Hello Again!

Back From Hiatus

Thanks so much for bearing with me these several LONG months the blog has been on hiatus. As a Stay At Home Mom, SOMETIMES, my family needs me to focus on other things and put some things on the back burner.  Priorities have shifted yet again and I have the ability to bring the blog back to the forefront!

And I am very excited about it. During my absence, I made some new friends on other blogs! I cannot wait to review these blogs for you and maybe bring you some exclusive discounts and giveaways! I have discovered some unique things like Birthday Capes and Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Groups... and, I have encountered some Giveaway Gurus like Chip over at Chip&Co.    I cannot wait to bring these blogs and deals to you guys.

Also! Purex just contacted me yet again to let me know I get to be the first to try a brand new product. USUALLY, this leads to a fun giveaway on my blog.  I have some great ideas for my own giveaways as well.

Let's not forget my series I had in the infancy stage when I had to put the blog on the shelf for a few... I am going to tackle some of the issues, debates, and EXTREME perspectives facing couponers.  

New to the blog? My focus is to TEACH people how to rethink couponing and rethink the coupon culture. Use this blog to supplement the big guys. They do it best. Follow Kristin at Couponing to Disney HERE, Follow Totally Target HERE, Follow Southern Savers.  Read my blog for tips, THE BEST deals that I find interesting to me, a new way to look at things so that you can carry the couponing forward yourself whether you follow the bloggers or not.  

Looking for a particular type of deal? Want me to focus on a certain issue? Email me at CouponCouture@gmail.com.   I love feedback and will do my best to find deals that suit your needs. That is one benefit of following a smaller blog! OH! And go ahead and like me on Facebook. I link everything to that.

Announcement of a New Series on the Blog. Let's Explore the Issues!

A New Series on the Blog:

Introduction to the Issues and Philosophies Facing Couponers

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz in the coupon community.  It seems that TLC's Extreme Couponing has helped to open a dialogue about couponing and saving money.  It has been interesting to see the perspectives non-couponers and couponers alike have about these topics.  AND, it seems that not even the couponers agree about the issues or have the same POV.

My personal mission, as a blogger and as an individual couponer, is to ALWAYS coupon with integrity and rack up as many good Coupon Karma points as possible in the process.  My goal is to save my family money and help provide for them in the limited capacity that I am able to do so as a Stay at Home parent in a single-income family.  As a familay, we are living a very modest no-cable-in-the-home  debt-free life where our cars may be 12 years old, but are totally paid for.  I coupon for my family.  I blog for my friends.

So, what are the perceptions that folks are left with when watching Extreme Couponing?  A lot of folks are actually left with a bad taste in their mouth, so to speak.  A lot of folks are using words like hoarders and such.  One of my fave bloggers, Kristin over at Couponing to Disney, even declined the invitation to appear on the show, blogging that she made that decision due to how the couponers can be portrayed.  I think it is really important to explain to those that don't coupon, or coupon casually, that they call it EXTREME Couponing for a reason.  It is just that, Extreme.  Your average every day couponer is not like that.  My personal stockpile, for example, fits into one closet in my bathroom.  I have a 6 month supply of toothpaste, shampoo, etc.  When my items in the closet approach more than 6 month supply, out of the house they go.. to either a yard sale (more on that another time.. and yes, IT IS LEGAL to sell your drugstore overstock. I will tackle that issue and more in this series.), or given to a neighbor, friend, charity, etc.  Most couponers are just trying to help their finances.

*The reason my stockpile is a 6 month supply is that you never know when your job might get downsized, or you might want to take a break off from couponing...... also, the sales are usually done in a 3-6 month cycle, so it might be that long before your Olay goes on sale again.

Thus, with all the drama, misconceptions, and even in some cases scandals going on in the couponing subculture, I am going to take the time to give you my thoughts and personal POVs about the various issues facing couponers.

Get ready over the next few weeks to explore these issues... and you might be surprised along the way.. not all couponers or even bloggers share the same philosophies.  We are all in this together, though!  We have to maintain our integrity as a couponing community so that we can take our reputations back from those depicted poorly in the national media.

I have an idea for the issues I want to talk about and the philosophies I will be discussing... But what are YOUR concerns, thoughts, questions? What would YOU like to see in this series?