Couponing and refunding can be acceptable hobbies and also a way to maximize the household grocery budget. I began using coupons and sending for refunds rather intensely (not simply using one or two coupons at the checkout lane) a few years ago. I have gone through many phases of using coupons, from excessively to moderately to just a few, depending on how my dietary habits were at the time. (Unfortunately, many items that coupons can be used for are for prepackaged foods that are not typically healthy options.)
Couponing can be a fun way to maximize grocery savings. Often, a shopper can get free or nearly free items when using coupons. There have been several regular occasions when I have saved a substantial portion off my checkout total. I once got over $90 of groceries for just under $20. It is somewhat odd to think of using coupons and sending for refunds as a hobby in the traditional sense of the word, but couponing is referred to as a hobby by the many shopping enthusiasts who spend their weekends clipping coupons, scanning store circulars, checking online forums to be alerted of possible sales, and strategizing ways to maximize coupon use.
Many national drug store chains allow shoppers to use a store-name coupon along with a manufacturer coupon. This maximizes savings for the shopper and is actually one of the reasons savvy shoppers find using coupons so enjoyable that they often refer to it as a hobby much like knitting or scrapbooking. Shoppers who use coupons frequently often meet informally with other shoppers to exchange coupons, offer advice, or plan large shopping trips. Now with the popularity of the internet, coupon users can accomplish these same goals all without leaving their homes. A coupon club is not much different than a book club: people with similar interests coming together to pursue something they all find enjoyable.
Sending for refunds is also something that most serious coupon users do. Shoppers who love using coupons also love when companies send checks to their mailboxes on a regular basis! Often a national drug store chain will offer a refund on an item at the same time the manufacturer offers the refund. If the drug store chain offers the opportunity to submit information from a receipt online, shoppers can send their receipts to the manufacturer. Not only do they receive reimbursement for the item they bought, but they end up with a profit! Refunding is so much fun for serious shoppers that they often send refund forms to individuals in other parts of the country where the refund forms might not be available. Coupon users in other states become penpals with one another. Coupon users also exchange full coupon inserts that accompany the Sunday paper to their coupon friends across the country simply to marvel at the different coupon selections in different parts of the country. Couponing becomes a mini analysis of geographic regions and the differences in store competition and economies. Every serious couponer knows which states typically do not offer double coupon savings.
Just as hobbyists and collectors scour flea markets for rare collectibles, couponers eagerly await the arrival of the Sunday newspaper. Sitting at the dining room table armed with java and a pair of scissors, couponers clip the manufacturer coupons that arrive with their newspaper subscription. One set of coupons is never enough. Couponers have friends and family members save their unused or unwanted coupon inserts so that they can get multiple deals. Some studies have shown that at least 70% of American households use coupons, but couponers often use 70 coupons on one trip to the grocery store. It is easy to spot a couponer in the grocery store too. We are the shoppers with a cart full of groceries and a stack of coupons to match. The internet has made it even easier to find coupons. Many websites allow shoppers to print coupons directly from their websites to be redeemed at local stores. Savvy couponers can easily tell you the exact rotation of sales at your local supermarket, because these sales occur following a predictable sequence.
Another other novelty of being a couponer is that it is a rare hobby that few people pursue. Many consumers use a few coupons, but few consumers use many coupons, and rarely do you see many people willing to plan entire shopping events around major sales. It is the coupon users who are dressed and out of the house by 6 a.m. on the day following Thanksgiving to take advantage of extraordinary sales at department stores. While the commitment may be time-consuming, the rewards are in the savings.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Scrapbook a Layout about Yourself
By Christina VanGinkel
Every so often, when I pull out all of my photos that I have been meaning to scrap, nothing looks remarkable, nothing catches my attention, yet I still want to scrap something. When I asked a few fellow scrappers if this has ever happened to them, the answer was a resounding yes. When I questioned them further on what they did to get past this hurdle, this scrappers block for lack of a better term, several of them had a great suggestion.
Take this as an opportunity to create a scrapbook, or at the least a single layout, all about yourself! Grab your camera and snap a couple of pictures of yourself in the mirror, or ask your spouse, one of the kids, or even a good friend, to take a couple of photos of you doing something you enjoy. If you have a favorite craft or hobby, or spend a lot of time helping others through volunteer work, or if you consider quiet time, reading or writing the one thing that best defines who you are, capture a picture of that.
If none of these ideas sparks your scrapping ignition, consider something you dislike doing, and create a layout about that. If you hate the wash, or doing the dishes, or cleaning up the toy room after a marathon session of the kids pulling out every toy they own and a few you have no idea where they even came from, create a layout about them. Snap some photographs and jot down some journaling about why you dislike these things of all the things you spend your time doing.
A scrapbook layout or book whose focal point is yourself is also a great place to try new techniques. It is yours, and it can portray or say anything you want it to. Because of this simple fact, layouts that focus on you are the ideal place to try out something you have been unwilling to attempt elsewhere. Not a journalist in the sense that you rarely add pieces of journaling to your layouts, maybe because you are a bit intimidated by what others might think of the words you use? Take this as the perfect opportunity to write whatever you want; after all, the main subject is none other than you!
If you are still unsure of where to start when it comes to creating a scrapbook about yourself, or wonder why you would want to in the first place, consider these ideas:
If you remember something special from your childhood that you want to create a memory of for yourself or for your future descendents, scrap about that. My personal list includes the time I went to band camp and took both a first in solo and in a duet, showing my horse at the county fair as part of a 4-H group, breaking my ankle skiing when I tried to do a flip over a jump, and coming home early from summer camp because I came down with strep throat. Good memories and those not so good all will help to paint a picture of who you are today.
Create a book all about your love of scrapbooking itself! This one is a great way to use up all those papers, even the ones you bought then wondered what you would ever scrap with them. Make a page with them about how your judgment is not always on par, how scrapbook supplies can be so tempting to buy, that you do not always take the time to think each purchase through.
Scrap about an illness that you have tried hard to overcome. This might be hard to do, but can be surprisingly therapeutic, both for you and your loved ones who might someday read it.
Scrap about your favorite way to spend a quiet moment, such as watching the wildlife in your backyard, sipping tea, or practicing your skateboarding technique in the driveway.
The magical thing about making a layout or scrapbook about you is that there really is no right or wrong subject. Anything that is of interest to you is fair game to be scrapped. The most important thing to remember when making a personal scrapbook or a layout is that you should do whatever you want, after all, who knows the subject at hand better than yourself?
Every so often, when I pull out all of my photos that I have been meaning to scrap, nothing looks remarkable, nothing catches my attention, yet I still want to scrap something. When I asked a few fellow scrappers if this has ever happened to them, the answer was a resounding yes. When I questioned them further on what they did to get past this hurdle, this scrappers block for lack of a better term, several of them had a great suggestion.
Take this as an opportunity to create a scrapbook, or at the least a single layout, all about yourself! Grab your camera and snap a couple of pictures of yourself in the mirror, or ask your spouse, one of the kids, or even a good friend, to take a couple of photos of you doing something you enjoy. If you have a favorite craft or hobby, or spend a lot of time helping others through volunteer work, or if you consider quiet time, reading or writing the one thing that best defines who you are, capture a picture of that.
If none of these ideas sparks your scrapping ignition, consider something you dislike doing, and create a layout about that. If you hate the wash, or doing the dishes, or cleaning up the toy room after a marathon session of the kids pulling out every toy they own and a few you have no idea where they even came from, create a layout about them. Snap some photographs and jot down some journaling about why you dislike these things of all the things you spend your time doing.
A scrapbook layout or book whose focal point is yourself is also a great place to try new techniques. It is yours, and it can portray or say anything you want it to. Because of this simple fact, layouts that focus on you are the ideal place to try out something you have been unwilling to attempt elsewhere. Not a journalist in the sense that you rarely add pieces of journaling to your layouts, maybe because you are a bit intimidated by what others might think of the words you use? Take this as the perfect opportunity to write whatever you want; after all, the main subject is none other than you!
If you are still unsure of where to start when it comes to creating a scrapbook about yourself, or wonder why you would want to in the first place, consider these ideas:
If you remember something special from your childhood that you want to create a memory of for yourself or for your future descendents, scrap about that. My personal list includes the time I went to band camp and took both a first in solo and in a duet, showing my horse at the county fair as part of a 4-H group, breaking my ankle skiing when I tried to do a flip over a jump, and coming home early from summer camp because I came down with strep throat. Good memories and those not so good all will help to paint a picture of who you are today.
Create a book all about your love of scrapbooking itself! This one is a great way to use up all those papers, even the ones you bought then wondered what you would ever scrap with them. Make a page with them about how your judgment is not always on par, how scrapbook supplies can be so tempting to buy, that you do not always take the time to think each purchase through.
Scrap about an illness that you have tried hard to overcome. This might be hard to do, but can be surprisingly therapeutic, both for you and your loved ones who might someday read it.
Scrap about your favorite way to spend a quiet moment, such as watching the wildlife in your backyard, sipping tea, or practicing your skateboarding technique in the driveway.
The magical thing about making a layout or scrapbook about you is that there really is no right or wrong subject. Anything that is of interest to you is fair game to be scrapped. The most important thing to remember when making a personal scrapbook or a layout is that you should do whatever you want, after all, who knows the subject at hand better than yourself?
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Choosing a Scrapbook Album Size or Shape
By Christina VanGinkel
Scrapbookers have quite a number of choices when it comes to the size and shape of their albums. They can pick from a variety of mini sizes, including 4 x 6 and smaller, or go with a larger album, including 6 x 6, 8 ½ x 11, 8 x 8, or 12 x 12. Scrapbookers can also choose from a variety of shapes, including the traditional square or rectangle album, or go with a round, flower, or some other abstract shape. Some Scrapbookers pick one size and work with that format exclusively, while others choose randomly according to the project. I happen to fall in this second category. Depending on the subject of the album, what supplies I have available, and the pictures I am going to include in it, the size of the album itself can vary greatly, as can the shape.
You might feel that you are somewhat limited by the size albums you have available to you, but most likely you will either be able to purchase or make an album in whatever size or shape you want. The choice will really depend on the project. Consider what you plan to do with the finished album for example. If it is going to be a gift for someone, you might choose to go with a smaller sized, simpler shaped format to keep the costs of supplies and the time spent creating the album to a minimum. If it is to be a special gift, or something you plan to keep for your own future generations, you may not care about the time spent assembling it, or any additional costs due to the size.
Ideally, you will not consider either of these overly, time or cost, and choose an album size and shape simply on the merits of the project itself. For example, if you choose to make an album in memory of the family cat that passed away after gracing your family with sixteen years of love, consider the theme and the pictures available. When a good friend made just such an album, she first looked through all of her pictures to see what she had available. While she had many pictures where their cat was in them, she only came up with eight pictures that really made a statement as far as she was concerned. She also knew she wanted to keep the album out where it was easily accessible to family members, especially her two teenage daughters who had never known their home without kitty. She chose an 8 x 8 album because it provided just enough space for a picture on a page with a few embellishments, and then she used each adjoining page for journaling.
Once she started the album, she decided that two would be better, one for each of her daughters to put with their own keepsakes. She halted work on the original album, and made two additional ones, first making the two additional albums themselves from scratch, using a template she traced herself in the shape of a paw. Covers and pages were traced, and assembled with a simple ribbon binding. The shape of the albums are endearing for lack of a better word, the girls loved them when she gave them to them, and I have seen them show them off on several occasions.
By allowing the occasion to help guide the size and shape of each album you scrap, you can be assured that you will never become bored with making much the same book time after time. I have seen albums created inside of tins, both big and small, with hand cut covers, such as my friend's kitty albums, small matchbook styled albums that were actually too tiny for pictures, but held journaling sentiments and that were used as gifts. One of my personal favorites was an album that I made from an envelope. The envelope itself looked quite ordinary, though decorated in a cute design, and it opened to reveal my grandson's baby announcement and his first photos from the hospital when he was born. I wanted to create something as unique as the occasion itself, yet was so busy, that making a big album was out of the question. Sure, I could have saved everything to be assembled later into a bigger album, and that did happen, but I also wanted to make something right then to show off what an adorable addition we had in our family. The small envelope styled album was quick to make, fit the few pictures and embellishments I wanted to include, and I could carry it in my bag with ease.
The next time you have a scrapbook project to make, and are unsure of an album size or shape, let the project itself guide you in your decision.
Scrapbookers have quite a number of choices when it comes to the size and shape of their albums. They can pick from a variety of mini sizes, including 4 x 6 and smaller, or go with a larger album, including 6 x 6, 8 ½ x 11, 8 x 8, or 12 x 12. Scrapbookers can also choose from a variety of shapes, including the traditional square or rectangle album, or go with a round, flower, or some other abstract shape. Some Scrapbookers pick one size and work with that format exclusively, while others choose randomly according to the project. I happen to fall in this second category. Depending on the subject of the album, what supplies I have available, and the pictures I am going to include in it, the size of the album itself can vary greatly, as can the shape.
You might feel that you are somewhat limited by the size albums you have available to you, but most likely you will either be able to purchase or make an album in whatever size or shape you want. The choice will really depend on the project. Consider what you plan to do with the finished album for example. If it is going to be a gift for someone, you might choose to go with a smaller sized, simpler shaped format to keep the costs of supplies and the time spent creating the album to a minimum. If it is to be a special gift, or something you plan to keep for your own future generations, you may not care about the time spent assembling it, or any additional costs due to the size.
Ideally, you will not consider either of these overly, time or cost, and choose an album size and shape simply on the merits of the project itself. For example, if you choose to make an album in memory of the family cat that passed away after gracing your family with sixteen years of love, consider the theme and the pictures available. When a good friend made just such an album, she first looked through all of her pictures to see what she had available. While she had many pictures where their cat was in them, she only came up with eight pictures that really made a statement as far as she was concerned. She also knew she wanted to keep the album out where it was easily accessible to family members, especially her two teenage daughters who had never known their home without kitty. She chose an 8 x 8 album because it provided just enough space for a picture on a page with a few embellishments, and then she used each adjoining page for journaling.
Once she started the album, she decided that two would be better, one for each of her daughters to put with their own keepsakes. She halted work on the original album, and made two additional ones, first making the two additional albums themselves from scratch, using a template she traced herself in the shape of a paw. Covers and pages were traced, and assembled with a simple ribbon binding. The shape of the albums are endearing for lack of a better word, the girls loved them when she gave them to them, and I have seen them show them off on several occasions.
By allowing the occasion to help guide the size and shape of each album you scrap, you can be assured that you will never become bored with making much the same book time after time. I have seen albums created inside of tins, both big and small, with hand cut covers, such as my friend's kitty albums, small matchbook styled albums that were actually too tiny for pictures, but held journaling sentiments and that were used as gifts. One of my personal favorites was an album that I made from an envelope. The envelope itself looked quite ordinary, though decorated in a cute design, and it opened to reveal my grandson's baby announcement and his first photos from the hospital when he was born. I wanted to create something as unique as the occasion itself, yet was so busy, that making a big album was out of the question. Sure, I could have saved everything to be assembled later into a bigger album, and that did happen, but I also wanted to make something right then to show off what an adorable addition we had in our family. The small envelope styled album was quick to make, fit the few pictures and embellishments I wanted to include, and I could carry it in my bag with ease.
The next time you have a scrapbook project to make, and are unsure of an album size or shape, let the project itself guide you in your decision.
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