I recently had this discussion with two friends of mine and it was fun to see someone have a "light bulb moment", not from me, but from another friend that I had converted to the "couponing dark side" about 2 years ago.
We were outside with the kids playing when one friend asked me about the $5 Scrubbing Bubbles coupon and if she could find it online. I told her that it couldn't, but that I had a bunch of them and she was welcome to them (I'm a Soft Scrub gal).
So then a discussion ensued.....if ever there was a case study of "What Makes People Start To Use Coupons", this would be it.
You see - my one friend was quick to tell me that she was only going to buy a bunch of Extend-A-Clean because it was such a good coupon. But she didn't want to get "nuts" with buying things with coupons because "they just make you buy things you don't need...who needs 20 bottles of shampoo in 1 week?"
And then my other friend turned to her and said "Mindi taught me to never pay for shampoo, conditioner or toothpaste again, I didn't NEED 20 tubes of toothpaste 9 months ago, but I didn't pay anything for it and I haven't had to pay $3 every other week for 9 months for toothpaste! I am just now starting to run low on all the free Pantene that I had. We didn't NEED that much toothpaste the weeks that I bought it, but we needed it eventually, and what's more, I didn't have to worry about buying it for a long time because I knew that I had enough."
(funny story: I still remember HER "light bulb moment"....her son dropped his toothbrush in the toilet one morning and it was 7:00pm and she still hadn't managed to go out and buy him a new one. I told her don't bother, I had plenty of toothbrushes that she was welcome to have for free, because I didn't pay anything for them either!)
And that's the thing...couponing is all about "Long-term thinking". This week there may be a great deal on one item that can enable you to stock up for free or at rock-bottom prices. The next week there will be something else.
Do you need 10 bottles of Nivea Body Wash because it is on a great sale at Walgreens this week and you can get it free? Well - quite frankly, if you go through 10 bottles of Body Wash in 1 week, you have more serious problems than saving money! But the point is, you WILL eventually go through 10 bottles of body wash.
So why not stockpile it when you can get it free? Wouldn't you rather have to find space for free product than pay $5 for it every 2 weeks when you need it?
How have you dealt with people that think that you are just "buying things you don't need"?
Jan
All. The. Time. Also people who think couponing takes too much time and therefore isn't worth it. Although their jaws drop when I tell them I average 70% savings on groceries and personal care items (yeah, I keep a spreadsheet. I'm a geek!).
Long-term thinking is a good way to put it, Mindi. I think a lot of problems in this country (and corporate America) can be traced back to short-term thinking. Or "it's all about me" thinking. Sure, I often buy items I don't need or more than I need ... but only if it's free or really cheap, and then I can give to family and the local food bank. So couponing pays me and pays it forward.
Jamie M
My husband is the main person I have to convince. He is a big believer in putting money in the bank, but can't seem to understand getting 10 toothpastes for free. One would be enough for him. I've been stockpiling "free" items for a while now. Things we don't use or have a ton of are now ready to be donated to a local church (about $400 worth). I'm hoping the tax write off will change his mind!
Jen Knox
Maddening! 😉 Ughh....why do people think of shopping in terms of "weeks" anyway? I have relatives who clip the coupons they need that week from the coupons and throw the rest away. They don't "need" toilet paper THIS WEEK, so why cut out the coupon? Just because the coupons come weekly that doesn't mean you don't need toilet paper eventually! 😉
I regularly come home from shopping trips with $25-$50 in free or heavily discounted (80% or more) items that we always eventually need. Do I need six tubes of toothpaste this week? Nope, but we'll need them over 6 months. Why buy it at full price when you can buy it advance for nothing? Seems simple to me! Oh well, we're laughing all the way to the bank I guess!
Kelly K
My hubby is getting so used to having a stockpile of things that when he goes for something like deodorant and he sees there is only 1 or 2 left in the cabinet I hear him from upstairs "You need to start looking for deals on deodorant, theres only 2 left!" Whats even better is I am so busy babysitting that sometimes I cant go with him to the store. I can give him a list (copied posts from blogs with the exact deal he is to look for) with a pile of coupons and send him on his way. He does sooo well with it! Just this past weekend I sent him & our son out...
Target.. paid $48.43, saved $56.73
CVS (our first time shopping there)... paid $18.82, saved $32.57, ECB back $19.00
Wegmans (nobody posts match ups for there)... paid $87, saved $20 (not the greatest but I gave him virtually no list and just some random coupons so he made the best of what he had)
Laura
Kelly -- Frugally Blonde does Wegmans match ups I believe.
Laura
Kate
I stock up too, but I also donate lots of toiletries I get for free to local shelters.
Linda C.
It's been almost one year since I "joined up" with your website and started extreme-couponing. Every month I take a few boxes of products that I got for free around to my 2 sisters and their families. They load up on free stuff that they would otherwise have to pay for. I NEVER have to hear "why are you buying stuff you don't need" because they're too busy thinking how great it is! Especially my niece and nephew, who are in their 20's and living on their own.
Niki
My husband is the same way, he was running low on body wash, so I did the CVS & Rite-Aid Body wash deals, and now he has 6. I didn't pay a thing for them, so he really doesn't get it. He just sees me come home with however many ones I got free, and he is like 'where are we going to put all that _____!' and I just snicker when the 'do we have any more of that ____?' comes out of his mouth! 🙂 He has enough body wash and deodorant now to last him a while....good grief! 🙂
Thanks Mindi for your hard work on all the deals and match-ups. You are wonderful.
Diane K.
My husband is the same way. I tell him that when he is running low, he needs to let me know so I can find a good deal. I hate buying full price. I know if I have time I can shop around, use a coupon, and get a rebate.
fairydust
I didn't used to use more coupons than for what I thought I needed in the week, but now I have a nifty stockpile going of "free" or nearly free items. I truly will never need to buy body wash or 'poo again, but that's okay! Plus, in a pinch, a number of these liquid soapy things can be used to refill pump soap dispensers and even dish soap (not dishwasher but just for in-the-sink use). I also love when stores literally pay me to take their items home with me - LOL! It's a game, sure, but a really beneficial one!
.-= fairydust´s last blog ..Woohoo Wednesday Shopping Trip =-.
CJ
Sometimes I dont take my own advice - this week I needed cold medication and looked in my stockpile and HORRORS! I didnt have ANY!!! Its was free all winter at various stores and I never bought any because I hardly ever get sick in the winter. Now that I need it, I didnt have any 🙁 But I have enough body wash to last me a century!
Janice
I just posted about my recent trip to Target on FB. I bought $70 worth of purchases and brought it down to $16 using coupons and I'm sending in $10 worth of rebates. It amazes everyone. I too, bought stuff I don't use. Since it's free, I pass it along or donate the items. I always say that "I share my wealth" 🙂 I used to spend $300/week just on Wal-Mart and Redners. Now I spend less and get more, thanks to you, Mindi! I'm not the best at this, but I'm sure better than I was. Thanks so much for all your help! (we are a family of 6)
Julie
I tell my friends that I bring home free or deeply discounted things before I need them so I don't have to overpay for them when I do need them. Sometimes they understand.
(Although I have one neighbor who will just never get it. How you can live 30 minutes from the nearest store and have three children under age six and never have any fever-reducer/pain reliever in your house?)
I have a harder time explaining when I get free/cheap things to use the overage or the catalina.
By the way, I enjoy these posts where you explain a piece of the couponing puzzle.
Gwen
I was just talking myself through a similar conversation. I'm all about getting the free stuff and donating what we don't need. But we live in a small townhouse with limited storage.
A few months ago I made a donation of personal hygeine items and totally depleted my stockpile, knowing that I could build it back up.
This week I was about to load up another box to donate when I realized that donating my entire stockpile is counter productive. If I've donated everything today, and tomorrow we run into a financial hardship, I wont be able to rebuild the stockpile.
I think that in "these economic times" anyone can understand that rationale. I'm buying it now when it's cheap, because next week, I might not have the money to buy it, even if it is cheap.
Laura
I have some friends that just refuse to use coupons...one of which is a stay at home mom with 4 kids. I always feel bad for her kids because they can't afford to take their kids to do a lot of the things we do....but it is her own fault. She is too proud to use coupons (her words, which is sad because her husband is all for it and they fight constantly about money).
I rarely, if ever, run out of anything. There is always food in my house and without fail, I bring a couple of really big boxes of stuff to my cousin twice a year. His family has huge medical expenses and if I can give him care packages of essentials twice a year, it gives them a little wiggle room in their finances.
My husband makes little gift bags for his employees for Christmas with razors, body wash, free candy we have gotten, etc. -- no more stressing over gifts. All my kids' teachers got Glade candle gift bags for Christmas this year and they loved them and I didn't pay much, if anything, for any of them.
We rarely do things that don't involve a coupon or a gift card that we have gotten through surveys, etc. Even this weekend, we are going to Toy Story 3 and we already have two free tickets. Coupons and blogs like this one are some of the greatest things in the world!!!!
Diane K.
So I have not had to convince anyone of why I use my coupons and shop sales, but I do want to add to the discussion. My husband has been unemployed for the last 4 months. We have been able to reduce our grocery budget because I have such a nice stash of stuff in my house that we are now just using it all up. I had a closet full of cereal that is half gone now. I still buy when I find a good deal, but I am not stockpiling. I look forward to getting back to stockpiling when we have a job as that is an investment in money well spent.
Stacey
I personally do not understand how people do not want to use coupons... I save tons of money with them, and have stockpiled the last few months and now have a nice supply of personal items(shamp/cond/toothpaste/brushes/razors/soaps), household cleaners, laundry detergent/fabric softner, and non-perishables/drygoods.
I am confident that I could take care of my family for at least 6 months with minimal spending should the need arise. My husband supports the couponing which helps too. Every time I see my sister, i send her off with a bag of goodies that cost me little to no money....keeps her coming to visit more often 😉 LOL I have donated as well, but I usually give to family and friends in need first, so many of them need the extra help these days.
I m guilty of getting things that I don't necessarily use, but if it is free, I figure why not, I will find someone to use it.
Lindsay M.
My mom likes coupons, but she doesn't understand why I buy so much stuff. I live by myself, so I don't really need it all, but I donate so much, and it makes me feel good. Plus, I get to shop, which is one of my favorite hobbies!