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Too much of a good thing?

I LOVE getting a deal just as much as anyone else, but there are limits as to how far I will go to get them.

You know those free candies & pens that you get at professional offices when you visit? Do you take ONE? ... or as many as you think you can get away with without anyone saying anything to you? Couponing Queens across Canada & abroad have become very inventive with how they are achieving such "great deals". Are they legit? Some are.... Are they ethical? Most are not.

Couponing with sense & sensibility is a rarity lately. Those who are using coupons to save money, stay out of the red, or to simply be able to afford to feed their families are suffering because of couponers who have no hesitation or compassion for others that are clearing shelves, & using coupons improperly.

Improper Use of Coupons:

• photocopying coupons 
• using specific product coupons on the wrong size/type of product
• Stacking unstackable coupons
• Using expired coupons

Typically most stores will have limits now as to how many of the same "like" items you are permitted to purchase per shopping trip. Blatant disregard for these permissions, and purchasing more (way way more) product than allowed is pushing stores to adjust their policies to reflect even more restrictions. Yes, retailers want nothing more than to sell their product, but they also must maintain good customer service with ALL customers. Meaning, that they cannot "allow" couponers to clear shelves, leaving nothing left for 100's of loyal patrons to purchase. This is especially if an item is advertised. I am sure that all of us at one point or another have gone to a store to purchase something specific, to find that it is all gone. It is disappointing, especially if you are really needing that product. Resulting in you going to another store to spend your money...and who knows. If this situation happens enough times at one location, wouldn't you stop being a loyal customer? Probably...

Couponers who are only caring for themselves, and not the longevity, availability or ease of using coupons, are ruining it for everyone else.

Ohh..and here is another one....Tear Pad Stealing & Auctioning. This one really gets my goat.

There are some who will know exactly which day stores will release new coupons on their shelves...unless you have your running shoes & boxing gloves on, good luck in getting any. These tear pads have disappeared within hours (if not less time) from the shelves, thus now making them "rare". These pads can contain up to 600 coupons. Where as last year and years prior, one would be able to find tear pads weeks, & months after they were released. Sheer greed is the cause of this. It is so terrible to see that a simple piece of advertisement can cause such an upheaval amongst those who are trying to save a buck.

Now, to top all of this off...some have gone to the extent of "selling" these now rare coupons on e-bay! Some have paid virtually the same amount in actual cash that the coupons are worth...

COUPONS ARE FREE!

So, if you want to see coupons on your shelves, and retailers accept them with open arms, please have good ethics when using and acquiring coupons.

• When you spot at tear pad in store, take only a little bit each time you shop. Five or so coupons at a time is a very reasonable amount for anyone
• NEVER clear a shelf. Leave some for the next customer. However, if there is only a few on the shelf to begin with and you need it, by all means take it. Just use common sense.
• Use the proper coupons for the items that you are buying. If there are size/type restrictions, you must comply with the restrictions set out on the coupon. The more that people try to cheat, the more restrictions that we will all begin to see printed. Manufacturers DO know how people are using these coupons, don't think we are fooling them.

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$10 Aerius Coupon - Mailed

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Small Town Couponing - It can be done

Couponing has become hard even for some of the most experienced & knowledgeable couponers out there.

The sheer interest in saving money, and tonnes of it, is very appealing....to anyone!

Couponers are no longer the struggling mothers, or unemployed individuals seeking just to stay a float. Couponers are business men & women, the single - working average jo, parents of one or multiple children, the retired...and now even teenagers. Its everyone of all walks of life.

People in large cities can have quite the advantage when it comes to finding deals & accumulating large varieties of coupons. Small cities & towns...ummmm not so much. But! it can still be done.

Big City Couponing Pro's & Con's:

• Large variety of stores to comparison shop (Price Match) - PRO!
• Multiple locations to search for tear pads - PRO!
• Large cities have large amounts of people couponing, tear pads disappear quickly! - CON!
• Takes more time to shop when you have to drive long distances to get a deal - CON!
• Bigger stores = More stock - PRO!
• Coupon inserts are widely distributed, if you can't find it at one location, you can always try another - PRO!
  

Small Town Couponing Pro's & Con's:

•  Its hard to find the products that you have coupons for - CON
• Small towns are filled with independent grocers who do not accept coupons. - CON
• Limited amount of tear pads are put on shelves (if any) - CON
• Takes minutes to get to the store to grab your favorite deals - PRO

.....as you can see, there are not too many Pro's to living in a small town & trying to coupon. 

So, having been living in a small town all of my adult life, here is how I cope & accomplish getting great deals.

1. I have established a network of people from different areas in Canada in which I barter with to trade coupons. If I have no coupons to trade, other compensations are offered. Ie: cost of postage, help with couponing, or other tokens of appreciation. Between a small group of ladies on facebook (whom now we are best of friends without ever having met) and a wonderful lady in Northern Alberta, I can generally get my hands on any coupon that I need with out too much pain involved.

2. Hold out for deals & pricematch. In my small town we have two grocery stores. I will price match one store against the other, and I am able to "stack" coupons to accomplish getting the cheapest price possible.

3. Stockpiling.....for small towns, I feel that "some" stockpiling is necessary. The expensive everyday items that you will always use and are hard to find cheap is what I like to stockpile on. Toilet Paper on sale + Coupons I can find for between $3-$4, Coffee $0.99 (Reg. $10.99), Shampoos, Conditioners, body wash, deodorants, cleaners, toothpaste, medications, etc, etc....usually can get a deal so I pay less than 10% of the regular retail price. If I stock up on certain "expensive" items, I will end up saving a lot of money.
But you have to remember: "Savings are not Savings until they are consumed or used, otherwise it is just $$$$ sitting on a shelf."
*make sure the items you stockpile will actually get used before they expire, otherwise whats the point?

4. I stay organized. This is a huge asset to successful couponing no matter where you live. If you can't find a coupon, how in the world are you gonna use it....enough said. The way you organize and take care of your coupons should be just as important as paying your bills on time...cause its money in the bank.

5. I shop every other day. even if I don't need anything, I will walk through the grocery store and observe any deals that I may be able to take advantage of. Looking at the flyers that come to you in the mail are not the only deals that are going on. Look for the Clearance & Manager Specials for more great deals. This also gives me the chance to have a much needed coffee.

Which brings me to my last point:

6. NEVER shop with children!...I have learned my lesson one too many times about this one. Children are distracting, and require your full attention...at all times! I have misplaced, lost, and forgotten about certain coupons when shopping with my kids in tow. I also don't get everything that I need, resulting in loosing out on a sale. When ever possible, shop with out the kids!
Here are some examples just to re-enforce this point

• When children who insist on walking and not sitting in the cart decide to open Fresh Orange Juice containers cause they are thirsty - She obviously needed my attention
• You spend time putting items back on the shelf that you kids are deciding you need
• Tantrums - resulting from putting back those items that you sweet children really really want
• They RUN! all around the store, and you spend your time desperately trying to keep them calm & quiet
• Your kids are impatient and demanding to leave...couponing takes too long with children
• At the till...well, as my children love to pick out their favorite gum, toss magazines, and argue cause they are so DONE with being in the store, I am lucky to pull out the correct debit/credit card & coupons. By this time, I also just want to get out of there.

Couponing in a small town is very possible, but certainly not as easy to get the deals that you hear about in the big cities. Be determined, frugal, and stay on your game. You will get great deals.

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Coupon Trading & Auctioning...Tips & Tidbits

Coupon Trading....
Coupon Trading is becoming increasingly popular, especially on Facebook groups. Coupons & their bar codes will vary from coast to coast, and sometimes province to province. Those who are able to "stack" coupons will trade for specific bar codes that are printed on the back of the coupons to add to their collection. You will see people posting things like " looking for Dove ending in 348" for example.

Here are a few tips to help you trade for what you need, and to make it worth your while.....

1. Don't trade for just "ONE" coupon, try to trade for multiples. Make the cost of the stamp come to approximately 10% of the value of the coupons 
2. If you don't have any coupons to trade to get the ones you want, some people will accept postage stamps instead. In general, one postage stamp per $5 worth of coupons seems to be the going rate. This is all up to the traders involved of course, this is not a rule that is set in stone. Some will even be so kind as to ask just the cost of postage for an entire package no matter how many coupons are in it
3. Make sure that the coupons people are offering you are what you want and can use. Make sure that they are not store specific, or province specific. 
4. If you are making a trade with someone from Quebec, make sure that the coupons that you send are valid in Quebec...MANY are NOT!
5. Trade for coupons that won't expire before you receive them in the mail (give at least 2 weeks to be safe), and even longer to give you time to wait for a great sale to use them on.
6. A "High Value" (HV) coupon, is only high value to the person that needs it...otherwise it is just a piece of paper. People will say that their coupons are HV if they are rare, hard to find, and are for large amount of dollars off. Personally, any "Juice" coupons are high value to me cause we buy so much of it...all depends on how you look at it.
7. Some will want to trade for "points". Pampers, Petro Canada, Huggies, Shoppers Drug Mart, amongst many others offer points programs. You can redeem these points either for more dollars off, or for merchandise. Only trade for points if it is worth while to you. What a fair trade is, is hard to determine. Both parties need to be satisfied with the outcome. Make sure you are aware of the "value" of your points that you are trading, BEFORE you make a deal.
8. Once you have finalized a trade with someone, make sure that the Mailing Address info that you are exchanging is accurate. Keep in mind if you are moving to a new residence in the near future. Canada Post is famous for lost mail & damaged packages. It is always a good idea to tape your envelopes closed to make it harder for someone to get into, and to keep damage to a minimum. Keep in contact with your trader to track packages, and ALWAYS post a message tagging them when you receive their package as a courtesy. This will also make others aware that they are traders who have followed through with their promise, and can be trusted.
9.  It is always best to package, seal, and address the envelope of coupons that you are trading at the same moment you finalize things. If you leave it, there is a chance that things get forgotten about, they don't get sent on time, and will result in you sending expired coupons to the recipient. Always a great idea to have a stash of postage stamps on hand so you can just throw it in the mail on your morning walk or on your way to work.

What to do about a "Bad Trader"... 

"A Bad Trader" is someone who either never sent a package to you, sent the wrong coupons, sent expired coupons, or sent fake/photocopied coupons.

If you have the unfortunate experience of running into a "bad trader"  you need to communicate with that person to see if it was an innocent mistake, and if it can be resolved. If no resolution can be found, let the Administrator of the group you traded on, know of the situation. Don't feel that you are "telling on" someone....it could be just some miscommunication. But this is necessary to prevent others from having the same "Bad" experience.

Otherwise, if you are unhappy about someone's trading habits, don't trade with them again.

Coupon Auctioning...

Well! this is a touchy subject.... Auctioning coupons can be very dangerous. I have witnessed a few of these, and while it can prove to be very profitable for the Auctioneer...it can be the biggest rip-off for the buyer. When people auction coupons, you rarely know the exact details of the package you are bidding on. You NEED to know (1) when these coupons expire, (2) exactly what coupons you are bidding on, (3) are they store specific?

You need to examine if you will actually get to use the coupons before they expire. If you don't, you will have just paid a small fortune for paper that you will recycle.

Ie: Someone is auctioning $200 of cleaning coupons, asking for bids of postage stamps. If you bid 100 stamps, that in turn is just over $60 in cash that you will have to spend on this auction....so you won't be actually saving $200, you will save $140 IF YOU USE EVERY SINGLE COUPON SENT TO YOU!....which is not likely. A fair estimate would be that you would use 50% of what you get...so now you will only be saving MAYBE $70...and you can TRADE on groups and forums for the same coupons, and likely more of what you actually need for way less than $60 in stamps...
......Make sense???? Don't get ripped off cause something looks fun and interesting to do.

Coupon Trading - SO Easy!

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• Trade the coupons you don't need for the ones you desperately want. Easily enter the coupon you have and the quantity available for trade!
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Old Navy 20% off Coupon - Valid till Jan.12

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50% off Axe Grooming products - Safeway Only

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Sunlight Laundry $1 Printable Coupon - Exp. Dec.31/11

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