It all started way, way back in 1985. I had just graduated from college and I was out on my own. A new apartment. My own car payment. My own utilities. My own credit cards. WOW! I was grown up! But being grown up didn't necessarily pan out to be all I thought it would be! I had a full time job and it was a good job too but there just didn't seem to be enough money! My couponing allowed me to start having an abundance of "stuff"....so eventually I became buried in "stuff". My then boyfriend (who later became fiance, who later became husband and now is "DH") said I needed to get rid of all the "stuff" I had accumulated. But how? Okay, time to donate....and donate we did! But that's about the time I started to find out about rebating. What's rebating? Rebating/Refunding is when you send in for either cash or promotional item/product with a manufacturer. I discovered that there was money to be MADE!!! LEGAL money! I figured if I could use coupons to get the item as close to if not FOR FREE, then send in the rebate for it, and get money in return, I end up being the winner all around! So, the next invasion was......saving UPCs and POPs. What are those you say? These are the manufacturers bar codes on the products or the actual "Proof of Purchase" (POP) that is required to participate in a rebate/refund. I had saved EVERY UPC/POP possible! Then, I realized I had to get REALLY REALLY organized! What did that mean? It meant that I had to get away from having just a pile of coupons and a stash of Qs(aka "UPC/POP"). So, I started an index system for my coupons....and did the same with my Qs. And after all these years, I'm still using the same old system....and this system not only works for me but saves me a whole lot of MONEY!
I had to provide for myself so at about that time, Vons Markets started to double coupons. I hated the thought of having to use coupons but I figured that if I was going to save money, then why not? It was fun trying to buy as much as I possibly could with each visit to the market. As the years progressed, so did my couponing.
Yep, this is how I look when I save money at the grocery store and/or heading to the bank to cash-in my rebates!
So you want to know even more personal things about me? Check out where I live.....Murrieta!
