Coupon Gal: FRUGALICIOUS Song!!

I just LOVE my readers! You guys always support me and brighten my days so much. About a week ago I mentioned that I love the word “FRUGALICIOUS” that I made up and that I would like to have a song made using it. Guess what? One of my readers made one! I think it is so cute and fun. Now we just need it put to music and sung

So here it goes, courtesy of Christy Delauder
to the tune of Fergie’s “Fergalicious” song….

Four, tres, two, uno

Listen up y’all cause this is it
The beat that I’m bangin’ is discounted

Frugalicious definition
Make them cashiers loco
They want my treasures
So they get their pleasures from my stockpile photo

You can see me, you can’t squeeze me
I ain’t cheap, I ain’t crazy
I got reasons why I save em
Money come and go like seasons

Frugalicious
So delicious
But I ain’t penurious
And if you was suspicious
All that stuff is fictitious

I nearly pisses
When I see those prices drop drop
And they be linin’ down the block
Just to look at what I bought

Four, tres, two, uno

So frugalicious
It’s hot, hot
So frugalicious
I make them prices drop, drop
So frugalicious
They want a taste of what I got
I’m frugalicious
Thrifty, Thrifty

Frugalicious def-
Frugalicious def-
Frugalicious def-

Frugalicious definition
Make them cashiers crazy
They always claim they know me
Comin’ to me call me coupon crazy

I’m the F to the R,U,G,the I, the E
And can’t no other lady bring it down like me

I’m frugalicious
So delicious
My binder stays vicious
I be up to 3 am
Just workin’ on my clippin’

He’s my witness
I watch them prices drop, drop
And he be linin’ down the block
Just to look at what I bought
Four, tres, two, uno

So delicious
It’s hot, hot
So delicious
I make them prices drop, drop
So delicious
They want a taste of what I got
I’m frugalicious

Hold, hold, hold up, time to check out

Baby, baby, baby
If you really want money
Honey, get some patience
Maybe then you’ll get a taste

Of my coupon crazy,
And I’m well stocked with pads and paste- eee
It’s no wasty, wasty
It’ll make you crazy

T, to the H, to R,I,F,T,Y Girl you thrifty
T, to the H, to R,I,F,T,Y Girl you thrifty
F, to the R, to the U-G-A-L-I-C-I-O-U-S
F, to the R, to the , to the, to the
Hit it Frugie!

All the time I turn around people gather round
Always lookin’ at me up and down, lookin’ at my (Uh)
I just wanna say it now I ain’t tryin’ to round up drama
Little mama I don’t wanna waste your time

And I know I’m comin’ off just a little bit conceited
And I keep on repeatin’ how you folks just can’t beat it
But I’m tryin’ to tell, that you should be nice to your coupon clientele

Cause they say she frugalicious
So delicious

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Do You Look Like A Couponer?

Do You Look Like A Couponer?

Do you often get stereotyped because you use coupons? Has anyone ever said, “You don’t look like someone that HAS to use coupons” or “You don’t look like someone who WOULD use coupons” or any other variation of that comment? I have, many times (probably more times than I would like to admit).

That got me thinking….hmmmm….why? What does a couponer look like? Why are people making those comments? Unfortunately, there are no studies out there to back up my theory and this is just food for thought, but maybe it’s because those people don’t understand the power behind coupons, they don’t understand that using coupons does not “classify” or “categorize” us in any one particular group or to look like any particular “type.”

You see, I don’t believe that person who uses coupons “looks” a certain way. A couponer’s “look” comes from within their mind. For some couponers, they have made up their mind to use coupons because times are hard, for others, it’s because they lost their job, and for some it’s simply just because they WANT TO! It’s a way of thinking in which annual household income and a person’s looks do not play a significant variable!

That’s me…. up there in that picture! You can say I “look” like a couponer or not… it doesn’t matter because “I AM a PROUD couponer!” Just because we use coupons does NOT mean we do not take pleasure in the things that make us happy, does it? It just means we are going to find a CHEAPER way of getting what we want by combining a sale or promotion and a coupon or rebate!

Some of us still have Dyson Vacuums and splurge, most of us still go out to eat dinner with our families, and some of us even….(GASP)….YES, some of us even carry COACH PURSES because we worked a very **Supercali FRUGALICOUS cexpialidocious** deal to get it!

It’s you, it’s me, it’s a single mother of three….it’s all of us you see. That’s not a look, it’s not a type, it could be any of us alike!

(Do you like my little Dr. Seuss rendition?)

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Did That Really Just Happen?

Did that really just happen?

You know the story….you have planned, organized, and shopped a store and you head to the register to excitedly pay for your items when suddenly someone is rude, disrespectful, or demeaning because of the fact that you are using coupons. I have received so many emails and comments lately about the way people get treated while using coupons. First off, I just want to let you know….you are not alone, it has happened to just about every couponer that I know (if not literally EVERY couponer).

Whether it is the cashier or another shopper, it really doesn’t matter, does it? It can make you go from feeling so accomplished to down right sad, frustrated, upset or a combination of all three (hence the picture above). I am all too familiar with that feeling and can tell you my roughest encounter was when I was shopping at Super Target a few months ago and a mother with her teenage daughter came up behind me in line. All my stuff had already been rang up and the cashier was scanning my stack of coupons (I probably had about 50…so yes that is a lot). I always try to be polite by telling the person behind me that I have a lot of coupons that will take a while to scan and that time was no different…only the reaction was.

The mother smirked at me and then leaned into her daughter and said, “see honey that’s what happens when you are not responsible in life…you end up having to use coupons because you can’t afford to pay for stuff.” Ohhhhh…I was flaming mad inside and wanted to say sooooo many things that would not have been appropriate, but instead I smiled at her while she gazed back at me like she had just won the lottery and I said, “No honey, I use coupons because I have a deep respect for the hard-earned money my husband makes and for every one dollar coupon I use, is one dollar that stays in my pocket and not the retailers.” She never responded, and I wanted to tell her so many other things that proved I was responsible in my life, like:

• How I went to college and graduated with a Bachelor degree when I was 22 and then proceeded to get my professional clear teaching credential, masters degree, and a GATE teaching certificate all by the time I was 27. And how I proudly walked across that stage to accept my MA degree while my newborn son and 3-year-old daughter were sitting in the audience with the rest of my family.
• How I bought my first home when I was 22.
• How I taught elementary school for five years and decided to quit when my son was born so I could stay home with my kids.

None of that was emotionally or physically easy, none of it was mentally or financially easy, but it was all because I WAS RESPONSIBLE! Right? I planned for those things and worked hard to achieve them!

So, while I can easily offer you my condolences and tell you it happens to all of us, I have a few other pieces of information that might make you feel even better! Did you know:

“Online coupon users have bigger households, are better educated, and are wealthier than the general population” according to the Coupons, Inc. Market Research Bureau.

“More than one-half of US Internet users with household incomes of at least $100,000 reported using online coupons. By contrast, only 30% of users with incomes under $25,000 used coupons” according to eMarketer.

Here are the percentage of coupon users at different income levels according to eMarketer: 

<$25K : 30%
$25K – $50K : 38%
$50K – $75K : 42%
$75K – $100K : 43%
$100K – $150K : 51%
$150K and over : 53%

I do my research….a learner by nature! I just wanted you to know that, YES it happens to all of us, YES it’s frustrating, and YES I wish I could come stand by each and every one of during times like that, but I can’t, so I leave you with that food for thought….you are smart, you are responsible, and you are saving and THAT is all that matters!

Have a FRUGALICIOUS day my fellow couponers!

PS: For those of you who have difficulty with cashiers, just kindlly remind them that for every coupon you use, the store gets an additional $.08 – $.10 handling fee. And for every coupon you use that is under the value of the product, they still get full value of the coupon from the manufacturer, so they are basically making more money off you than someone who just walks into the store and purchases something! So there

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“Priceless Memories!”

I just wanted to share my little “Priceless Memory” with all of you…

Last week I went with my daughter to her first field trip! We enjoyed a day of looking at animals that live in the desert. It was nice to see the look on her face as she discovered new things, how she smiled in amazement as she stared at a giraffe, or how she jumped up and down with excitement when she saw a zebra, with as she says, “all those stripes.” It’s a wonderful experience to see the world through the eyes of a child, isn’t it?

So, about half way through our field trip, we all took a break and had some free-time to explore the souvenir shops. My daughter saw a cute little leopard stuffed animal about the size of a beanie baby. She really wanted it and I could tell by the excitement on her face that she was anticipating my answer. I looked at the price tag and it was $9.99! I thought for a brief moment….wow….that’s a lot for this little thing! With one look at my daughter as her eyes peered into mine…I said, “YES…you can get it honey!”

You see, while I am this frugal person, who consciously spends her money with precise planning and organization, I am also a person who sometimes decides that there are “Price-less Memories” to be made. Because sometimes it’s “Less” about the “Price” and more about the “Memory!” Although I could have probably got that stuffed animal for about $1.00 somewhere else, it wouldn’t have been in that very moment, during that very same field trip, for my very excited daughter!

I am telling you this because maybe you feel the way I do sometimes…just because I am a person who uses coupons, doesn’t mean that I use them for everything and it’s OK when you don’t! Just look at that precious little leapoard nicely placed and nestled next to my little girl as she slept in the car on the way home….now that is a “Priceless Memory” hands down!

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One Year Anniversary!

Today is my One-Year Blogging Anniversary!

I can’t hardly believe it! If you have read my about me, you know I never imagined that people from all over the world would be interested in my deal finds or what I have to say, but I am truly honored and flattered that you do! I love looking back and reminiscing on anniversaries, so I hope you don’t mind taking a trip down bloggy memory lane with me.

Here is a look at my first CVS and Walgreens deals…not bad, but boy oh boy did I have a lot to learn. You have to remember back then I probably only had all of 10 readers and they were all family or friends. I’m just sayin’…. No, but really when compared to my current lists for CVS, Walgreens, and Target deals you can see how much I have grown not only as a blogger, but as a couponer (I mean wholly molly check out that list of Walgreens deals). And I am STILL learning. I have a passion for learning. That’s probably why I went to college and became an elementary school teacher. Although I am no longer teaching, I still find myself constantly striving to learn more. Hence the fact that I am going to the Blissdom conference to find out how to become a better blogger! I leave tomorow and am very excited to see what I will learn.

When I look back at some of my postings, there is some really good information that I should dig up more and present to my new readers. Like this posting on where do kids eat FREE? How could I forget about that? I could use that information now. Or this posting on FREE Google 411 (I still use that number from my home phone and my cell phone).

I noticed some things never change. Yes, I am a creature of habit! I still shop through Ebates, still love to find and post retail coupons, dining out coupons, and I still LOVE Amazon! I mean, who doesn’t love Amazon? Just check out these deals I posted at Christmas time (no longer available, but I just want you to see what you can get). Toy deals, more toy deals, and yes, even more toy deals! They even had tons of Leapster games for $9.99. I could go on forever, but if you are a reader this December, rest assured I will be writing about those awesome deals again!

I have my moments where I could just quit couponing because a deal didn’t work out when I drove all the way to “wherever” or some cashier was rude, or someone made a snude comment about me using coupons, but I just pull myself back up again and trudge on because I know that using coupons has brought me to a financial freedom I would otherwise have never had. Avid couponers you know this is true, sometimes you just need a break from coupons, and yes I do take them. When I do, I just eat from my pantry and buy the necessities to get me through. New couponers (if you are anthing like I was) you will be enthralled with excitment and your eyes will practically pop out of your head when you see your receipt total, or you may even cry because you were able to save so much. Just know that new deals always rise again and if you didn’t get it this time, there will be a next time….I promise. (I remember trying to use every coupon I could before they expired….what was I thining….).

I truly love blogging and although I have my moments where I feel overwhelmed, I am so very thankful (down to the tips of my toes) to have the opportunity to help so many people and to have met so many wonderful friends. I would never take a moment back. Not only have I been able to connect with some of my readers, but I have met one of my dearest friends through this adventure…Jaycie from Coupon Geek! She is practically family to me…..my sista’ from anoter mista’

With all that said (I know I ramble…sorry) my hope is that wether you are a new reader, an old reader, family, or friend, I hope you come back and visit often. I love getting comments and hearing about your saving adventures, so if you have the time, drop me a line. I look forward to another year of savings with you and again, THANK YOU for all of your support!

~Christy~

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