This is a Guest Post from a friend @Acadiana’s Thrifty Momma! Yep another Louisiana Blogger!

Responsible couponing

With the huge popularity of couponing these days, it is no surprise that there is a lot of talk in the coupon world about couponing ethics.  There are some things that are simply good practice and other things that are outright illegal.  Yes, there is an overseeing organization for coupons and they are very active.  This organization is the CIC (Coupon Information Center).  Although the CIC is a not-for-profit consumer organization, they are very influential among law makers.  The CIC helps fight coupon misredemption and fraud.  I have listed the top 5 guidelines to keep you ethical and legal when using coupons.

1.  NEVER copy a coupon – I think that speaks for itself.  It is illegal to copy a coupon even if it doesn’t state it on the coupon.  There are safety features on most coupons, much like a check, that will indicate to the manufacturer that it has been copied. This goes for printed coupons too!

2.  Stock up don’t stockpile – Having 10 years’ worth of toilet paper is not going to save you during the apocalypse.  There is no reason to stockpile such things. If you happen to find great freebies, stock up enough for 3-6 months, depending on the size of your family.  If you feel the need to get more free stuff, donate it.  The weather is turning cool and homeless shelters will be overflowing with needy people soon!

3.  Do not clear the shelves -  There is no need for any family to have 100 bottles of mustard!  If you find a great deal on something, take what you can reasonably use in the next 3 months and leave some for the next bargain hunter!  This, of course, does not apply to those stores that only carry 2-4 items of any given product; in that case, you have no choice but to “clear the shelf”.

4.  Be kind to your cashier – Many times cashiers are not familiar with coupons since most of the population does not use them.  Even among coupon users, the vast majority do not use more than 5 coupons in a single transaction.  Be kind and patient with the cashier, they are only doing their job.  A great way to help you stand your ground is that store’s coupon policy and have it on-hand.

5.  Be kind to others in line – I always tell the people who get in line behind me that I am using coupons/price matching.  Most people will either change lanes or, at least, be more patient about waiting for a lengthy transaction.

This is an interesting article on “Gang Cut Coupons”. Gang cutting is another term for cutting all “like” coupons together at one time. (ex: 4 Colgate coupons cut together, cut in the same way)

http://www.jillcataldo.com/gang_cut_coupons

If you use a clipping service to order coupons, re-cut them in a different way, so they don’t all look like they are cut alike.

Image is from JillCataldo.com

I have some upsetting news to share, Fake Coupons are coming out stronger! The people who like to cause trouble for us couponers are getting better at it! The Johnson & Johnson coupon that came out a few days ago had a Bricks.com url!

Budget Savvy Diva and Hip2Save have both reported on Fake Coupons!

Here is a list of fake coupons going around:
$2/2 Johnson & Johnson (Bar Codes 994115773197, 0041167032822)
$.75 Glade Coupon Premium Room Spary 9.7 oz (Bar Codes 511435240508, 081143500051068)
$3 DiGiorno Coupon (Bar Codes 571921000870, 7192167099833)
$3.00 NIVEA face or body 0.5-16.9 oz (Bar Codes 572140600872, 0072140013181)
$10.00 Electronic Banking Monopoly Coupon (Bar Codes 553569000510, 0653569005691)

There are plenty more listed on the Coupon Information Corporation Site (CIC) HERE

The Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) just added this coupon to its list of counterfeit coupons as of yesterday, April 15th.

What to do if you have these coupons or have used them?
If you have printed these coupons and have them in your possession, destroy them!

If you used the coupons to purchase items and they are still in un-opened packages, it is recommended that you take the items back to your store and return them immediately. (Please note this means that you should return the items and only be reimbursed for the purchase price minus the coupon amount. In some cases this may mean that you may not be reimbursed at all if the item was free after the coupon).

Every store that accepted these coupons will NOT be reimbursed by the manufacturer so by returning the items, you are preventing the store from losing money. If you have already opened/used the items purchased with this coupon, I am honestly at a loss for advise; however, I do encourage you to contact your local store manager and ask him/her what is recommended in this situation. Just explain that you just found out this coupon was a fake.

Remember: Circulating counterfeit coupons is a criminal offense that can be prosecuted by federal, state or local law enforcement, according to CIC. Don’t risk costly penalties to save a few cents! The penalty depends on the amount on the coupons.

What are the penalties for coupon fraud?
Longest prison sentence: 17 years
Highest financial penalty: $5 million
Prison sentences of three to five years are not uncommon. Financial penalties generally vary, but have often been in excess of $200,000.

There was an interesting article on Yahoo Finance today! 8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Coupons! Talk about getting couponers fired up!  Every blogger I know had something to say about this article either on their  blog or on facebook!

Now, sadly that article is how a lot of people think and unfortunately my husband was one of them!  Now that he knows how it works, he’s all for us saving half or more off our grocery bill!

I decided to do a rebuttal on the reasons you should use coupons, what is written in bold is from the article 8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Coupons! If you have any additional reasons, please leave a comment below

You have to buy a newspaper.
No you don’t have to buy a newspaper, you can ask family, friends or neighbors who may not clip coupons if you can have their inserts when they are finished with them.  Coupons can be printed from the Internet and you will find coupons in magazines and on products themselves!

Clipping coupons takes up a lot of time.
Yes it does take time, but it is time spent well.  This article my sister sent me tells us the average saved per coupon is $1.44!  So if you clip 40 coupons, that’s a savings of $57.60!   I clip when I have time and it only takes me about 30 minutes to clip the ones I use.  When I print the coupons, I have my husband help me cut them. We are done in about 30 minutes – 45 minutes (depending on how many I have to cut).  So about an hour, maybe a little more a week.  It helps to have someone else helping you.

Getting a newspaper invites lots of additional advertising into your home
Yes this is true, but if we didn’t get advertisements, how would we take advantage of sales and/or other coupons? Couponers like knowing what sales are going on.

Many of the coupons will be for things you neither need nor want!
Yes I thought this too, but cut what you can use, then pass them to a neighbor, family member or donate them to a local charity.

Coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t.
Yes this is true, but so can a husband, child or empty stomach. Think about how many times you’ve gone shopping and bought lunch because you got hungry. Basically, couponers go shopping with a grocery list in hand and a shopping budget in mind. Being organized and focused will help prevent the desire to spend money on unintended items.

The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again.
I’m so happy they do that! In my opinion, you can never have enough $3/1 Snuggle coupons, $2/1 A1 Sauce and BOGO Stayfree coupons!

You might become a slave to coupons.
Yes, I do agree that it is difficult to buy something without a coupon once you get used to using them. Knowing that you can get A1 sauce for $.48 and Snuggle for $.97 makes it very hard to spend $2.48(A1 sauce) and $3.97(Snuggle) on it! This is the reason, couponers take advantage of a great bargain and the savings opportunity. Couponers stock up on sale items, so that they never have to pay full-price for an item. (Toothpaste, shampoo, tissue paper, and more!)

Shopping takes longer:
No it doesn’t!  You go to the store with your list in hand and next to your items you are getting, you mark that you have a coupon next to it.  You don’t go all over the store looking for what you have a coupon for!  You use the coupons to get the rock bottom prices on what’s on sale or rollback. You do not have to use the coupon just because you have it!

The Bottom Line
The bottom line is couponing saves you money! 

I just started with couponing in February of 2010 and I find myself getting better each time I go shopping.  I save money and get our necessities. Of course there are items we need that do not go on sale or that we do not have a coupon for, but we do buy it.  My daughter just started couponing a few months ago and she was so excited to save $50 off a $134 bill!  That’s the most they’ve saved so far I think.

Read the article on yahoo and let us know your opinions. 

This weekend while at the checkout, at Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie, I had both cashiers ask me “Where do you get your coupons?”. I was nice and told them, but I know with them being busy, the sites I told them about probably didn’t stay in their heads. lol I can’t blame them really. I have to write stuff like that down to remember them. People new to couponing really do not know how much exists beyond the Sunday insert.

I have to remember that I need to bring business cards with me so I can just give them out, so they can go to my blog and get coupons like you and I. Like one cashier told me “We all need to learn about couponing, that’s the only way to survive these days!” I have to say I totally agree Being frugal doesn’t mean CHEAP, it just means a new way of making ends meet!

I decided to list all the places I find my coupons as well as a few places that I don’t (right now), but will in the future.

The Sunday newspaper insert is the first source of available coupons. Often you can get more of these by asking your neighbor or family member who does not use coupons if they will give you their inserts.
Coupons also come attached to products as “peelies” or “hangtags”. Often this is like found money, you can use these on the product right there. And yes, people do remove these without buying the product – so many more “peelies” are now stating “This purchase only – cashier must remove”. You will also find coupons inside product packages to use the next time you purchase that item.

You can get on manufacturers mailing lists and have them send you coupons in the mail. Regular booklets, such as Everyday eating, Earth Farm, Mambo Sprouts are yours just for signing up at the company website. Also emailing your favorite companies and telling them how much you like their product will score you a free item coupon or a few cents off coupons.

Where to get coupons online – you do have to install the coupon printer to your computer. I’ve done this and have had NO problems with it being on my computer at all.

Coupons.com

Also because I blog, I get offers for coupons to try new product from myblogspark.com, socialspark.com and a few other places listed here.

I hope this helps everyone who wants to know where to start couponing.