Nancy Young wrote:
> Nancy2 wrote:
>> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>>> product for free for me.
>
>> I don't get where they find all the coupons. Given I live in a city
>> with fewer than 100,000 people, but I could buy all the different
>> newspapers available on a weekend, clip every coupon in every
>> magazine I read, and never have the mountains and mountains of
>> coupons these people have (taking them 4 hours a day to sort and
>> plan shopping).... and I certainly don't ever get coupons that make
>> the product end up being free because most of those are "buy one,
>> get one free."
>
> Got me. Of course the people on the show go out of their way
> to get coupons. One woman dumpster dives, people write away
> for coupons, another woman somehow gets her newspaper to give
> her all the spare coupon inserts they usually toss. Still, I get two
> papers and that means I get 2 coupons on any given product.
> Hardly stacks of them.
>
> I will never be the people who get $600 grocery bills reduced to
> 5 bucks. I get excited if bleach is on sale and I have a coupon so
> I get 3 for $3 or something. Heh. Amateur.

I won't be one of those people either. I am glad though that rebates aren't
what they once were. I can remember when I worked at K Mart, rebates were a
big thing. We had so many of them that we actually had a rebate board and
at times there we so many rebate cards/certificates that they wouldn't all
fit on the board. Some people made a career out of doing those rebates.

What I really hated was that some companies were not good about sending the
rebate money or products to the customers. And if the customer didn't do
everything exactly right they wouldn't get the rebate. So where did the
disgrunted customers come? To us!

Over the years the rebates seem to have dwindled quite a bit. Once in a
while I'll run across one. But not very often.

At Christmas time I saw a display of Andes Mints and a sign that said "Buy
two get one free!" There were what appeared to be coupons. I just picked
up three and a coupon. But when I got to the register, the clerk (after
unsuccefully scanning the coupon) informed me that it was a rebate and I'd
have to mail it in. I opted not to get the mints. I didn't really need
three packages of them anyway. She said she didn't blame me.

Nancy2 wrote:
>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>> product for free for me.
>>
>> I can just see these people's heirs backing up a dumpster to get
>> rid of stuff they stockpiled 25 years ago.
>>
>> nancy
>
> I don't know of any of our stores that double coupons any more - there
> may be some, but I don't know which ones they are, so obviously, I
> don't shop in those.

I don't think the stores here do it at all. I don't recall it every
happening.

Paul M. Cook wrote:
> I will never forget one of those types I once knew. He would
> literally drive from his house to Santa Barbara (300 mile round trip)
> to buy Diet Coke when it was on sale for 99 cents a 12 pack at some
> huge outlet there. He'd buy 2 or 3 cases. And it only cost him 30
> bucks in gas.

I have known people like that. A new grocery store opened recently in
Everett, WA. I can't remember the name of it but they are owned by the
employees. Their prices are really good! I was going to Everett that
weekend so did a mapquest to see where it was in relation to where I was
going. It was clear at the other end of the city so I opted not to go
there.

I tend to shop where I am at unless I find the prices to be waaay too high.
I dislike having to pay full price on soda especially with the high price of
it these day. Once in a while I will though. Because I want it.

Heck I don't even go to the military commissary any more. It's in
Marysville. I discovered that the only things I was really saving money on
were juice boxes, cheese, and some meats. The rest of the stuff I can get
here locally for the same price or less. And really now that I am shopping
at Costco for cheese, it's probably just as cheap.

When I lived on a military base and the store was within walking distance,
it was a very handy thing to have. I did do most of my shopping there.
Alas, it was a very small store and they placed a limit of two items per
customer for any items they sold. And they were often out of things. I
remember once the only meat they had was ham. They also restocked only once
a week. So it wasn't the best store but handy.

When we lived on Staten Island, we did make the trip to Brooklyn at least
twice a month to the commissary there. They had a huge turnover in goods
there and it was so frequently restocked that the produce was always fresh.
Yes, they were often out of things but what they did have for sale was
always good. Unlike the grocery stores near me that loved to sell rotted
produce. The prices overall were also much better so I did do the bulk of
my shopping there.

Pete C. wrote:
> Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> What is wrong with these people?
>
> They are not particularly intelligent and get caught up in the "it was
> on sale" mentality. They do not think realistically about their actual
> needs and they also don't think about their diet since most coupons
> are for pre-fab high fat/sugar/salt junk foods. In their minds it's
> only the "I got $500 of stuff for $50" and the fact that their
> medical cause will increase by more than the savings as a result of
> the poor diet is no a consideration, nor is the fact that most of the
> products have very inflated prices to begin with and they could buy
> better food for less than their "extreme coupon" savings.

Ah... That could be! I used to think like that when I got my first
apartment. I used to buy things just because they were a good deal.
Sometimes they were things I would never use. So I would give them away.
Sometimes the people I gave them to didn't even want them. When I found
baby clothes on sale, I bought enough to fill half of my closet, thinking I
would give them as gifts. And then for two years, nobody I knew had a baby.
I knew I was in trouble when I had to buy a shelving unit for my closet to
hold all this stuff.

I gave the baby clothes to a friend whose church was sending clothes
overseas to some needy people. And then of course after they were gone I
got the baby announcement in the mail from my cousin.

Last night I realized I have been doing a stupid thing. I have difficulty
getting to my two closets because each one has a large container of wrapping
paper in front of it. One is Christmas wrap which I did buy after Christmas
at a greatly reduced price. The other is birthday and other occasion paper.

The problem? I don't use the paper! The last time I used any was for
cushioning some Christmas ornaments before putting them away. I have some
boxes with dividers meant for ornaments but I have a lot of smaller
ornaments. Two or three would fit in each compartment but they needed
additional cushioning.

Mostly I use gift bags or better still, reusable shopping bags or lunch
totes to put the presents in. So today I am going to get rid of all the
paper! Then if I do need some in the future, I will buy a roll and recycle
the remains.

I guess I got into the habit of doing this because my parents did it. They
also saved bows. I don't save them but I was buying them, again at a
reduced price and after Christmas. I still have some. Thankfully not too
many now. My stock has dwindled. I actually had to buy a container to put
them in as well!

Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>>
>> "Ranée at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> In article >,
>>> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>>>
>>>> What is wrong with these people? I saw one show where the woman
>>>> bought over
>>>> 100 cups of yogurt. Yes, she has a husband and three kids but
>>>> could they possibly eat all that before they expire?
>>>
>>> Sure, these people are loons, but that's what reality television
>>> is about, no? OTOH, 100 cups of yogurt would barely last two weeks
>>> here.
>>
>> How many people do you have in your home? Once in a while my
>> husband will eat one. Not very often. I don't like yogurt at all.
>> My daughter might eat 2 or 3 a week, or she might not. I don't buy
>> a lot of yogurt and I still wind up throwing some out.
>
> We have a large family. Eight people eat solids, we have nine
> family members in the household. Even if just our children ate one a
> day, that would be 1.19 cups a day.

Ah, makes sense then. Normally there are just two of us here.

projectile vomit chick wrote:
> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>> I think saving money is great. And I think it is necessary to keep a
>>> stock of some non-perishable items. Particularly in the winter if
>>> you are likely to be snowed in. Or if you live in an area where
>>> roads might be flooded and you can't get out.
>>
>>> What is wrong with these people?
>>
>> It's pretty clear that some of the people have a form of OCD similar
>> to hoarding. Sometimes it seems to be triggered by having to do
>> without at some point. On the first special there was one woman
>> who would cancel any and all plans if she came across some deal.
>> She'd have to go shopping right then, the heck with that dinner with
>> friends. Not good.
>>
>> I like to have extra so that I don't have to watch sales all the
>> time, like I'll find a good deal on shampoo and I'll get 4 and I'm
>> done worrying about that for months. If it's often on sale for $2,
>> it bugs me to pay the "regular" price of $4.50 if I let it get to
>> that point.
>>
>> I like matching a coupon to a sale as much as the next person, but
>> it's a full time hobby for these people. I didn't understand the one
>> woman who thought she'd get $10 off every $50 she'd spend, I've
>> never known a store deal like that to be more than a one $10 off.
>> If she's such a couponer, how'd she miss that detail?
>>
>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>> product for free for me.
>
> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?
>
I didn't realize they were paying for a service! I would never do that.
>>
>> I can just see these people's heirs backing up a dumpster to get
>> rid of stuff they stockpiled 25 years ago.
>
> Yes and I really didn't understand the having rooms filled with dried
> pasta and sticks of deodorant.

Yeah. And deoderant does go bad.

On Apr 7, 9:07*am, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> "Jim Elbrecht" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
> >>"Giusi" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> >>> "Julie Bove" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ...
>
> >>>> "Ran e at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
> >>>>>> What is wrong with these people? *I saw one show where the woman
> >>>>>> bought
> >>>>>> over>>> 100 cups of yogurt. *Yes, she has a husband and three kids
> >>>>>> but
> >>>>>> could they
> >>>>>> possibly eat all that before they expire?
>
> >>>>> * Sure, these people are loons, but that's what reality television is
> >>>>> about, no? *OTOH, 100 cups of yogurt would barely last two weeks here.
>
> >>>> How many people do you have in your home? *Once in a while my husband
> >>>> will eat one. *Not very often. *I don't like yogurt at all. *My
> >>>> daughter
> >>>> might eat 2 or 3 a week, or she might not. *I don't buy a lot of yogurt
> >>>> and I still wind up throwing some out.
>
> >>> Then you are a poor example of yoghurt usage. *Many people eat it once a
> >>> day minimum. *With a family of five, that's 35 cups, then cook with some
> >>> more of it, send some in school lunches...
>
> >>Wow! *I never use it in cooking.
>
> > I can take or leave yogurt-- but my son and wife eat at least one a
> > day. *[Chobani is their yogurt-of-choice]
>
> I bought one cup of that in vanilla. *Daughter took one bite, screamed, said
> it was slimy and threw it out. *She is very picky as to what she will eat.
> Only a couple of brands and only the vanilla.
>
>
>
> > I usually sub plain yogurt for any recipe that calls for sour cream
> > these days. * * It lowers the calories and sodium and raises calcium
> > and fiber-- *and *I* can rarely tell the difference in anything
> > cooked. * [I actually like it in dips that call for sour cream]
>
> I don't personally like either. *I try to only make things where sour cream
> would be a garnish. *Daughter and husband love the stuff but most of the
> time if it is in a dish I can't eat it.
>
>
>
> > It might be close-- but I think we could get through 100 cups of
> > Chobani before it expired. * * And the Chobani folks say it freezes
> > well-- so I might even get in on the action eventually.
>
> Yes, I guess it does freeze!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

She screamed? Man, you people really have some issues...

Pete C. wrote:
> Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> "HumBug!" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 21:44:34 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> What is wrong with these people?
>>>
>>>> She also bought a ton of mustard.
>>>> The person narrating the show said mustard never goes bad. I beg
>>>> to differ!
>>>> This was prepared mustard. It has an expiration date on it. And
>>>> I know from experience that if it is really old it gets a watery
>>>> part and a solid part. Not good!
>>>
>>> Mustard DOES NOT expire, and I've never seen an expiration date on
>>> mine.
>>>
>>> I shake my bottle every time I use it, as it does separate,
>>> NOT AN Fing problem!
>>
>> All of the mustard I've bought has had an expiration date on it.
>
> The two bottles in my fridge (different brands and types) both have
> "best by" dates, which aren't technically expiration dates.

I don't have any of the organic in the house now but I believe it says exp.
date.

Paul M. Cook wrote:
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "HumBug!" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 21:44:34 -0700, "Julie Bove" >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> What is wrong with these people?
>>>> She also bought a ton of mustard.
>>>> The person narrating the show said mustard never goes bad. I beg to
>>>> differ!
>>>> This was prepared mustard. It has an expiration date on it. And I know
>>> >from experience that if it is really old it gets a watery part and a
>>>> solid
>>>> part. Not good!
>>> Mustard DOES NOT expire, and I've never seen an expiration date on mine.
>>>
>>> I shake my bottle every time I use it, as it does separate,
>>> NOT AN Fing problem!
>> All of the mustard I've bought has had an expiration date on it.
>
> Mine too, it does not last forever. It does separate and gets dark and
> nasty looking after a couple of years. Depends on how many stabilizers and
> preservatives it contains. I tend to buy mustards with less of these.
>
> Paul
>
>


Just because it has a date on it does not mean that it doesn't last
forever.

Bob

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message

>
> One lady said she goes dumpster diving. Another said the newspapers
> give her all the extra coupons. But still... They'd be getting
> multiples of the same things.
>
> I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
> were mostly of no use to me.

I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to get the
coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?

Felice
retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> Paul M. Cook wrote:
> > "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> "HumBug!" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 21:44:34 -0700, "Julie Bove" >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> What is wrong with these people?
> >>>> She also bought a ton of mustard.
> >>>> The person narrating the show said mustard never goes bad. I beg to
> >>>> differ!
> >>>> This was prepared mustard. It has an expiration date on it. And I know
> >>> >from experience that if it is really old it gets a watery part and a
> >>>> solid
> >>>> part. Not good!
> >>> Mustard DOES NOT expire, and I've never seen an expiration date on mine.
> >>>
> >>> I shake my bottle every time I use it, as it does separate,
> >>> NOT AN Fing problem!
> >> All of the mustard I've bought has had an expiration date on it.
> >
> > Mine too, it does not last forever. It does separate and gets dark and
> > nasty looking after a couple of years. Depends on how many stabilizers and
> > preservatives it contains. I tend to buy mustards with less of these.
>
> Just because it has a date on it does not mean that it doesn't last
> forever.

Vegemite has a use-by date on it. I rest my case.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

On Apr 7, 11:43*am, "Felice" > wrote:
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>
>
>
>
>
> > One lady said she goes dumpster diving. *Another said the newspapers
> > give her all the extra coupons. *But still... *They'd be getting
> > multiples of the same things.
>
> > I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
> > were mostly of no use to me.
>
> I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to get the
> coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?
>
> Felice
> retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

Would that surprise you coming from her?

On Apr 7, 11:54*am, "Pete C." > wrote:
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
> > What is wrong with these people?
>
> They are not particularly intelligent and get caught up in the "it was
> on sale" mentality. They do not think realistically about their actual
> needs and they also don't think about their diet since most coupons are
> for pre-fab high fat/sugar/salt junk foods. In their minds it's only the
> "I got $500 of stuff for $50" and the fact that their medical cause will
> increase by more than the savings as a result of the poor diet is no a
> consideration, nor is the fact that most of the products have very
> inflated prices to begin with and they could buy better food for less
> than their "extreme coupon" savings.

Our major supermarket touts their new "scoring" system that gives x
number of points for nutritional value of certain foods that are on
sale each week, so conscientious shoppers can find smart, nutritious
choices when they shop - but their most money-saving coupons are
invariably for various brands of soda. Which is as junky as it gets;
which I never buy anyway.

N.

On Apr 7, 12:21*pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
> > Nancy2 wrote:
> >> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
> >>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
> >>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
> >>> product for free for me.
>
> >> I don't get where they find all the coupons. *Given I live in a city
> >> with fewer than 100,000 people, but I could buy all the different
> >> newspapers available on a weekend, clip every coupon in every
> >> magazine I read, and never have the mountains and mountains of
> >> coupons these people have (taking them 4 hours a day to sort and
> >> plan shopping).... and I certainly don't ever get coupons that make
> >> the product end up being free because most of those are "buy one,
> >> get one free."
>
> > Got me. *Of course the people on the show go out of their way
> > to get coupons. *One woman dumpster dives, people write away
> > for coupons, another woman somehow gets her newspaper to give
> > her all the spare coupon inserts they usually toss. *Still, I get two
> > papers and that means I get 2 coupons on any given product.
> > Hardly stacks of them.
>
> > I will never be the people who get $600 grocery bills reduced to
> > 5 bucks. *I get excited if bleach is on sale and I have a coupon so
> > I get 3 for $3 or something. *Heh. *Amateur.
>
> I won't be one of those people either. *I am glad though that rebates aren't
> what they once were. *I can remember when I worked at K Mart, rebates were a
> big thing. *We had so many of them that we actually had a rebate board and
> at times there we so many rebate cards/certificates that they wouldn't all
> fit on the board. *Some people made a career out of doing those rebates..
>
> What I really hated was that some companies were not good about sending the
> rebate money or products to the customers. *And if the customer didn't do
> everything exactly right they wouldn't get the rebate. *So where did the
> disgrunted customers come? *To us!
>
> Over the years the rebates seem to have dwindled quite a bit. *Once in a
> while I'll run across one. *But not very often.
>
> At Christmas time I saw a display of Andes Mints and a sign that said "Buy
> two get one free!" *There were what appeared to be coupons. *I just picked
> up three and a coupon. *But when I got to the register, the clerk (after
> unsuccefully scanning the coupon) informed me that it was a rebate and I'd
> have to mail it in. *I opted not to get the mints. *I didn't really need
> three packages of them anyway. *She said she didn't blame me.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Menard's still does tons of rebates - BUT, they are good for rebates
which you have to spend in a Menard's store.

Many national brands of lawn products, etc., have seasonal rebates
every spring (around here).

N.

projectile vomit chick wrote:
> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:

>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>> product for free for me.
>
> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?

You're right, I forgot about paying for coupons. Yikes. Lately
I've been doing that Troopon thing where you cut out coupons
that military families can use. Once a month or so, I organize them
and mail them out.

I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
books of them.

>> I can just see these people's heirs backing up a dumpster to get
>> rid of stuff they stockpiled 25 years ago.
>
> Yes and I really didn't understand the having rooms filled with dried
> pasta and sticks of deodorant.

With all the shelving which is not free, either. And the toilet paper
under the beds. A couple of them described their homes as mini
marts. It just makes them happy.

nancy

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>>> What is wrong with these people?

I think it's for show, like a contest. In that sense it doesn't have to
make sense.

>> I like to have extra so that I don't have to watch sales all the time,
>> like I'll find a good deal on shampoo and I'll get 4 and I'm done worrying
>> about that for months. If it's often on sale for $2, it bugs
>> me to pay the "regular" price of $4.50 if I let it get to that point.
>
> I have extras of some things, particularly because I shop at Costco. But...
> In doing my Spring cleaning I discovered a horrifyingly large amount of
> coconut bath wash/scrub. I kept buying it because daughter said she needed
> it. But apparently it was never making it to the shower and there were
> bottles stuck in all sorts of interesting places!

I've ended up with a lot of specific items. For certain items I'll go
to their place. If none are there I'll buy one at the next shopping
trip. One time my tweezers kept disappearing so I kept buying new ones.
One day my daughter asked why there was a pile of tweazers in her room.
I laughed and asked why she never returned them to their place and also
never looked where she left them the last time. The same has happened
with a few different items.

It also happened as my MIL got dementia. She didn't remember she had
certain items so she kept buying them at trips shopping. By the time
she died there were cleaning items in her fridge, canned goods in her
closet, stuff all over the place. She didn't do it deliberately and she
wasn't a hoarder. She just lost her memory over a span of a few years.

> I have gotten some free products over the years.

My wife gets some amazing deals on line. She got a large Kindle for the
price of a small one, even a free Bowflex once. I went over with her
how to figure out if a URL is legit and using that method she has done a
lot of surveys. Seems too risky to me but it works.

On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 23:41:29 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > Yes, I agree. You're a mustard snob.
>
> I guess your next move is to *plonk* me. LOL. Bring it on silly woman.
> This is not just about mustard, this is principle damn it. Ahahahahahaha.
>
Nah, this is just a difference of opinion. I use yellow mustard as an
ingredient when I've tried the more expensive stuff and found no
difference in outcome. However, I think it ages beautifully. <shrug>

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Thu, 7 Apr 2011 10:00:05 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

> On Apr 7, 1:23*am, "Paul M. Cook" > wrote:
> >
> > I buy Grey Poupon for my usual mustard needs. *I use a lot more of it now
> > than in years past so I have no problem with freshness. *I buy the huge jars
> > of GP and they never last long at all. *
>
> Grey Poupon is SO good. My wife eats a great number of turkey
> sandwiches, so we go through it like crazy, and buy the huge jars too.
> >
I like the style with whole seeds best.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Thu, 7 Apr 2011 15:30:42 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>projectile vomit chick wrote:
>> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>>> product for free for me.
>>
>> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
>> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
>> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?
>
>You're right, I forgot about paying for coupons. Yikes. Lately
>I've been doing that Troopon thing where you cut out coupons
>that military families can use. Once a month or so, I organize them
>and mail them out.
>
>I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
>of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
>books of them.

Those people that spend all those hours collecting and sorting
obviously don't have a life. I rarely use coupons because like 99% of
them are for things I not only wouldn't use but wouldn't want them if
free... they're typically for some new over priced product that has no
redeeming value. About the only coupons I actually use are those I
get in the mail for pet products and they are for no big savings but
I'll still take 50¢ off on a $12 box of cat food. The only other
coupons I use are occasionally there'll be a stack of coupons on the
deli counter for $1 off a particular cold cut if you buy a pound, I'll
use those too, only because I'm buying the product anyway and I never
buy less than a pound of anything at the deli. I can't remember the
last time I actually snipped out a coupon, has to be at least 20 years
ago... I think that's about how long ago they stopped offering coupons
to snip for useful items, at least of use to me.

On Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:23:27 -0500, zxcvbob >
wrote:

> Just because it has a date on it does not mean that it doesn't last
> forever.

You won't convince him. My husband is just like that and goes into a
tizzy when he discovers something is past it's "expiration" date.
Throw it out and you've just thrown away money. Don't complain to me
about how much things cost if you're going to do that. I cook after
dark, using every light in the kitchen; he throws away perfectly good
food and feels justified because of "the expiration date".... the
twain will never meet.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Thu, 7 Apr 2011 09:38:17 +0200, "Giusi" > wrote:

> Then you are a poor example of yoghurt usage. Many people eat it once a day
> minimum. With a family of five, that's 35 cups, then cook with some more of
> it, send some in school lunches...

I probably use less yogurt than Julie, but I try to use up what I have
before I need to throw it out. Not that it happens all the time.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"Felice" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>
>>
>> One lady said she goes dumpster diving. Another said the newspapers
>> give her all the extra coupons. But still... They'd be getting
>> multiples of the same things.
>>
>> I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
>> were mostly of no use to me.
>
> I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to get the
> coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?
>
> Felice
> retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

I did also read the horoscope sometimes but nothing else. I discovered that
the neighbor behind me liked to read the paper and didn't care about the
coupons so I would just give it to him after I pulled the coupons out.

I currently get a neighborhood newspaper whether I want it or not. And I do
not. I did try to read it a couple of times but there is nothing of
interest to me. They do list some home robberies but mine were never
listed. The paper just sits out there and gets soggy and then I recycle it.

"merryb" > wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 11:43 am, "Felice" > wrote:
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>
>
>
>
>
> > One lady said she goes dumpster diving. Another said the newspapers
> > give her all the extra coupons. But still... They'd be getting
> > multiples of the same things.
>
> > I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
> > were mostly of no use to me.
>
> I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to get the
> coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?
>
> Felice
> retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

Would that surprise you coming from her?

I have no need to read a newspaper. I had to read them to get certain
articles for elementary school. The same for my daughter, but now
newspapers are hard to find in this area since the one big paper went out of
business. Maybe they are popular where you are. But with CNN and the
Internet, they are no longer popular here.

"Miche" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>> Paul M. Cook wrote:
>> > "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> > ...
>> >> "HumBug!" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >>> On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 21:44:34 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> >>> >
>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> What is wrong with these people?
>> >>>> She also bought a ton of mustard.
>> >>>> The person narrating the show said mustard never goes bad. I beg to
>> >>>> differ!
>> >>>> This was prepared mustard. It has an expiration date on it. And I
>> >>>> know
>> >>> >from experience that if it is really old it gets a watery part and a
>> >>>> solid
>> >>>> part. Not good!
>> >>> Mustard DOES NOT expire, and I've never seen an expiration date on
>> >>> mine.
>> >>>
>> >>> I shake my bottle every time I use it, as it does separate,
>> >>> NOT AN Fing problem!
>> >> All of the mustard I've bought has had an expiration date on it.
>> >
>> > Mine too, it does not last forever. It does separate and gets dark and
>> > nasty looking after a couple of years. Depends on how many stabilizers
>> > and
>> > preservatives it contains. I tend to buy mustards with less of these.
>>
>> Just because it has a date on it does not mean that it doesn't last
>> forever.
>
> Vegemite has a use-by date on it. I rest my case.

Heh!

What I think is kind of funny and yet sad is that when I was a kid there
were no pull dates or expiration dates on anything. We had no idea if the
food or medicine we were buying was really old unless perhaps it was a
really dusty package.

I do remember that when I was a kid, dried beans took forever to cook. And
popcorn often had a lot of old maids in it. Now I find that is not the case
unless perhaps I buy from the bulk bins. Which I will no longer do, for
that very reason.

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
.com...
> projectile vomit chick wrote:
>> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>>> product for free for me.
>>
>> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
>> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
>> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?
>
> You're right, I forgot about paying for coupons. Yikes. Lately
> I've been doing that Troopon thing where you cut out coupons that
> military families can use. Once a month or so, I organize them
> and mail them out.
>
> I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
> of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
> books of them.
>
>>> I can just see these people's heirs backing up a dumpster to get
>>> rid of stuff they stockpiled 25 years ago.
>>
>> Yes and I really didn't understand the having rooms filled with dried
>> pasta and sticks of deodorant.
>
> With all the shelving which is not free, either. And the toilet paper
> under the beds. A couple of them described their homes as mini
> marts. It just makes them happy.

I have learned the toilet paper does deteriorate with age. My friend moved
his elderly dad into his home shortly before the dad passed on. He said his
dad had many packages of toilet paper, age unknown but quite dusty. He
opened a package and tried to use it but he said the paper just left tons of
white bits and tore very easily. So he had to throw it all out rather than
donate it.

"Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 7 Apr 2011 15:30:42 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> > wrote:
>
>>projectile vomit chick wrote:
>>> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>
>>>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
>>>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
>>>> product for free for me.
>>>
>>> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
>>> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
>>> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?
>>
>>You're right, I forgot about paying for coupons. Yikes. Lately
>>I've been doing that Troopon thing where you cut out coupons
>>that military families can use. Once a month or so, I organize them
>>and mail them out.
>>
>>I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
>>of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
>>books of them.
>
> Those people that spend all those hours collecting and sorting
> obviously don't have a life. I rarely use coupons because like 99% of
> them are for things I not only wouldn't use but wouldn't want them if
> free... they're typically for some new over priced product that has no
> redeeming value. About the only coupons I actually use are those I
> get in the mail for pet products and they are for no big savings but
> I'll still take 50¢ off on a $12 box of cat food. The only other
> coupons I use are occasionally there'll be a stack of coupons on the
> deli counter for $1 off a particular cold cut if you buy a pound, I'll
> use those too, only because I'm buying the product anyway and I never
> buy less than a pound of anything at the deli. I can't remember the
> last time I actually snipped out a coupon, has to be at least 20 years
> ago... I think that's about how long ago they stopped offering coupons
> to snip for useful items, at least of use to me.

When I did use coupons on a regular basis, I would often get them for new
products. Sometimes the product would even be free. But I found by the
time that product made it to my store, the coupon would have expired!

Another thing that bugged me was the coupons they put out at the military
commissary. You would think if they would have all these coupons for
certain items, they would have the items, right? Well sometimes they did.
But often they did not. I would spend all this time going through the
coupons only to discover they were out of whatever it was.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:23:27 -0500, zxcvbob >
> wrote:
>
>> Just because it has a date on it does not mean that it doesn't last
>> forever.
>
> You won't convince him. My husband is just like that and goes into a
> tizzy when he discovers something is past it's "expiration" date.
> Throw it out and you've just thrown away money. Don't complain to me
> about how much things cost if you're going to do that. I cook after
> dark, using every light in the kitchen; he throws away perfectly good
> food and feels justified because of "the expiration date".... the
> twain will never meet.

I am a beast on the kitchen lights. I had to get an electrician in here to
replace all the bulbs and he replaced the cans as well. What I had was a
poor design. I couldn't reach the bulbs and most of the time using the tool
that I had, the fixture would just push up into the ceiling. I have a
feeling that would happen with the ones he put in there as well, but they
have more air space around them. He said that and the type of bulbs he
bought should mean they will go longer before they burn out. At any rate I
am not looking forward to replacing them.

I do not like having the kitchen lights on at all. Sometimes it is
necessary. I keep a flashlight in there and I will just use that sometimes
rather than turn the lights on. But if anyone else turns them on, they had
better shut them right off when they leave or they'll get my wrath.

I don't care about any other lights in the house. For me it's not the money
aspect. It's being able to replace the bulbs and that's not something I
think I can do.

On Thu, 7 Apr 2011 14:04:25 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
>"Doug Freyburger" > wrote in message
...
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>>
>>>>> What is wrong with these people?
>>
>> I think it's for show, like a contest. In that sense it doesn't have to
>> make sense.
>>
>>>> I like to have extra so that I don't have to watch sales all the time,
>>>> like I'll find a good deal on shampoo and I'll get 4 and I'm done
>>>> worrying
>>>> about that for months. If it's often on sale for $2, it bugs
>>>> me to pay the "regular" price of $4.50 if I let it get to that point.
>>>
>>> I have extras of some things, particularly because I shop at Costco.
>>> But...
>>> In doing my Spring cleaning I discovered a horrifyingly large amount of
>>> coconut bath wash/scrub. I kept buying it because daughter said she
>>> needed
>>> it. But apparently it was never making it to the shower and there were
>>> bottles stuck in all sorts of interesting places!
>>
>> I've ended up with a lot of specific items. For certain items I'll go
>> to their place. If none are there I'll buy one at the next shopping
>> trip. One time my tweezers kept disappearing so I kept buying new ones.
>> One day my daughter asked why there was a pile of tweazers in her room.
>> I laughed and asked why she never returned them to their place and also
>> never looked where she left them the last time. The same has happened
>> with a few different items.
>
>OMG! The tweezers! I can't tell you how many pairs of those I bought.
>They just kept disappearing. Then one day, there they all were, lined up
>neatly in front of the sliding glass door. Had to have been my husband or
>daughter. I don't think the cat would have lined them up that nicely.
>
>And then there were the scissors. Both of those two are culprits there.
>Last time we did a good cleanup of the house we rounded up enough to fill a
>small bin. Now I hide pairs all over the house in places only I know about.
>
>Then there are the tools! I know husband is to blame for those. I have
>found screwdrivers around his recliner, in his dresser and in the back house
>which nobody much uses but him. So... I bought all the girly tools I could
>find. Pink screwdrivers, a floral hammer... Alas the people who designed
>them must think that we gals don't know our way around tools.

Most women know their way around men's tools better than most men.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message

> On Apr 7, 11:43 am, "Felice" > wrote:
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>>
>> > I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
>> > were mostly of no use to me.

>> I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to
>> get the coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?
>>
>> Felice
>> retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

> I have no need to read a newspaper. I had to read them to get certain
> articles for elementary school. The same for my daughter, but now
> newspapers are hard to find in this area since the one big paper went
> out of business. Maybe they are popular where you are. But with CNN
> and the Internet, they are no longer popular here.

Sad, very sad.

Felice

In article >, "Felice" >
wrote:

> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message

> > I quit taking the paper because the few coupons that were in there
> > were mostly of no use to me.
>
> I hope I'm wrong, but were you really buying the newspaper just to get the
> coupons? Was the new of no use to you either?
>
> Felice
> retired newspaper editor, quietly weeping

Life just makes no sense. My uncle was complaining that his wife got
the paper but never read it, she just wanted the weekly ads. He kept
trying to convince her to drop the subscription. She wouldn't do it
(she's pretty stubborn). In that town, if you don't subscribe, you
still get the paper with all the ads once a week, but the paper is
considerably abbreviated. But every time we went over there, my uncle
was always talking about articles that were in the paper (and sometimes
sharing them with us).

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Ranée at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> I drive a mini van. When we used to go to the military commissary I
>> would
>> spend about $325. That would be for food, cleaning supplies, papergoods,
>> etc. With the back seat folded down, the entire back of the van would be
>> precariously stuffed full. And we would have to carefully fit the rest
>> of
>> the bags in and around the middle seat. I can remember going home with
>> bags
>> all over my feet!
>
> $325 is about half of what we spend for food, cleaning supplies,
> paper supplies/diapers, chicken and turkey feed, cat food and litter
> each month. For a family of nine.

You're kidding! This was for a family of three. Of course this was in NY
and the prices were higher there than they are here.
>
> We can fit quite a lot in the trunk of our minivan (what I use when
> it's just me and the children), we can pack for a two week vacation,
> including a pack and play and a cooler. Maybe they are just good at
> packing things.

I don't know what we spend now. I estimated once and I think when my
husband is home it's around $300 a week. I do try to buy organic and he
eats quite a lot. When he is home I have to cook for 8. There may or may
not be a leftover. Daughter and I eat a lot less. We do eat out 2 or 3
times a week.

"Julie Bove" wrote:
>
>Another thing that baffles me is how they get all that stuff home! We saw a
>couple buy in excess of a thousand dollars of stuff. They put it in a mini
>van and whatever vehicle her husband was driving. How would that all fit?

With today's prices it's very easy to fit $1,000 in groceries in a
compact car... at the rate prices are soaring it won't be much longer
those same groceries will fit into the glove box.

In article >, says...
>
> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
> .com...
> > projectile vomit chick wrote:
> >> On Apr 7, 8:26 am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> >
> >>> I never get how they can take so much off their bill, either. Yes,
> >>> double coupons are nice but they rarely wind up with getting a
> >>> product for free for me.
> >>
> >> If you notice a lot of them were paying for a couponing service, on
> >> top of all of the scavenging for coupons and carrying on for
> >> 478374237320239 hours a week. Ugh, could you imagine?
> >
> > You're right, I forgot about paying for coupons. Yikes. Lately
> > I've been doing that Troopon thing where you cut out coupons that
> > military families can use. Once a month or so, I organize them
> > and mail them out.
> >
> > I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
> > of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
> > books of them.
> >
> >>> I can just see these people's heirs backing up a dumpster to get
> >>> rid of stuff they stockpiled 25 years ago.
> >>
> >> Yes and I really didn't understand the having rooms filled with dried
> >> pasta and sticks of deodorant.
> >
> > With all the shelving which is not free, either. And the toilet paper
> > under the beds. A couple of them described their homes as mini
> > marts. It just makes them happy.
>
> I have learned the toilet paper does deteriorate with age. My friend moved
> his elderly dad into his home shortly before the dad passed on. He said his
> dad had many packages of toilet paper, age unknown but quite dusty. He
> opened a package and tried to use it but he said the paper just left tons of
> white bits and tore very easily. So he had to throw it all out rather than
> donate it.

That might be the brand. Some just isn't very good.

"Bryan" > wrote in message
...
> On Apr 7, 1:23 am, "Paul M. Cook" > wrote:
>>
>> I buy Grey Poupon for my usual mustard needs. I use a lot more of it now
>> than in years past so I have no problem with freshness. I buy the huge
>> jars
>> of GP and they never last long at all.
>
> Grey Poupon is SO good. My wife eats a great number of turkey
> sandwiches, so we go through it like crazy, and buy the huge jars too.
>>
>> Paul
>
> --Bryan

I like it as an ingredient along with other stuff, but detest it as a stand
alone mustard. It is good mixed in cole slaw, sautéed mushrooms with sour
cream and the like.

"Ranée at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> "Ranée at Arabian Knits" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > In article >,
>> > "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>> >
>> >> I drive a mini van. When we used to go to the military commissary I
>> >> would
>> >> spend about $325. That would be for food, cleaning supplies,
>> >> papergoods,
>> >> etc. With the back seat folded down, the entire back of the van would
>> >> be
>> >> precariously stuffed full. And we would have to carefully fit the
>> >> rest
>> >> of
>> >> the bags in and around the middle seat. I can remember going home
>> >> with
>> >> bags
>> >> all over my feet!
>> >
>> > $325 is about half of what we spend for food, cleaning supplies,
>> > paper supplies/diapers, chicken and turkey feed, cat food and litter
>> > each month. For a family of nine.
>>
>> You're kidding! This was for a family of three. Of course this was in
>> NY
>> and the prices were higher there than they are here.
>
> Part of it is living here vs. NY. However, I am a big bargain
> shopper, buy directly from the farmer/grower/rancher as much as possible
> and buy in bulk. I don't do couponing much, but I use them for things
> like diapers and have been able to get them free or even as a money
> maker from places like Rite Aid. If I made a little more effort, I
> could get our toilet paper for free, because of coupons and sales, but
> it's on brand name, and I actually prefer Fred Meyer's store brand. We
> have no food allergies, and we eat just about everything, which I make
> almost entirely from scratch. It adds up. Or subtracts down. Or
> something.
>
>> > We can fit quite a lot in the trunk of our minivan (what I use when
>> > it's just me and the children), we can pack for a two week vacation,
>> > including a pack and play and a cooler. Maybe they are just good at
>> > packing things.
>>
>> I don't know what we spend now. I estimated once and I think when my
>> husband is home it's around $300 a week. I do try to buy organic and he
>> eats quite a lot. When he is home I have to cook for 8. There may or
>> may
>> not be a leftover. Daughter and I eat a lot less. We do eat out 2 or 3
>> times a week.
>
> We are able to get a lot of organics or the non-certified, but we
> actually grow it that way, directly from the farmer or farmer's market a
> lot. We buy in huge quantities, and they cut us deals. We raise our
> own eggs, turkey (three more to put in the freezer this weekend, and we
> are finished for the year with butchering) and honey. We grow as much
> as we are able to as well, though last year that wasn't much. Our meat
> is expensive up front, but inexpensive per pound, because we buy the
> whole animal and have it slaughtered and butchered for our freezers.
>
> It's harder to do that closer to Seattle, we used to live by Tacoma,
> though, and our budget wasn't much different then. We now care for more
> animals and another child on maybe $50 - 75 more than we used to spend.
>
I used to get organic produce boxes. Those did save me a lot of money but I
was also throwing a lot out. We are not big fruit eaters overall. Daughter
will eat a few things. Husband will eat a few things. But most fruit they
won't eat and I won't eat it at all. Since that farm didn't offer a veggie
only box, there was a lot of waste. And when my husband moved to CA, there
were too many veggies for the two of us.

On Apr 7, 1:01*am, HumBug! > wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 21:44:34 -0700, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> >What is wrong with these people? *
> > She also bought a ton of mustard.
> >The person narrating the show said mustard never goes bad. *I beg to differ!
> >This was prepared mustard. *It has an expiration date on it. *And I know
> >from experience that if it is really old it gets a watery part and a solid
> >part. *Not good!
>
> Mustard DOES NOT expire, and I've never seen an expiration date on mine.
>
> I shake my bottle every time I use it, as it does separate,
> NOT AN Fing problem!

You are missing the point. This isn't about the mustard. It's about
hoarding. I don't care if it IS free.... how much mustard, or anything
else can one family eat in a reasonable amount of time? These
extreme couponers make me sick. They can still get free groceries if
they bought 3 or 4 jars of mustard. Even that many would be more than
most families could consume in a year's time. I watched this program a
few months ago. One woman bought 9 carriages full of groceries, her
total was over $1000 and she paid around $60 for it. She "bought"
over 150 boxes of pasta, over 100 butterfinger candy bars, etc. It
took her over 3 hours to shop and over 2 hours to check out and then
the computers shut down because the order was over 1000 items,
including coupons. She needed 3 vehicles to cart all this stuff home.
And then she had to store it. 150 pounds of uncooked pasta!!! Even if
this family ate an entire pound of pasta at a meal (which is a LOT),
they would have to eat 2 pounds a week to use it up within a year.
It's ridiculous! And it would take up as much space as a queen sized
bed!!! Where would you store this stuff??

I could see getting 5 or 10 of certain items if they are free. That's
smart. That's having a well-stocked pantry and being a smart shopper.
But most of these extreme couponers have crossed over from being a
smart shopper to the mental illness known as hoarding.

Yes, I buy cans of cat food 2 dozen at a time. But 2 dozen is less
than a month's worth. She eats a can a day. Right now, I have 4 cans
of coffee in my cupboard. They were on sale and I had a dollar off
coupon. And I go thru a can a week. So I have learned, that's enough
that I won't have to buy it again until it goes on sale again and they
run another coupon. Even if I could get it for free, I wouldn't keep
more than 4 at a time. I don't wanna run out of coffee, and I hate
paying full price. But I'm not going to hoard it and then have to find
a place to store it all. That's nuts.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> > With all the shelving which is not free, either. And the toilet paper
>> > under the beds. A couple of them described their homes as mini
>> > marts. It just makes them happy.
>>
>> I have learned the toilet paper does deteriorate with age. My friend
>> moved
>> his elderly dad into his home shortly before the dad passed on. He said
>> his
>> dad had many packages of toilet paper, age unknown but quite dusty. He
>> opened a package and tried to use it but he said the paper just left tons
>> of
>> white bits and tore very easily. So he had to throw it all out rather
>> than
>> donate it.
>
> Probably Silverfish. They can damage books too.

That could be.

When I got my first apartment, I bought some shelf paper for the pantry that
said it repelled Silverfish. I didn't know what they were but there was a
picture of them on the roll and I knew I didn't want them. When I told my
mom what I did, she laughed and said we don't get them here.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>
>> >I'm not complaining, but cutting out and organizing all those wisps
>> >of paper is kind of a hassle. And these people have books and
>> >books of them.
>>
>> Those people that spend all those hours collecting and sorting
>> obviously don't have a life. I rarely use coupons because like 99% of
>> them are for things I not only wouldn't use but wouldn't want them if
>> free... they're typically for some new over priced product that has no
>> redeeming value. About the only coupons I actually use are those I
>> get in the mail for pet products and they are for no big savings but
>> I'll still take 50¢ off on a $12 box of cat food. The only other
>> coupons I use are occasionally there'll be a stack of coupons on the
>> deli counter for $1 off a particular cold cut if you buy a pound, I'll
>> use those too, only because I'm buying the product anyway and I never
>> buy less than a pound of anything at the deli. I can't remember the
>> last time I actually snipped out a coupon, has to be at least 20 years
>> ago... I think that's about how long ago they stopped offering coupons
>> to snip for useful items, at least of use to me.
>
> I know exactly what you mean... I will always take advantage of "in
> store" coupons IF it is something I'm already purchasing such as tidy
> cat cat litter. The other day, they had a great deal in-store coupon.
> Purchase one of the smaller containers of Tidy Cat and get a free 4lb.
> bag of friskies kibbles and I mostly use friskies as the older cats seem
> to keep weight on better with it.
>
> I purchase tidy cat anyway, but usually in the buckets or larger tubs,
> but this worked out to be a $4.00 savings overall. I bought 3 of them.
>
> There were several more "in store" coupons that same day for stuff I
> normally do purchase. I got $19.00 off my bill that day. :-) About 25%
> of my total.
>
> A handy way to get coupons for stuff you use also is to e-mail the
> company with suggestions, compliments or even minor complaints.
> Go ahead and sign in with your address and get a nice prize in the mail
> a couple of weeks later. I've done that for pet food quite a bit and it
> works.

I had forgotten about that but I have e-mailed companies before and gotten
coupons that way. Most recently was the free gravy from Imagine.

Catmandy (Sheryl) wrote:
> You are missing the point. This isn't about the mustard. It's about
> hoarding. I don't care if it IS free.... how much mustard, or anything
> else can one family eat in a reasonable amount of time? These
> extreme couponers make me sick. They can still get free groceries if
> they bought 3 or 4 jars of mustard. Even that many would be more than
> most families could consume in a year's time. I watched this program a
> few months ago. One woman bought 9 carriages full of groceries, her
> total was over $1000 and she paid around $60 for it. She "bought"
> over 150 boxes of pasta, over 100 butterfinger candy bars, etc. It
> took her over 3 hours to shop and over 2 hours to check out and then
> the computers shut down because the order was over 1000 items,
> including coupons. She needed 3 vehicles to cart all this stuff home.
> And then she had to store it. 150 pounds of uncooked pasta!!! Even if
> this family ate an entire pound of pasta at a meal (which is a LOT),
> they would have to eat 2 pounds a week to use it up within a year.
> It's ridiculous! And it would take up as much space as a queen sized
> bed!!! Where would you store this stuff??

The time spent shopping is another thing. Wouldn't the stuff like the
yogurt be spoiled by the time they got it home? Food that should be
refrigerated shouldn't be left at room temp. for over 2 hours!
>
> I could see getting 5 or 10 of certain items if they are free. That's
> smart. That's having a well-stocked pantry and being a smart shopper.
> But most of these extreme couponers have crossed over from being a
> smart shopper to the mental illness known as hoarding.

If the stuff were really free, I would get as much as I could but... I
would donate what I couldn't use to the food bank.
>
> Yes, I buy cans of cat food 2 dozen at a time. But 2 dozen is less
> than a month's worth. She eats a can a day. Right now, I have 4 cans
> of coffee in my cupboard. They were on sale and I had a dollar off
> coupon. And I go thru a can a week. So I have learned, that's enough
> that I won't have to buy it again until it goes on sale again and they
> run another coupon. Even if I could get it for free, I wouldn't keep
> more than 4 at a time. I don't wanna run out of coffee, and I hate
> paying full price. But I'm not going to hoard it and then have to find
> a place to store it all. That's nuts.

For a time I was having to mail order food for Maui. Because the cost of
shipping was so high I would often get several cases at a time.

When she was on the prescription diet I would usually get two cases at a
time. Thankfully they did buy back the unused cans when she died. They
would even buy back unused cans if she didn't like the flavor.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> > A handy way to get coupons for stuff you use also is to e-mail the
>> > company with suggestions, compliments or even minor complaints.
>> > Go ahead and sign in with your address and get a nice prize in the mail
>> > a couple of weeks later. I've done that for pet food quite a bit and
>> > it
>> > works.
>>
>> I had forgotten about that but I have e-mailed companies before and
>> gotten
>> coupons that way. Most recently was the free gravy from Imagine.
>
> :-)
>
> I got some from Eggland's best once just complimenting them on there
> done to perfection bagged hard boiled eggs.

Oh! My daughter loves those.