Coupons

First of all I'd like to thank all the new A-Z visitors who have come by Chaka's World. I have already screwed up with the challenge and know I won't be posting every day, but today's topic of coupons just happens to start with the letter C.

Sometimes there is a stigma that can accompany coupons. This is especially true if you use them on a date. I guess it's probably a good thing to see a guy use coupons on a date because then his date will know he is cheap up front instead of having to find out after they get married. On a side note, I once heard that the best candidates for getting ripped off are young guys on dates. If they don't get a dollar back or if they get incorrect change, they probably wouldn't make a scene or argue about it in front of their date.

I have never been a big  coupon enthusiast. I used to make fun of people who would spend time cutting out coupons and then drive all over town to buy an item on sale. That was before a friend of mine showed me how much money she had saved over the last year by using coupons. I was shocked when she showed me the system she uses to save thousands of dollars by playing the coupon game.

I had no idea there was so much free money out there offered by stores and manufacturers for those who are willing to cut out a paper or enter a promotion code. I've actually seen some hard core coupon shoppers at the store not only get stuff for free, but actually get paid money back while shopping!

Thanks to coupons, I occasionally buy fancy expensive razors instead of the single blade cheap disposable razors. A couple months ago I bought $75.00 worth of frozen Marie Calendars pies and Breyers ice cream for $19.00.

As much as I enjoy saving money, I recently quit taking the weekend newspaper since it is messy and I hate the clutter and time it takes to go through ads to look for coupons. Even though I hate the hassle of coupons and jumping through hoops, I may start using them again if food prices go up as they are expected to in the next several months.