Thread Closed

[MillieH]

Due to issues beyond my control, I haven't shopped or couponed for a bit over two years. I'm feel like I've fallen into coupon heaven~ The coupon boards are over flowing with coupons, the coupons to print or order online have at the least tripled. Cashiers have been trained in how to read and accept coupons and actually apologise if they are slow instead of rolling their eyes and sighing. Other than one 'demon' store where everything has to look like the item in the picture.. there is logic and people who can think for themselves. We can even pre-order. We are allowed to use more coupons. I keep thinking I'm having a wonderful dream and I'm going to wake up.

Trading on the other hand is very odd.. someone offered me 2 stamps for 50 whiskas fpcs and I was to pay postage. I've since decided to go back to the old way of only exchanging coupons with people I know.. a give and take of sorts.. friend to friend.. otherwise it won't be enjoyable anymore.

I would like to say kudos to all the couponers who kept up the good fight and somehow helped in the growth of a wonderful couponing experience at the stores.. I guess its been a gradual process and most don't see it but for me it seems like a miracle... Go couponers~

PS ~ i even had a cashier today ask me to complete the survey and let Walmart know that they treated couponers well so they'd be able to get better coupon rules... Wowsers

[walkonby]

I am thrilled that you have found the whole world of couponing blissful ( and greatly improved ) from when you last participated @MillieH .
Just wish I had as much enthusiasm for it as you do. To me any printables are a bummer as I have huge printer issues going on, plus I am not amused by the cost of paper/ink cartridges.

Any that are mailed out or " found " on boards, the expiry dates are my biggest pet peeve about them.
( too short a window for me ) and for any for taxable items ( personal hygiene, cleaning products ) the amount saved is often $1.00 or less.

I want more! hee hee.

[cath007]

@MillieH : I feel the same about couponning as I where in the same situation of none couponning and none trading for 1 year.

[MillieH]

@walkonby I utilise other groups...I spend a few minutes a day looking in other areas too
... use ink refill places or order ink on ebay etc..print in black and white.... some of the people actually trade printed coupons with different pins for a few stamps.. or a gc.. the savings still work out pretty amazing.. ............ take cost of item .......... factor in points and then savings become bigger.. I use refilled cartridges currently.




I don't know why our experiences are so different.. maybe I just need something to be positive about and this has become my focus.. I'm also not sharing like I was so I purchase on a somewhat smaller scale.. I used to coupon for 6 families plus a fair amount of donations.. now I do for my own and a bit of donations.

I am really disappointed with the way trading has gone.. more people seem to take the effort of others with little or no exchange.. Recently after searching 4-5 hours a day for 4 days and a tank of gas I was able to access a nice wad of inserts with whiskas fpcs... however being offered 2 stamps for 25 of these fpcs or even a $10 gc for 50 doesn't seem like a fair exchange.. It used to be that we 'gave' the coupons to some peeps this way because they had no access to coupons and we wanted to help them out.. Somehow its now expected that we are supposed to do that and they are to get 10$ in savings and we are to get $1.. however,,, they want us to pay the postage as well.. that confuses me.. It's not appreciated.. its expected.. If you are looking for coupons its great.. you don't have to leave your house and for a few stamps you can get a ton of savings... On the other hand if you want to use coupons as a way to get other coupons and improve your savings its become harder... Just a little challenge to overcome :O) The tiny mosquito in my happy coupon bubble :O)

[akajw]

Other than one 'demon' store where everything has to look like the item in the picture..

We have one of those stores too!

[SavvyLady]

I went to an estate sale in an apt complex, I never go to apts, anyways by the mailboxes there were about 100 smartsource flyers and other flyers with tons of coupons, they were probably put in the garbage from the tenants that didn't want them, I was with someone and I didn't want to seem like a crazy person so I picked up a few!! There were a lot of coupons for toilet paper, shampoo, cat food etc. I always said I would go back when the flyers come out but I never did. I never get these flyers where I live. This would be a good idea for people looking for coupons!!

[akajw]

Trading on the other hand is very odd.. someone offered me 2 stamps for 50 whiskas fpcs and I was to pay postage. I've since decided to go back to the old way of only exchanging coupons with people I know.. a give and take of sorts.. friend to friend.. otherwise it won't be enjoyable anymore.

When I first started on here, I offered to send someone high value coupons (no strings attached) and did. I am still willing to do that from time to time as it seems a shame to let good coupons go to waste. I wish we could have a thread that would allow that and maybe more people would do the same.

[juliemadden]

I live in a 100 apt. Building and get no such thing except restaurant coupons in the mail room garbage. I wish we got other coupons


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[flemeth]

@MillieH I know what you mean about some people wants u to trade but does not value the time and effort up put in into getting these coupons I have been trading for a while now, but some people expect you send then in my case over a $100.00 in high value coupons for 2 stamps I refused to do trade like these because I only would gain a stamp I preferred to get the stuff my self and donate it.

[KelJo]

Today was a very HAPPY coupon day for me!! I love couponing but since moving to NL it has had its challenges. I live in a small town that only has one main store and they would only accept coupons with a redemption address for New Brunswick. I still collected and traded coupons and would have to use most of my coupons when I travelled to larger towns that had stores like Walmart, Dominion, Sobeys, etc. Over the past several months a lot of the coupons now have a redemption address for Pickering or Scarborough, etc so I have been asking (and begging) my local store to change their coupon policy and accept those coupons. Today when I walked in the store the manager walked over to tell me that he had switched coupon companies and they would now be accepting ALL coupons that are valid in Canada. So exciting!!

[MillieH]

yeah I pre-ordered a bunch of the whiskas and donated them... I also mailed some of the coupons to friends I know that have cats.. When I first started couponing.. I couldn't find coupons anywhere... so I ordered anything I could request online and traded even the free ones I could use for multis of the other ones , back then a chapmans plus a stamp got 10-15$ in smaller value coupons.. so greater savings just longer to get it.. I also bought a bunch of coupons on ebay so I'd have something people wanted so I could get the ones I could use.

@MillieH I know what you mean about some people wants u to trade but does not value the time and effort up put in into getting these coupons I have been trading for a while now, but some people expect you send then in my case over a $100.00 in high value coupons for 2 stamps I refused to do trade like these because I only would gain a stamp I preferred to get the stuff my self and donate it.

[MillieH]

You can still do that.. or save the stamps , pick up the items and donate them... I donate... I've burned through loads of stamps giving away coupons.. I used to help run a 11k member group and hosted loads of giveaways.. It was fun.. but after going through the past two years I learned that I'm definitely breakable and I can give til it hurts and people still keep taking.. When I'm offering something as a gift I don't want or expect anything in exchange. When I'm offering to trade I'd like a reasonable exchange where both sides feel they receive something of value

When I first started on here, I offered to send someone high value coupons (no strings attached) and did. I am still willing to do that from time to time as it seems a shame to let good coupons go to waste. I wish we could have a thread that would allow that and maybe more people would do the same.

[macw1960]

@walkonby I utilise other groups...I spend a few minutes a day looking in other areas too
... use ink refill places or order ink on ebay etc..print in black and white.... some of the people actually trade printed coupons with different pins for a few stamps.. or a gc.. the savings still work out pretty amazing.. ............ take cost of item .......... factor in points and then savings become bigger.. I use refilled cartridges currently.




I don't know why our experiences are so different.. maybe I just need something to be positive about and this has become my focus.. I'm also not sharing like I was so I purchase on a somewhat smaller scale.. I used to coupon for 6 families plus a fair amount of donations.. now I do for my own and a bit of donations.

I am really disappointed with the way trading has gone.. more people seem to take the effort of others with little or no exchange.. Recently after searching 4-5 hours a day for 4 days and a tank of gas I was able to access a nice wad of inserts with whiskas fpcs... however being offered 2 stamps for 25 of these fpcs or even a $10 gc for 50 doesn't seem like a fair exchange.. It used to be that we 'gave' the coupons to some peeps this way because they had no access to coupons and we wanted to help them out.. Somehow its now expected that we are supposed to do that and they are to get 10$ in savings and we are to get $1.. however,,, they want us to pay the postage as well.. that confuses me.. It's not appreciated.. its expected.. If you are looking for coupons its great.. you don't have to leave your house and for a few stamps you can get a ton of savings... On the other hand if you want to use coupons as a way to get other coupons and improve your savings its become harder... Just a little challenge to overcome :O) The tiny mosquito in my happy coupon bubble :O)

If you don't like an offer try counter offering.

[MillieH]

The first person offered $2 for 25 whiskas fpcs... I honestly didn't see that as an offer.. I saw it as someone wanting it for free .. ... I couldn't see a logical way to counteroffer someone wanting it for free.. postage is going to be at least $1.. The second offer of $10 for 50 whiska fpcs I wasn't excited about but it would cover some of the gas so I counteroffered and said I'd be open to that if they tossed 2 stamps to cover postage.. they responded with being willing to cover some of the postage.. 50 x 1.05 = 52.50 ............... I was asking a max of $12 for that.. So if they spent a total of $13 ($1 being the cost of mailing their end) they would get 50 trays of Whiskas wet food and I'd have $10 after postage.. When someone isn't accepting that counter offer.. I realise I'm not dealing with someone who is wanting to consider both sides of the deal...


Counter offering didn't work..

.......

If you don't like an offer try counter offering.