Coupons- the newest "Buzzword"

I've been couponing- I mean seriously couponing- for several years now. In that period, I've explained "serious couponing" to dozens of people. I've had the pleasure of watching a solid half dozen become serious couponers on their own, then go on to share the "good news" with others.

I've watched at least twice that number become casual couponers- and hey, there is nothing wrong with that. I love knowing they saved $5 a week on groceries, thanks to a newspaper subscription or the occasional printable coupon I pass along.

I've watched even more folks, to whom I painstakingly described all the various stages of couponing, fall by the wayside and not even lift a finger to take a coupon I clipped and gave them and use it at a store.

It is amusing to me how much coupons have become a "Buzzword". It seems to me that those who can't be bothered to use them are violently opposed to them. A friend posted her first successful "serious couponing" shop on Facebook and the first thing that happened was someone commented how THEY could never get those deals. Another made a nasty comment about getting stuck behind "couponers". Not long after, here came another dragger-down who wanted to know how far she'd driven to get "all those deals". Those of you who I have spoken to know the first thing I talk about is not spending $5 in gas to save $0.50 and my friend was able to share that she was within a block of these stores when she went to work. Ha! No "congratulations, you just got $30 of groceries for $5!". It was all jealousy.

However, these same people (not the exact same, but this type) will get angry at me because I didn't tell them how to get X great deal. No matter how often I invite them to come along shopping or tell them they need to sign up for this coupon deal or subscribe to a newspaper, they seem to labor under the delusion that I just magically reach in to my pocket and poof- there is the perfect coupon! No work necessary.

Piggy backing on this are the ones who preach the "coupon gospel"...after having couponed for all of a week. I find these tend to burn out REALLY quickly. After all, it's hard being an expert. At the risk of bursting a bubble or two out there... just because you look at one couponing blog once a week, doesn't mean you know all the ends and outs. I'm still learning myself and store policies are constantly changing.

It does tickle me to see people sharing deals they've found on Facebook and forums, don't get me wrong! I love people taking that extra bit of time to share something that might make someone else's life a little easier, or a little better.

Regardless of positives or negatives, the world is abuzz with "couponing". TV shows, blogs (hehe), social networks- social couponing sites! It doesn't matter where you look. Part of this buzz is great... Walmart is considering doubling coupons and has stores in test markets currently running scenarios! Without a mass quantity of couponers, that would have never happened!

However, more couponers also means it's harder to find the deals, less inventory- and the new extreme stockpilers out there (or the ones who get items for free via coupons and then resell them for a profit) hurt the newbies who are just beginning or those of us who coupon as a supplement to our pitiful incomes.

That's why I coupon- because if I can get it for free, it means I've put more money in to our pockets. Every $5 I save is that much more I can use to pay other bills. I "shop" out of my stockpile to provide things to my dad, who was affected by job loss in this bad economy.

I think we need to add a buzzword to coupons. How about "Considerate"? That goes for everyone. Don't be mean just because someone else is putting in the work to get a good deal. Don't take EVERYTHING on the shelf unless you truly, truly need it. Don't act like the expert you are not. That only gets on people's nerves.

-Kristen