Do you still get surprised?

[MariaT]

Do you still get surprised?

I do. I admit it. I’m not sure why. But I still get very surprised.

I went and did the Stayfree deal this morning at CVS. Profit of $.50 for 2 big packs of maxi pads as you all know! Just did this once as I only had one coupon. But, I’m generous and I have a huge stockpile of feminine stuff at home to use. I know others in my family are having a rough time. I mean a really rough time. I offer my 2 big packs of maxi pads to said family member having the really rough time. And I received a no thanks, not my brand type of response.

After 3 years of hard core couponing, this still surprises me. When you can’t afford to buy food to feed yourself or your kid and you turn down something free because you prefer another brand. I would think 2 big packs of maxi pads could last a few months. One less thing to have to buy, right? Oh well. I tried. She can go buy the Always.

[Lurkergirl]

Well you tried to help ,some people just don't get it .If they have nothing you would think anything would be better but some how they don't think so .

[puakinikini]

I have a cousin who is very poor - she has had her electricity turned off, she has had to borrow money for food, etc. She is currently on disability and barely making ends meet. I have offered her pasta (Barilla - of course) and Ragu sauce - she turns it down, saying we like Classico. Well, my family would probably prefer Classico too, but Ragu was free. Yes, I, too, am still surprised. She has also turnedd down free shampoo and toothpaste (not her brands).

[kval07]

Beggars can't be choosers. I'd tell them no if they ever ask for anything else from you.

[collectorofbells]

well..with food, yea...take whatever...

but there could be some other reason that they are brand specific-allergies, extreme dislike ( if the arn't going to eat it..what's the point?)...

in my case..with "girl products" I had to use a specific brand..so even if it was offered free , yes I would have turned it down...I would have used a bit more tact tho...

all you can do is make the offer....you don't walk in the other person's moccasins so you don't really know the reasons behind what they do...

[jillibean_1978]

I hate that right now we have to take things from my in laws. But it's free and add some salt/pepper it does change the taste. I am grateful for the free stuff and give it a try no matter what.

Jill

[Andra]

What surprises me is how few people will do the work to get a good deal. It's not effortless but it also doesn't take much to do if you are determined to save. I have family going through a rough patch like yours too. The husband quit his job just because he didn't like the work anymore and spent $5,000 on a three week "education" class for another job. I'm pretty sure it was a fake school that ripped them off. We tried to tell them it didn't sound legit when we heard about it but they didn't listen. Now, 6 months later the husband still has no job and no prospects of getting one. The wife has a decent job, but they are not really making ends meet on the wife's salary alone.

He heard about my couponing and said he wanted to try it to save them money. Sounds great right? Well, nope after I explained it he refused to believe HE could save any money with coupons. I showed him this weeks insert coupons and pointed out ones that would be free or almost free. His response: "We've never bought that brand before." and "You mean I have to wait for it to go on sale? We'll starve before that happens. I can just buy the generic cheaper." In one conversation he went from being brand loyal to saying he would rather buy store brands because it would be cheaper and less work. He was convinced that coupons couldn't work for him, so I finally let it go and stopped trying to help. I also had to tell DH to stop telling them about my savings because they were getting mad at me and started to accuse me of lying about how little I spend on groceries.

[Cynthiabutterfly]

Believe me, I was an Always girl from the time I had my first period, and hated every other brand I tried. But when I got Stayfrees and Kotex for free, you better believe I used them happily!

[tivaclare]

People can be stubborn. My SIL likes to cry poor all the time, but will only use like Dove Shampoos, etc and doesn't coupon so I know she's paying almost $10 for shampoo/conditioner alone. I can understand liking some brands over others, but if you're having troubles, saving $5-10 here and there can be a lifesaver (trust me, I know!!).

I have family members who are the same about couponing. They're always having their power and stuff shut off, but won't wait for a sale. They shop when they want. They won't even do Angel Food because they "don't get it right away". It's pretty frustrating at times because then they spend all their cash and everyone else ends up buying them groceries. It's come to a point where my folks don't even drive them to the store anymore, if they're out of food to eat, my parents will coupon (I taught them!!) and get what they can. Of course they get nothing but gripes about it, but hey, at least these people are getting to eat!!

I'm lucky that DH doesn't care. With the exception of soda, he'll take whatever I put in front of him. He does, however, love his Mt Dew, so I have try to stock up when it goes on sale during the holidays. We love some of the nicer brands as well, but realize that overall, we have far more important goals to reach right now. If we can eat for free, or close to, we may as well! We always keep it pretty healthy too, so if I do get qs for free stuff like hotdogs, it lasts a LONG time in the freezer and we drag them out when we have friends over for cookouts.

At least you were kind enough to offer. Let her be stubborn, maybe she'll learn, maybe she won't.

[lalanpnut]

We were in Walmart a couple weeks ago, and this lady was just stocked with WIC stuff and her four kids in tow, and I offered her some Buddy Bars and coupons to go with them so she'd get them free...she tells me "No thanks, we're on a budget." I didn't want to push a complete stranger, but they were free. Kinda surprised!