Although the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence (or however that expression goes - I was never good an idioms), I have come to accept the fact that I thrive on challenges rather than the goal itself. So when I heard about extreme couponing, I became fascinated. Wow, I want to get $250 worth of groceries for only two dollars and eighteen cents! How do I do it???
But the more I researched, the more the concept turned me off, and this is why:
*It's REALLY time consuming to research, go through, clip through, look up, print out, file, keep track on calendar when expiration dates are, etc. I have a full-time job, as well as a plethora of other side projects... PLUS, I like to volunteer at the pet shelter and spend time with my friends and family, and most of all, I like to sleep and REST!!!! Perhaps things would be different if I had children and was a stay-at-home mom... but then again, maybe not.... why? Because...
*Most of these coupons and rebate offers are for products that aren't earth-friendly and/or socially responsible. And even if they claim to be, they are not NEEDED. I don't buy what I don't need when it comes to household products. For example, why do I need to save two dollars on Tide when I can make my own laundry detergent for pennies on the dollar??? I spent about 8 dollars in 2008 on supplies to make my own laundry soap. It is now 2011, and I still have not used up the ingredients I bought - not even half of it! I spend MAYBE a DOLLAR per year on laundry soap. Crazy, ain't it???
*I also feel like a lot of these coupons are for food products that are processed or canned. Canned food is great for a rainy day. But not for eating every single day - the preservatives and the fact that these foods have lost a lot of their nutrition from being canned is not healthful. Also, people are now developing all kinds of crazy food allergies/sensitivities and going through all these health problems, including neurological and behavioral problems in kids, because of highly processed food anymore. Did you know that Japan can't accept much non-perishable food donations for the tsunami relief, because Japanese people can't even digest that crap??? Yeah. Scary. I think I'll just stick to driving 30 minutes each week to the Dekalb Farmer's Market for my fresh (and cheap) foods - it's worth my health and livelyhood.
*I also heard that extreme couponing also includes purchasing products you don't even use just to "profit" from the coupon/rebate thing. It's awesome that you can buck the system... but I feel like it's way too superfluous for my taste. I hate clutter, why would I want a bunch of crap I don't use in my house? And why would I want to promote products I don't even like/believe in/use?
This is just a bunny's opinion. If it works for you and your family, go for it. There's nothing like taking from monster corporations. But for me and my household, we'll stick to our principles of social responsibility (or at least making it a goal to be socially responsible).
~Jenny Bunny Bunns <3
1 comment:
My thoughts exactly!!!
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