Deep, nearly 100% discounts? Paid to shop? At my favorite store Target? Yes, please! I’d seen the links and never clicked, assuming promises like that must be virus-ridden traps. But last night, I attended the Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Bridge to Well-Being event, Couponing 101 with Caitlyn Sexton.
I’ll be honest, my bargain-shopping skills are sharply honed, so I didn’t expect to get too much out of this workshop. Good thing I love surprises. Caitlyn started with an example about stacking store and manufacturer coupons with gift card offers to leave the store with $800.00 worth of dog treats and $80.00, not paying a dime. Of course, nobody needs that many dog treats, especially a 25-year old fireball with no dog. But everybody needs a tax deduction. She took the dog treats to the Humane Society, did a very nice thing for them and got a receipt for an $800.00 charitable donation. Did I mention she made $80 on the deal?
Next, Caitlyn showed us pictures of her store-room, a guest room she has lined with shelves to hold her wares. She estimates that she has $20,000.00 worth of products in the room and her cash outlay is under $500.00. It’s a different way of thinking. Extreme couponing is not about buying things you need and finding a .25 discount. It requires looking through store circulars, then finding store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons to get it free or even get money back. It sounds like a lot of work for items that an average household may not use, but there are websites that do everything but the legwork. Caitlyn steered us to Totally Target, Hip2Save, CouponMom. Tomorrow is Sunday. I can’t wait to get started and try out the strategy. When I do, I’ll update this post to brag about my savings.
Even with the work nearly done for us, the biggest question in the room was “why?” Why buy things we don’t need to leave in a store room? Thinking back to the dog treat example, that’s an easy question to answer. Right now, Texans are being flooded from their homes. Last month, destructive tornadoes hit the Midwest. California is poised for a brutal fire season because of their drought. There is always a need. The work that Caitlyn puts into couponing has blessed family, friends, and those in need.
Caitlyn takes couponing as seriously as any business negotiation because she sees the power in it. It’s another step toward liberty. To the dependent, liberty is nothing but a fairytale. Any fourteen year old understands that as he longs for the freedom of adulthood. But an adult cannot enjoy freedom if he is not self-sufficient, and the greatest gift we Americans enjoy is a shot at true freedom.
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation has created this “Bridge to Well-Being” series to give Americans that shot. The series educates on everything from current events to building a small business to managing a household. AFPF understands the most basic tenet of economics, that resources are scarce. With this understanding, they always ensure that their events are worth the time and energy to make them successful. I left Couponing 101 feeling empowered, so I look forward to more from the series.