Couponing. Clipping all those little pieces of paper, then getting them in some kind of order before shopping—it always seemed like an awful lot of trouble. When I tried it, I found myself buying stuff I didn’t even need or like.
One year, around Christmas, I was at the pharmacy and ended up in line behind a lady who forked out only $3.97 for four hundred dollars’ worth of holiday treats.
“Boy, she has a sweet tooth,” I said as she walked out the door. The clerk told me that customer used her coupons on items that were already on sale to get more bang for her buck and that she donated most of her buys. She was taking the candy to a school, a church youth group and a rehab center for opioid-dependent teens.
Her sweet heart inspired me. I now coupon with a purpose too. After I clip my coupons, I organize them the way my grocery store is laid out.
Sometimes I even double-coupon and get my purchases almost free. I bag up my bargains for a senior center and the City Mission. Managing those little pieces of paper doesn’t seem like much trouble anymore.
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