For some folks, coupons are a hobby. For others, they are a matter of survival.
The hobbyists have their share of critics. One Washington Post reporter used the term “piggy stockpilers” to refer to certain “extreme” couponers. Surely that’s an exaggeration when applied to many savings seekers. But not for all, unfortunately.
It’s easy enough to criticize the antics of some of the “Extremers” on reality TV: the Shelf Clearers, Hoarders, and Frauds (what I like to call “Clip Artists’). With such goings-on, it’s understandable that some would write off the whole coupon craze as just that: a fad for crazy people.
But for others, as I said, it’s not about hoarding unneeded items just because they got them for pennies or free. It’s about survival.
I mean “survival” in the sense of being able to put food on the table. Strange as it may seem, those little bits of paper, carefully clipped from newspapers and magazines, or picked up from stores, fliers, or even the Internet, can mean the difference between enough food on the table to support the family, and a trip to the local church or other charity for a handout.
These are real people, just like you and me. I meet them all the time in my
Coupon Makeover Classes. One of them emailed me to say, “I have recently lost my job and now I really need to jump back on this coupon train and get to chugging and save, save, save.”
Another wrote, “I really need to jump on track as I have just recently lost my job.”
Still another said that she had been trying to coupon off and on for a few years, “but I would like to know how to [coupon] better since my husband just lost his job.”
It’s a common scenario in our troubled economy. Even those currently employed are fearful: some are now turning to couponing as a way to prepare for the possibility of a
future layoff. One news website quoted a couponer who said, “The goal for me…is to stockpile as many grocery items as I can in preparation of unforeseen illness or job loss. When someone loses a job [he] still needs to eat.”
With the New Year holiday just behind, and an uncertain year looming ahead, many are making New Year’s Resolutions to learn the art of couponing to help the household budget. Some of these new couponers are already in deep economic waters, and just want to keep from drowning. Others are doing okay, but are worried that the New Year might bring a change to their financial fortunes.
And others just want to help: one important aspect of couponing is the way it can be used to assist families or individuals in crisis. Some of these efforts are organized, like Coups for Troops, which provides coupons to overseas soldiers; or the website, Coupons for Charity.
But individuals can do a lot, too: a growing number of folks are using coupons to buy extra food and supplies to give to churches or other charities, or that neighbor across the street who has been looking for work for over a year.
No matter which category you’re in, there’s a lot you can do, and I want to help you do it with a minimum of time and expense. For years, I have taught my
Coupon Makeover classes for free admission, just for this purpose. And I wrote the book,
Coupon Quick Start Guide: The Easiest, Fastest Way to Serious Savings and Free Groceries, for those who can’t attend a class, or who need an ongoing coupon reference manual.
So for those who want to help, I hope you’ll consider using coupons to bless others. If you don’t yet know how to save money with coupons, you can get a copy of my book,
Coupon Quick Start Guide (click the book image just to the right) as an instant eBook download.
I’ve recently reduced the price of the book by 40%, so you can now get it for only $2.99 on Amazon or Barnes and Noble (with their free apps, you can read the book on any computer: you don’t have to buy a Kindle or Nook to read it).
Or get one for a family in need, so that they can use this crucial information to save 50 – 75% on their grocery bill every week.
And if you are in those deep financial waters yourself, I invite you to contact me personally by email: couponquickstart @ gmail dot com. I have some free couponing resources I can provide if you are out of work, or otherwise financially burdened.
In any case, now is the best time to take action for yourself, your family, or those in need around you. By learning a few basic principles, you can make a tremendous, positive impact on your grocery bill, and with only a minimal time commitment (about an hour) each week. I would love to show you how. Because for you, or for many people you may know, couponing is definitely
not just a hobby.
It’s about survival.
