Dear Coupons, how I've missed thee!

Well, how can I say this? I miss couponing! I have been unable to fit couponing into my world the last couple months due to our busy life, work, planning for special events and preparing for our new baby that is on the way! Which is one reason why I have started to try and get back into the swing of things again! It has been far too long since I did my last coupon raid, big shopping score and bargain seeking! Whatever was I thinking?

I apologize to my viewers and my fans for the lack of attention I have put towards my online sites, and look forward being more involved again. Couponing is so much fun, however it can be taxing on time, and that was something I was running short on. I look forward to hearing from you all, and getting back into the flow of the coupon highway, and with a new baby on our way, I will be looking for new items like diapers and formula, the things I did not coupon for very often before! This should be fun, I can't wait.......

CanadianCouponQueen.

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My views on couponing today. How can we change what is bound to happen?

Coupons! What came to mind just now when you read that word? Savings? Bargains? Affordable shopping? Maybe you have thoughts of resentment! I am a couponer. I love coupons. I have helped family and friends with savings, given to food banks and other forms of charity, handed out coupons to non-expecting shoppers who appreciated the surprise savings I had to offer them and much more. I do love the art, sport, hobby or whatever category you feel couponing should be in. I admit, I do not coupon as much as I used to. It is getting harder to get the savings that we all love. However, with such a nation wide outbreak of couponers in the works, all running down the isle looking for their next big bargain, how could we expect the savings to last. There has to be a limit.

I coupon. I am sure you the viewer of this site and this article I am writing has used coupons. A lot or a little, it does not matter. You like savings. We all do. However, I am finding that couponing has been given a bad name. It has become a cashiers worst nightmare, a store managers pain in the backside, and companies who are generous enough to produce such an abundant amount of coupons for people such as ourselves, well they are strategically marking the coupons with strict wording that makes it harder and harder to apply coupons in the "stacking" fashion that we, the couponers like to use. I like a free item. I sometimes get several if it is free. However, I have not ever filled a garage, room or an overly large section of my house with goods. I have 3.5 ft wide pantry with 3 shelves in it, and a cupboard in my bathroom for personal items. I also have a shelf over my washer and dryer for cleaners. I am not saying that a stockpile is wrong, however, some of the reasons why couponing is getting to be a hard thing to do, is because of some of the actions that we as couponers do are causing the rules to change, store policies are constantly updating to stricter wording. Staff members in stores are watching in-store coupons like security guards because people will actually take the entire pad, without leaving any for the next person. TV shows showing us mass amounts of items purchased, or as some would consider not purchased, influencing all of us. Many of you would say that these shows are giving us couponers a bad reputation or teaching us it is OK to clear shelves and fill our homes with  obscene amounts of product. I Admit I love to grab extra when I come across a great deal. I might buy 10. If I am sharing with family or friends, I might get more. But there has to be a limit. If I was about to get 50 free toothbrushes, and a thousand people are getting the same deal somewhere around the globe, that is 50,000 toothbrushes that the company has to pay out to the retailers who provided them for the customer and accepted their coupons. Lets say the price is $1.50 each normally. The coupon company would be reimbursing $75,000 for that many toothbrushes. That is a LOT of money. Imagine how big those numbers could and probably actually are in reality. Think about the viral outbreak of couponing shoppers that we have around the globe today. More than the average person is aware of. Now, think about the amount of products that a company produces, how much they are paying out to retailers for coupon savings. Crazy I know. I never used to think about it like this. But couponing was not as abundant or misused either.

I honestly feel that coupons and the art of couponing has been and still is an amazing skill to have learned in my lifetime. I have helped many people learn some of the tools they need in order to save money. However, I have always said, and always will say, there is no reason why a person needs to fill their house, back room, garage or shed with product that will probably expire before it is used. I honestly don't see much harm in getting great deals in a little larger amount if you plan on donating to charity and food banks. I think that it is a great tool to be able to give the gift of food to those who have very little. I know many of us couponers do this sort of thing. It is amazing. The company gives us the gift of savings, and we gift that gift forward. I am sure that a toothbrush company would be glad to reimburse a store for a toothbrush that you might have found for free with a good coupon if they knew that it was going to charity. I am sure they don't mind you get a freebie once and awhile for yourself either if it means you might continue to use their products, however, 150 toothbrushes for free, I can see why they might decide to pull the plug.

Now, how many of us want to be able to use coupons and keep getting savings in the near future? I DO! I think that we the couponers, myself included, should step back and think really hard as to why these rules are changing, why coupons are getting harder to find, why that cashier was just rude to you. Couponing is, as you could say, on the endangered species list. Companies are getting fed up. Stores are getting tired of the confusing policy changes. I would like to try and think of an answer to all this. In some way, I would like us to join up, and share our input on how we, the savings seekers can make this better for everyone. What can we do, to make sure that the companies are not going to pull the plug on coupons all together?

When I first learned about couponing, it was fun. I would walk out of a store with savings and feel proud that of what I had achieved. I was on a savings high. It was addicting. The store clerks and cashiers would be happy over the savings I had just gotten, and would nicely see me out of the store with a smile and a wave. Now, when I go into a store that is well known for coupon lovers, I feel like a criminal, I feel watched, I feel like I am doing something wrong. How dare I try and save money on that item I just grabbed off the shelf? I walk to the till, lay my coupons on the pairing products, and I am greeted by a scowling cashier who is loathing me for taking up her time, making her read coupons to make sure they are applicable, and quite frankly ruining her day! How dare she give me that glare, that stare, that sigh, that rude farewell! I am not condoning this behavior from staff members and store clerks, for it is part of their job description to accept coupons from customers, (for now) and should be done with respect and patience regardless of their views or takes on what we do. However, can I really blame her? The cashier sees tons of people like me everyday, many going after deals and savings in substantially larger volumes than I ever have. She has her manager breathing down her neck making sure to read the coupons and apply them only if they are in a valid sequence, limit, size, etc. Her store manager has head office chomping at the bit that too many coupons have been used, too many coupons applied mistakenly,  not knowing it could not be used with another coupon or on a specific product, therefor they do not get reimbursed from the company named on the coupon for the savings we cashed in on because of one little mistake or error.This leaves the store that just accepted our coupon footing the bill for our coupon savings! Head office has our beloved coupon producing companies on their tails, telling them they can not do this or that, or such in such is not a valid use of a specific coupon. All of this plays into effect as to why couponing is getting harder, more strict, and more frowned upon instead of smiled upon and adored.

For many of us, excluding myself, many hours per day/week are spent preparing for the next big "haul". Some of us consider it a full time job. I myself don't. I watch the flyer's for coupons and savings, when they come out, check to see what I have for savings, browse the isle for coupons when I am out and about. But I also have a day job that I have to do. I don't have that much time to commit to shopping. I am also a mother first and foremost. I admit my daughter likes to help with he couponing and even gave me the name Canadian Coupon Queen. But, I do not give up my little time I have with her to score big on coupons from a recycle plant or shop at midnight to get the savings. I just could not do it. Props to some of you who can run on lack of sleep and countless hours looking at text on the back of a coupon. Reading makes me tired. A little humour there, but regardless, couponing to me is not about changing one's life to have one's life fit in with couponing, it is fitting couponing into one's life.

I truly feel that if we want to continue to enjoy savings, we need to reflect on the ways we seek our bargains, how much of a good thing we really need, and how we treat our store employees who see so many of us everyday.

I was recently contacted by a BIG news press based out of Toronto who wanted me to give an interview on an article I had not heard anything about yet. I was too late for the interview by the time I read it in my email account, but skimmed through the article. It was not what I thought I would be reading about. It was sad. It was honest. It was true. I have not even read the whole article yet. It made me think after I read the opening paragraph. You can read this article HERE if you would like. It is an eye opener to say the least.

In conclusion to my out pour of my opinion on these matters, I would like to say, I am not scorning any of us, the couponers. I am not saying we should not bargain hunt. I have not formed the opinion that couponing is bad or that we are bad people for doing it. I just feel that we need to look back, ask ourselves if we are getting carried away with the thrill of the savings, or abusing this privilege in any way? I used coupons today. I could have driven across town to get a better savings on a particular product today, but I chose to shop at a locally owned store today and the item was on a Buy 1 Get 1 sale. I had many coupons I could have used, but I knew this store did not "stack" coupons. I was content using one coupon and paid $8.00 for 2 instead of $10.50 for 2, which was already a good price considering they are usually $10.00 for one. That was $4.00 each in the end. It was an awesome deal. Sure I could have gone to another store in town that offer's "stacking" and would probably be able to get the price down even lower with the coupons I had, but I did not. In the end, I realize the company that supplies me and my family with these awesome products and amazing savings coupons, well it's simple. They need to make money too. If they don't, quality on these amazing products could decrease and we will not want to continue to use them, leaving us without that wonderful product we have all known and grown to love.

So! What can we do? How can we help alleviate some of the problem that has been created. Do we cut down on how much we take home? Do we try less to get a FREE item and be grateful for savings at all. Do we learn how to hunt for bargains instead of walking out paying nothing? What is your opinion? How can we make this better for the product companies, the retail stores and merchants, while still getting ourselves some awesome deals? There has to be a way. If we find something that is on sale and the matching coupon we have makes the item free, do we limit ourselves to 3 or 4, or do we go for the whole shebang and clear the shelves? The latter is partially why these problems are arising. I look forward to your valued opinion.I don't want to see a world with no coupons. I don't want to be made to feel ashamed when I apply coupons to my purchase. I love coupons as much as the next couponer. So let's see what we can do about this.  I would like to see how many of my fellow couponers can come up with an idea, a plan, a suggestion that could help make what we all love to do, easier and more affordable and beneficial for all, not just us, the coupon lovers.

 
Yours Truly,

CanadianCouponQueen



*Disclaimer:This post was written by CanadianCouponQueen. All opinions are honest and my own. This post is to share my views. It is not a sponsored post.

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Oreo Ice Cream Coupon

These Facebook coupons for Oreo Ice Cream are still available. MMMmmm....Who does not love ice cream? And it tastes even better with savings! Get your Facebook coupon HERE. Limited coupons, get yours while supplies last.

My pop haul and Cola Cat!

The pop shown here with my beautiful kitty, Mocha is on sale at Save On Foods.  Pepsi and 7Up 2L  are on for 3 for $4.98. I used $3.00 in coupons on every 2 bottles of pop. The price of 24 pop would have been $39.84 not including the deposit, tax and recycle fee. My coupons brought this price down to $3.84. Should have been all together: $51.04.  I paid $15. 04 including tax and other fees. My savings are $36.00 PLUS an additional $4.80 back when it comes time to return the bottles for deposit. All said in done, this pop cost me $10.24 which works out to .43 cents per bottle all taxes and fees in.

Ferrero Rocher Giveaway!

Enter to win a Ferrero Rocher Bouquet! They are giving away one per week! Until February 14Th. Click HERE for your chance to enter....a sweet Valentine Bouquet would be perfect for that special someone!

Discover Lindt Spin to Win

Lindt chocolate is hosting a Spin to Win game right now. You could win 1 of 5,000 chocolate bars or perhaps you might win 1 of 10 chocolates for a year.Click Here to begin your 2 FREE spins. Good luck!

Armstrong Cheese at Shopper's Drug Mart

This would have cost $162.69 but after the sale and coupons I paid $57.46. Shoppers Drug Mart had this cheese on for $2.99 minus my coupon it was $2.24 each. You need 2.2 of these blocks to make a big 750g block that we usually find on sale between $12.99-$7.99! The cost for 2.2 of these blocks is only $4.92 which is an amazing deal!!! I paid $51.52 for the cheese in the picture.... If I would have bought this at SaveOn foods today with the sale price of $15.99 for a 1.35kg block I would have needed 5.79 of those big blocks to get this much cheese and it would have cost me $92.62 on SALE!!! I think I got the better deal since my price for a 1.35kg block adds up to .... $8.89 but it gets better yet! I also got a $10.09 gift card at shoppers for spending $50.00 or more which in actually drives the cost of my cheese down from $2.24 for each of these, to $1.81 making my price for a big block at SaveOn work out to $7.18!!! You can hardly ever find a 750g block for that price!!!! Can you say "cheese please"!!!!! The Lipton Cup of Soup was on from $2.49 to .99 cents and I had a B3G1 FREE coupon. these items are on sale until Feb. 3.

Shoppers Drug Mart

Get 8,000 Bonus Optimum points when you spend $50 or more on almost anything in the store. Offer valid from Monday, January 30, 2012 to Friday, February 3, 2012.

Shoppers Drug Mart Surprise Gift Card

You could receive a surprise gift card when you spend $50.00 or more on almost anything in the store at Shoppers Drug Mart on Saturday and Sunday January 27-28 only. This gift card could have a surprise amount on it from $10, $25, $50 to  $100 off your next purchase. Hurry in and get yours.

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My unprepared shopping trip!

Ok! After a long day at work today I decided to go and shop since it makes me feel better at times to spend, or pretend I am spending a LOT of money. However, the feeling I get when I spend very LITTLE for a LOT of stuff is much better than breaking the bank. I am sure most of you will agree. So, I got some good bargains. I would have spent $180.00! Thanks to coupons and price matching, I only spent $63.00 before taxes on these products in the picture. I Price matched the Tylenol with WalMart at my local Zellers for $5.97 and used a $3.00 LivingWell.ca printable coupon. Making the Tylenol $2.97 each. Good deal. Also, the Royal was a price match, paid $2.47 for those. Eggs were FREE Activia Drinkable....FREE....Shredded cheese.....FREE.....Lean Cuisine.....FREE with a Facebook printable. Good deals. I hope you all get in on them.

Tylenol 100 ct Extra Strength

WalMart has Tylenol Extra Strength 100 ct on for $5.97. This is an awesome deal as it is since some places charge $12.99 for it. However, you can turn this into an amazing deal if you go to Livingwell.ca and print off a coupon for $3.00 off this product. You can get this for an awesome price of $2.97.

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Scott Paper Towel Coupon

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A moment to think about "Couponing"

Ok...a thought about couponing. So with the new wording on coupons and the difficulty it seems to be to "stack" coupons these days, how many of you are still finding wicked bargains and deals? I understand "why" they are making it harder, but I don't understand why they are taking it to such an extreme. Like it is not hard enough to live in Canada these days! So, Tell me how are you managing? What are your secrets to savings, and help others understand that savings are still "possible". I find that coupons are worth using with or without "stacking"! I think that if you can find a coupon for every product you are buying on your list, you are saving at a great deal still Tell me what you think!

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SportCheck Legendary Winter Sale

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Zellers Canada

I learned something interesting while shopping at my local Zellers today. Since Target has taken over, they are closing out in June I believe, (I might be wrong about this date)  and they are starting with their liquidation in May. The staff person I spoke with said they will not be posting the sales in the flyer's, they will be in store only. I would suggest finding out when your Zellers store will be closing out and plan to shop there frequently for clearance deals and bargain finds. You never know what you might find there if they are closing out! Could be in for some amazing sales! If you find out when yours will be, feel free to post the info on my comments form.

Huggies

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Nesquick Facebook coupon

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Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich deal.

Tim Hortons is offering an Egg White breakfast sandwich for $1.99 plus tax. Get yours...it's only here for a limited time.

Subway...$5.00 Foot long....Eat Fresh

Subway is offering a $5.00 Foot long. Offer applies specific sandwiches.  Stop by your Subway today and see what choices they have for this awesome deal. Subway, Eat Fresh! Limited time only. (Price and choices may vary at locations offering this deal.)

Free Lean Cuisine

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Shoppers Drug Mart

Get 8,000 Bonus Shoppers Optimum points when you spend $50.00 or more on nearly anything in the store. This offer excludes Manitoba and Saskatchewan. (Manitoba and Saskatchewan's offer is 8,000 points for $60.00)

Shopper's Drug Mart

Shoppers Drug Mart in some locations has LaCoupe shampoo on clearance for $3.00. This hot item comes to $1.00 with the LaCoupe printable coupon for $2.00 off. I found one on Smartcanucks. I managed to pick up 8 bottles. Nice.

Safeway

Safeway Canada has FREE 2012 calenders available at the Pharmacy. They have a bonus inside. They come with coupons. However, the coupons are Safeway coupons, but I am pretty sure you can use them at Wal-Mart. Get yours before they run out. Who doesn't need a calender???