This is the first of several posts where I answer reader’s e-mails and questions! If you have a question you’d like answered, send it to me here. I will address as many of them as I can.
How much is too much? So I post a good deal on a free item at the grocery store. It’s FREE, so technically you could “buy” as much of it as you want – but how much is too much? This is a question I get a lot! The answer? I don’t think there is one right answer – I think it depends on the item and a lot of other factors – mainly will you use it and do you need it.
I had a reader e-mail me all excited because she was able to get 95 items free thanks to a deal I posted that included a heads up about a tear pad near the product making them free. Obviously she went out and used the whole tear pad to get 95 free items and she justified it by saying her family could use the items. My thought? That’s too much and here’s why:
- It’s just greedy – sure you could use the items, but other people could have also benefited from the deal at the store.
- It cleans out the stock from the store, which neither the store or other customers appreciate.
- The golden rule applies (as always) – Treat others like you’d like to be treated. Or in this case, you wouldn’t want someone to take all the coupons before you could get there, so why would you? I felt so bad for my readers who went one day later and couldn’t get anything free because the tear pad was gone.
Nobody is overseeing your coupon use – it’s the honor system. If you have any feelings of guilt, or secretiveness, it’s probably too much. If you don’t have enough storage for the items, it’s too much. If you don’t it need, it’s too much.
Especially if you live in a smaller community, it’s important not to overdo it. I know that deals are addicting and alluring – but consider the needs of others before you overbuy. If you really want to buy a lot of something, place an order with the store as early in the week as possible – so you aren’t clearing the shelves.
I’ve heard complaints about the shelves at Rite Aid and Walgreens cleared when they have a rebate offer or something free with Register Rewards – again, don’t be greedy. If you’ve been couponing awhile you know there is always another deal around the corner – so don’t feel like you have to buy a year’s supply of shampoo in one shopping trip. Don’t have multiple rebate accounts, don’t do dozens and dozens of transactions – that’s abusing the system.
Here’s what I think is reasonable:
- Buy enough to last you through the next sale on that product. Most products cycle through on super sale about every 12 weeks, although there is no exact science to this.
- Only buy items you’ll use or need, or that you know someone can use.
- Try not to clear the shelves. If there are three items left on the shelf and you have three coupons – buy them, that’s not “clearing the shelves” – buying 30 of them is.
- Having a stockpile is smart, but only if you have the space – Considering the square footage cost of your home or apartment, every inch matters. If you feel like you’re being crowded out of your house from your stockpile, you are probably buying too much. If you have a smaller place, you’ll just have to work with a smaller stockpile (which requires more strategy).
- Don’t get caught up in the excitement of the deal. I know just as well as you do the excitement and high you can get from getting something FREE. Sometimes you have to stop yourself and say, “do I really need this?” It feels so good to get FREE stuff often times we can go overboard.
- Moderation is key. This theory could apply to every facet of our lives – moderation, moderation, moderation. If everyone shops with this in mind there should be enough to go around for everyone.
Now keep in mind, these thoughts are mine – it’s not gospel, it’s not fact, they are just my humble opinions. I’d like to hear yours. How do you know how much is too much?
Yvonne says
I wonder about those who clear the shelves and claim that they donate them to food bank. I have heard of a lady bragging about taking 40 tubes of free toothpaste from Rite Aid, and wonder how much of it is greed, was she really thinking about food bank when she cleared the shelves? No doubt these people donate to food bank, ONLY after they look around their stockpile, feel the satisfaction and THEN pick what they can part with.
Amy Barker says
I think it is greedy to take a whole tear pad of coupons. I also think 90+ of any product, is just too much. I don’t think my family could eat 95 boxes of anything before it expires without getting completely sick of it. It’s great if you have unlimited space but really? Do you *need* that much? If you have that much time to get such great deals and do them over and over again to get that many of one product, there will be PLENTY of deals down the road.
Those of us who work one or two jobs can’t always get to Rite Aid, or CVS, or any store in time, and to find the shelves stripped bare is discouraging. Leave a few for others.
Also, think about those who don’t have anything at all, be it time, skills, or transportation to get to these great deals. Why not donate to your local food bank or shelter? If you are getting 90+ of anything, why not donate a few?
It’s almost like seeing people take all the coupons (like the Hallmark ones) out of magazines in the store. Sure you *can* do it, but *should* you?
I live in such a small apartment having a stockpile is not possible. I have a small stockpile of things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. and enough food for the pantry. But I only get enough to last me until the next sale. Even if I had a larger place, I doubt I would ever buy 90+ anything. It would just take up too much space that could be used on a variety of other items.
Just my 2 cents. It really stinks to find stores cleaned out of deals and coupons.
sarah says
I never have the budget to do deals multiple times. I find very few completely free deals, and then I only have one or two coupons for them. So, I’d assume the people that clear the stores are in the minority.
Natalie says
Thank you for this post. I hear you exactly! Its annoying to see when people post of the 95 boxes of crackers they got becuase it was free and left no cps for anyone else. I am a family with 5 kids and one income, we will NOT go through 95 boxes of crackers before the next sale. Its not right, to clear shelves when there may be another family in the same situation and I just wiped the savings from them. Diffrent when there are two tear pads left and plenty of boxes then I don’t feel as bad for getting 95 boxes of crackers (I wont) but if everyone had that mentality of taking care of my own first then really where is the honor system or what are we showing our kids?
I say get what you need and extra when extra is avaliable, and please do not wipe out the shelves and the Cps just to stock for the year for yourself.
amber says
Great Post Heather! The main thing for me is just always knowing where it is going to go. For instance I bough 100 cans of chicken stock (not an exact amount) but close at the QFC Sale. I now I am going to use it and it has a long shelf life.
I think the main point of what heather is getting at is people will clear the shelf just because it is free. There are many of us that are trying to make ends meet, I am one of them. But we have an obligation to our family first. So I try to provide for ours then others.
Maybe one ideas is if you have extra coupons and want to donate them maybe you wait and stock up on extras towards the end of the week.
Jaylene says
Well I agree with Heather but I do have to say that I still kick myself for not taking advantage of a great deal I found accidentally when my oldest was a baby…Safeway accidentally marked packs of diapers $2 each which at the time was a 13.00 savings of each pack! I only bought three because I did not want to over do it…still regret I did not do better on that one…
C.H. says
I say clear the shelves. I hate getting to a store where the shelves are bare, but ya know what? There are more deals. Everybody has a different situation. Some people might be shopping for friends/family and others for themselves (whether to use, or sell). If it makes you feel guilty to clear the shelves, then don’t! Clearing shelves isn’t about greed so there is no reason to feel guilty. If you feel guilty then there is a reason.
Maggie says
I agree (mostly) with what everyone is saying, but some things I like to only buy once a year. and in a case where it is free, I will clear the shelves. I only make 20K a year for me and my 2 kids, and if I can get something for free, I will get as much as I think I will use. ie….. cereal, shampoo, canned vegetables, pasta. But I live where there are 5 walgreens, safeways, albertsons, within 10 miles of my house, and the same with most other stores.
Audrie says
I’m kind of in the same situation as Maggie. I will buy in very large quantities because we depend on low cost groceries. We have kids and my husband is in college. We don’t make much money and it’s how we make ends meet. We keep a large food storage for those weeks when the paycheck couldn’t spread far enough.
If I feel like I’m going to be clearing a shelf I’ll call the store before they order and let them know my large purchase plan. They’ll typically hold it for me and shelves won’t be cleared.
Cynthia T says
In the last year Whole Foods had a deal where they had organic yogurt on sale for 5/$5 and $1 off coupons in their Whole Deal flyers. My family is dairy free but in two seperate trips to two different stores I picked up a total of 96 and took them all to the food bank. I never wiped out the stock or the coupon supply at either store.
Zene says
I should hope that if someone is getting a million items they either need it for their family, and I mean NEED, or they are helping others by giving. These days the stores are being way too difficult with couponers to be greedy. When I get a whole bunch of something it’s because of the above reasons!
Josh says
I agree with Brenda, if someone cleaned the store out of some free item to donate to the food bank, or hygiene center or something similar, i tip my hat to them. if they did it to have this huge closet full of fruit loops then not so cool. maybe you should add a bit about that to the post.
Lisa says
I think that it is awesome that someone wants to donate to a food bank. But why can’t you support other couponers at the same time by buying some but not everything?
Monique says
I completly agree!! There is no real savings if you have to waste gas driving from store to store because someone else wiped them all out. I think the same should be said of grabbing tearpads/ blinkies and coupon books only take a few not the whole pad or stack. I will buy something I don’t always use if I know it’s a MM (only if it’s worth paying the tax though)but only because I reguarly give my MIL HUGE boxes for the food bank she helps out at and always find someone that can use it.
Whitney says
Thank you!!! I am TIRED of going to Rite Aid on Monday night and everything is GONE from the shelves! They have started limiting how much you can buy because people take advantage – it’s really frustrating. I’m sorry, but even if you have the space, you don’t need more than 30 (which is about 20 too much IMO)of one thing for free. Sigh.
Brenda says
I agree with your post, and with the comment above… if you’re going to get a billion items for free- DONATE. There is always someone who can benefit from your thriftyness (thrift NOT greed). I’m scouring your ‘deals’ trying to find the cheapest ways to make a big bag to take to the food bank, now and again after the holidays when the shelves are empty.
Heather Jandusay says
I agree with all that you said above, but if I do get more than I need (and I do quite often!!), I donate what we won’t need to the food bank. I don’t mind getting more if I know the extra will go to someone who can use it! 🙂