Jaime Kirlew, 34, cut up to $14,000 off her grocery bill last year by clipping coupons. [...]The point I am trying to make is not that using coupons is important per se, but rather that this frugality is becoming trendy and hip. After several decades of borrowing and spending, and shopping till dropping, what is now making headlines is saving and becoming responsible when it comes to spending...
She struck up a friendly rapport and a deal with her local newspaper carrier: he brings her the unsold newspapers, she recycles them for him. Kirlew spends hours clipping coupons, set up a database on her computer to track her savings and pre-orders goods at her local grocery stores so she doesn't clear the shelves and upset other customers. She now has her own website and describes herself as a coupon "diva."
Her extreme couponing began when her husband took a pay cut in April 2009, and continued in earnest when he lost his job a year later. [...]
I've taught 750 people how to extreme coupon over the last two years. I teach people to be courteous to others shoppers, and to never clear the shelves.[...]
The way that I'm shopping is part of the new economy. I provide as much as I can to my family and spend the least amount. [...]
I don't see manufacturers refusing the consumer to buy a brand named product at a reduced price. I haven't bought a generic item in two years. [...]
I paid $103 for a $1,900 grocery bill. Three friends of mine came over. We clipped for about 10 hours over four days. My 11th Commandment is "Thou shalt not pay retail." [...]
... And telling your friends about it, and teaching them how to do the same.
Now, Bernanke, try and fight this emergent behavior with ZIRP and QE. Do the Central Bankers really think their silly actions will have any impact? Sadly, I think they believe in their voodoo theories.
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