I don't know anyone who hates a bargain, especially considering our nation's current financial crunch. With fears of a worsening recession and possibly another depression looming I am finding myself clipping more and more coupons in an effort to save pennies. Of course, I did that before the stock market took a dive, I'm just more anal about it now. Make no mistake, I have an eagle eye when it comes to making sure every last penny is deducted from my bill. There is no way I'm going to pay $0.25 more if a coupon says I don't have to! One reason I love coupons so much is because they save me from haggling. I have no bargaining skills - zero, zip, nada. I'm a sight to see in foreign markets where it's expected that people will bargain. I'm sure I've paid triple the price for many items because I was just too nervous to actually try to get a better deal. If I didn't look so much like him, my bargaining failures would make me wonder if I were even related to my family's very own walking, talking Human Coupon - my dad. The man can walk into a restaurant and get a discount for no reason. He can effortlessly trade one piece of....er, junk (sorry Dad!) for another. He can find the only thing worth finding at a garage sale and pay almost nothing for it. He can scour an antique shop, find a valuable piece of furniture and walk out with freebies. One time he went with me to find a dresser. When I saw what I wanted I was willing to pay the full asking price, but he sensed a bargain and managed to get the owner to throw in a scooter (or bicycle, I forget). Had I not blown it by speaking too soon I'm sure he would have walked out with more loot. Um, yeah I definitely lack the Human Coupon gene. Darn it.
You know how some people have a sign on their forehead? Mine says, "Sure, you can tell me everything I never wanted to know about yourself, no problem!", while his says, "Human Coupon, you will give me a deal!" Sigh, I like his sign better......but since mine was apparently tattooed in permanent ink I have decided to take him with me when I want a better deal. He gets to do the talking, I get to do the listening and we both walk out happy. So Dad, I have some shopping to do, are you free on Wednesday? It's a triple coupon day!
