with the extreme publicity--we can see how there are those who would steal and cheat a system that was designed to help them out. Shame on her! And even more shame on those who thought what she did was no big deal!! (You've got to read those comments under the article to see what I'm talking about! People truly amaze me with their total disregard for honesty and fairness).

Coupon. Coupon. Coupon. Save as much money as you can--and always use a coupon. It's a lifestyle choice. Maybe coupons are lifestyle enablers in hard economic times. Maybe they are a source of entertainment and activity. Maybe they are an addiction :)))) But for whatever reason that you use them--use them properly and they will bless your life. And one more thing--don't watch Extreme Couponing for tips or methods for "how it is done"...see it for what it is--entertainment. Reality TV is not Real Life. There's a little truth in everything--but it's usually wrapped up in a bunch of pretty little lies. Be smart. Learn your store policies. Be honest. Follow the rules. And you will start saving money in earnest when you do what is right!!

Extreme Sporting....

I just read an article on yahoo that kind of had me chuckling because it was "Why Extreme Couponing Won't Work"--but the whole article laid out why it would work. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-Extreme-Couponing-Wont-investopedia-503187681.html?x=0&.v=1 The bottom line disclaimer admits: "If you are organized, have free time, have the room for storage, want to save money or feel compelled to donate offerings to food pantries, then extreme couponing may work well for you." To this I just want to add a hearty AMEN! She listed every reason I shop the way that I do except for the adrenalin rush that I get every time I walk out of the store knowing that I got a GrEaT deal! I love the mini-high that makes me giddy and eager to find the next sale.

Tonight, for example--I just bought the better part of a year's supply of Tide laundry detergent (HE/hypo-allergenic, to boot) and a host of other products, for a meager $5.59. The author of the article is right, I'm going to have to be organized enough to store it efficiently near or in my laundry room, as not to forget that I already have the upcoming products that I need. But who, in their right [and left brain, for that matter] would question whether my extreme sporting wasn't worth the work? Each bottle of Tide was originally $9.99 a bottle--on sale this week for $6. That is a 40% reduction in pricing right there...but they had an additional promotion that included these sale items. The promo at the local Rite Aid store earned a $10 Up-Reward when you purchased $30 purchase of selected items. Tide, Bounce, Downy and a variety of paper products were included; all of which were on sale and had coupons available in circulation.

Up-Rewards can be used in future transactions on anything in the store--on sale or not, with or without coupons. The only trick that you have to be aware of--you can't take an Up-Reward from one product and buy another exact product and still generate an additional Up-Reward. You could buy it--but there won't be another redemption reward printed at the time of purchase. So sometimes staggering the Up-Rewards is the KEY to keeping the register spitting out future savings.

Back to my purchases tonight, I saw this deal on Tide in the Sunday ads and immediately ordered my coupons from www.ebay.com; the coupons were going to save me $1.50 per bottle--and arrived in the mail Thursday. I was very eager to get to the nearest Rite Aid to cash in on my find today. I was going to use my previous Up-Rewards to pay for my detergent and household items. But there was a bonus--I was also going home with more Up-Rewards.

**And going back to the article that got me spewing here--what the article didn't explain, was how the stores have rewards/incentive programs that allow you to roll additional savings onto the products by applying the "register rewards", or in this case--the "Up-Rewards" to the grand total for supreme savings, as well as adding manufacturer's coupons.

So in my first transaction tonight, I used a $40 Up-Reward that was generated last week through my purchases of Nivea products. I still had $8 in additional Up-Rewards from prior Crest and Stayfree purchases (free with coupons last week) that I applied to the grand total. So for the record, I got 6 bottles of Tide (32 loads), 2 tubes of Crest toothpaste, 2 bottles of Windex, and 2 bottles of Fantastik all-purpose cleaner-- for $5.59--which was the sales' tax for the total transaction. I paid with the Up-Rewards and I also received $16 back in Up-Rewards, to be used on future purchases. It was a night of extreme sport--but the savings throughout the year will be exponentially apparent when I won't have to shell out $10 for a bottle of detergent and $4 for a tube of toothpaste--which will literally go down the drain!

And as I have the space to store my haul--I anticipate that my "stockpile" will pay for itself over the next few months. The best money saved is the money I didn't have to spend in the first place. I got to control how much I put out for staples, rather than need and expediency dictating my purchase price and quantities. Extreme couponing doesn't have to be about hoarding, mass accumulation of limited and bizarre products, or unnecessary goods. It's about buying what you need to get you through until the next extreme sale. If it's only 1-2 items a week that you are able to eliminate from your grocery list for the next 3-6 months--your savings should be seen over the next 3-6 months!

And if you don't get around to using it in the adherence to use by dates--donate it to the food pantries or local shelters! They are in need of anything and everything that you buy at the store. And the beauty of your generosity comes back to you in the form of a receipt that can be submitted on an itemized tax filing for tax write-offs. This is called the Law of Reciprocity. So it's good to save on the home front--but it's great to also be a source of goodwill and charity in the community. This is the BeSt sport I've ever played ;)

Extreme Savings!

I had to chuckle when I got home from Albertsons' last night to find my kids glued to TLC's Extreme Couponing on TV. I told them to come help me carry the groceries in and I'd show them what I got for only $1.10! They jumped right off the couch to see what I got.

I wandered around the store last night waiting to be inspired on what I wanted to make for dinner this week. I had two $20 Catalinas. The fine print stated that they could not be used in the same transaction, so I did 2 transactions.

The first transaction came up to 79cents...and included 1 celery, a can of olives, 2 boxes of Barilla pasta, 11 packages of Clorox wipes, a pack of Orbit chewing gum, 2 bottles of Parmesan Cheese, and 3 American Greetings cards.

I handed over my coupons and then the Catalina--only to come up to a negative total. The store never gives you money back...so I threw a pack of gum onto the register and finally ended up owing 79cents. I handed over the $1 bill, only to receive my change and a $5 my next shopping trip! Yeah!! But I didn't use it, because my next transaction of 1 bag Santitas Corn chips, 2 two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola, 2 packages frozen cheese tortellini, a #1 bag of carrots, 1 bunch of celery, 8 1/2 pounds of cantaloupe, and 2 frozen bags of peas only came up to 31 cents! So I'll be using that $5 sometime in the next couple of weeks instead.

I love it! On one of the Extreme Couponing blips, the husband of one of the featured shoppers said that his wife shopped for her "high" and "fix"....and I know exactly what he is talking about. It's knowing that I didn't do just a "good job" at saving the greenbacks, better spent on other things--but as I fondly put it--a stellar job. It's bragging rights to share with my kids!

Now for full disclosure about why and how I got these extreme deals: Albertsons' is running a deal through this coming Tuesday (6/21) of when you can buy $100 in your choice of gift cards for over 100 different restaurants, stores, and airlines--you get a $20 Catalina back to spend on anything in the store. I did a couple of these type of purchases to get the $20 back. I bought a couple of gift cards to our favorite restaurants that I would be using for Father's Day and an gift card that I bought as a true gift for our favorite high school graduate. I don't know if I would have bought the gift cards to pay for the dinner, normally--but knowing that there was $20 coming back for groceries--I did it this way instead. I've also purchased airfare for Southwest Airlines at Albertsons' in the past for get the rewards at the store, rather than just booking the tickets online. There are no charges to purchase the airfare this way, and I get the points and kick-backs from the grocery store. So I was very happy with my haul this weekend, because I benefited from every single purchase :)