Honesty - extreme couponing

[Seminarysnoozer]

I know I'm coming a bit late to the party but I have 2 cents jingling around in my mental pocket I'd like to toss in.

By hobby, I'm a wargamer. I play wargames, I read wargaming books, I paint wargaming miniatures. It's sort of our family activity. If we were any good at having family home evening in anything like an organized way, we'd probably do it by finding a way to simulate some of the battles from the BoM on a wargaming table.

So what has that got to do with this discussion?

Well, the types of wargames I play tend to have VERY complex rules. The rules also tend to be drawn from different source books with different authors who phrase things differently or use a different style. A type of rules debate that frequently pops up on wargaming web forums is the question of RAI (Rules as Intended) vs RAW (Rules as Written). It's a side effect of having a system of rules so complex that the exact wording of a rule may be vague enough that, taken literally it could mean one thing while read in the spirit of other similar rules it could mean something entirely different. I've often found that those who argue most heavily in favor of RAW tend to be those trying to take advantage of poor or unclear wording in order to gain some kind of benefit in the game. People who adhere to RAI are generally more likely to try and find the meaning behind the rules rather than use the letter of the rule to break the spirit of the rule.

So when I see a discussion like this one it always reminds me of a classic RAI vs RAW discussion. RAW says extreme couponing is fine, since no law is broken, and the person doing it isn't hiding anything. On the other hand, coupons are meant to attract new customers by offering small discounts, not sell products on a regular basis for pennies on the dollar. If EVERYBODY did it, the stores would soon go out of business.

But that isn't why I wouldn't do it.

I've seen shows on TV profiling people who really go extreme on the couponing. I mean a mom who went to the grocery store and left with well over $200 worth of groceries that she'd paid something like $35 for. The amount time she spent clipping and saving coupons was enormous. So it's a balancing act. How much money is my time worth? Is it worth me sitting at a table for 30 hours a week clipping coupons to save $165 on my grocery bill?

Each person has to answer that question for his or her self.

Thanks, yes there is that side of it too that we haven't talked about. For me, though, I don't think I would have put that discussion in a gospel forum, would have put it in one of the more casual forums.

I think anything that promotes a passion for getting something for free or very little is not a "strengthening" activity. I have friends who tell me they can only work so many hours a week otherwise their social security check will be taken away. And other friends who say that in order to keep getting their disability check they can't do any kind of work and are even afraid to participate in our ward service projects. I think our society is comfortable with that mindset because they think there is this "man" somewhere that they are sticking it to, and that is okay. The "man" turns out to be everyone who is living within their means, paying their taxes, paying full price for food etc. That, I think, is purposely ignored by that mindset making it dishonest, when it comes to extreme couponing. There is a nebulous nobody paying for the free groceries that conveniently is left for someone else to worry about, like the store owner or the manufacturer, "that is their problem" is a justified way to disown any responsibility for getting stuff for free. As a whole, I think our society is getting better and better at not taking responsibility for anything.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Seminarysnoozer

[Guest moliomarker]

This is one of the best topics to discuss as they are ruling the current standards of society by their various offers and opportunities.Extreme Couponing is an activity that combines shopping skills with couponing in an attempt to save as much money. The concept of "Extreme Couponers was first mentioned by the Wall Street Journal on March 8,2010. Many of the couponers plot their grocery-store trips with some precisions and gaining money in large amount. Please provide some more links regarding the effect of Extreme Coupouning on current society. Please produce some more links regarding the detailed view of the topic.

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[Guest Hullianjev]

Extreme couponing is an activity that combines shopping skills with couponing in an attempt to save as much money as possible while accumulating the most groceries. The concept of "Extreme Couponers" was first mentioned by the Wall Street Journal, Now it becomes very know word for every person.

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[NightSG]

Wait..toothpaste expires? :)

Technically, even MREs expire. I think that might be based on the lifespan of the wrapper, though.

[Seminarysnoozer]

Wow! 15 pages on couponing! Unbelievable! Has couponing supplanted same-sex marriage as most controversial topic on the boards?

Parable of the Unjust Steward

Exactly! I didn't know it would turn out this way but I think it shows how things that seem like subtle snares can be snares just the same. It is revealing how much time and mental effort can go into such things which is the snare as desires of the heart become who we are. The love of money, I believe, also includes the love of penny pinching. In other words, one doesn't have to have money to love it. The line in which someone crosses over to it being a "passion" from just being a good steward is hard to say. Just like money itself is not evil but it is the love of money. I think once a person starts doing it because it drives them and excites them over simply saving money or earning money, then there is a problem. This is part of the snare, is that people who do the couponing this way spend a lot of time and energy and start to wrap their whole family into the process.

(The other aspect of the discussion had to do with being a taker instead of a giver and the dangers of that mindset.) And btw, I am not the one who resurrected this thread from a while back.

[Blackmarch]

personally in general i don't see anything technically wrong with it. Being aggressively technical with a set of rules is ok... as long as you don't mind getting the same treatment if your positions were reversed.

The problem in doing this is that an individual(s) can get so focused on one thing that they may start crossing spiritual lines they shouldn't without realising it(think pharisees and company from the new testament).

[Guest gremespike]

Due to recession period, economy has declined drastically. Because of this economic slow down people are opting for better methods to save money. Extreme couponing is the best optimal method to choose for saving lots of money.It is nothing but using coupons to buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for just pennies on the dollars.

extreme couponing

[Guest amyron]

We are all seeking to save money in these troubled times. Coupon cutting is one method to save cash on household goods and other products. But not every cent may be worth the cost of earning it. Made popular by a TLC reality show, "Extreme Couponing" can, for some, become a fixation that consumes their lives.

[Guest DestinyH]

Getting the chance to use coupon is pretty amazing, but using it extremely is kinda annoying. It's as if the shoppers pretty much hoard the items at the shopping center. It's good to spend less but the question is, can we consume all the things we purchased with the coupon before it expires? We're all looking to save cash in these troubled times. Coupon cutting is one way to conserve cash on groceries and other products. But not every penny is worth the cost of earning it. TLC's reality show "Extreme Couponing" depicts an action that, for some, may become a dark obsession. Article source: Coupon clipping can help but it has a dark side.