Monday, September 17, 2007

You're cash-strapped AND an idiot


I hope that after I die, people will say of me: ``That guy sure owed me a lot of money.''
Originally uploaded by kiss kiss bang bang.

I'm trying so hard to be frugal with my new apartment, which isn't as hard as it sounds - because I hardly have any money to begin with. I'm living well within my means though, so no need to run a bake sale just yet.

Still, Sunday morning heralded the delivery of the bumper edition of the newspaper, and the finger-twitching excitement of the store catalogues bursting at the seams with cash-saving coupons.

I'm not much of a coupon-clipper, I'll tell you that right now. But I am trying really hard to give it a go, and cut out the coupons for the things I really need, or could at least really use in the immediate future.

So on Sunday morning I neatly snipped coupons for soap, toothpaste, and tissues. And today I wandered around the store, smiling smugly to myself for my thriftiness. Arriving at the register and proudly handing over my coupons, the cashier looks at me sadly and informs me that I have grabbed several products that LOOK like the ones on special, but are subtly different to their discount-giving cousins.

A small line had begun to form behind me.

Feeling myself blush from the tips of my fingers to the top of my head, I shifted uncomfortably and wondered how I could have got it so wrong. 1 item out of 3 was correct. That's a terrible percentage. I suck at coupon shopping. The woman immediately behind me smiled gently and offered, "well dear, it's better than not getting any discount at all...?" Yeah, cheers.

So I was so embarassed I took my meagre discounted item, and paid full price for the other two, and scurried out before anyone could see where I went.

It's times like this that I wish I had mastered an American accent. It's one thing to be hopeless at bargain hunting, but it's quite another to be the stupid Aussie who can't get it right. DOH.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahhahahahahahahahaha .... reminds me of the time I went to get petrol for the car. I filled, went to pay and handed over the coupon only to have it given back to me with a curt "not in this store buddy". I nearly wigged out, and said (in my most pleasant 'don't-f$%#-with-me-son-or-I'll-rip-out-your-spleen-with-my-car-key' voice) "why not .... buster??" I had given him a coupon for a Woolworths/Caltex combo rather than the Coles/Shell combo where I was buying my petrol at the time. The HUGE crowd behind me thought it a hoot .... even the larrikan at the back who muttered ".... fnnn pensioners ...." Now that really hurt .......

Unknown said...

Well see that's what so distubring - little old ladies cut coupons all the time - and they seem to get it right. Then again, they only ever seem to be buying cat food...