Everybody likes extra money ….. right?
So, if I were to tell you an easy way to put $10 in your pocket. No strings attached. No jumping through hoops. No selling body parts. No shady, back alley deals. You’d tell me… Lay it on me baby! (right??!!)
But, what if you were a man. And this $10 required you to use *gasp* a Coupon. Then, what would you do? Would you politely pass? Would you tell me it’s too much trouble? Would you avoid making eye contact and overlook the coupon that’s calling to you from across the room? “Pick me up… I am worth money… I am easy to use…. I will allow you to have extra cash to buy a video game…. or a beer…. or a stupid sports trinket to clutter your man cave (ok, that last one was probably something I would likely say… not something the coupon would say….)
I’ll admit it. It’s no secret that I rarely understand male behavior. I generally can’t process how their minds work. I don’t quite grasp how they make decisions or use logic.
And coupons are right up there with things that I may never fully comprehend.
Now, I’m not one of those crazy-ass coupon ladies that clips coupons all weekend and heads to the grocery store, to wave around my bill and celebrate how I got $87 worth of groceries for $5.67. That’s even too much work for me (maybe I’m more like a guy than I care to admit). BUT, it’s fairly easy to check a couple of on-line coupon sites and print out a few before I head out to the mall. I mean, 20% off my shopping excursion at Macy’s could mean I have money to buy an extra scarf or, $30 off my purchase of $75 worth of clothes makes me feel like I’ve won a tiny shopping victory!
So last week, as hubby and I started his wardrobe replenishment spree.. I went online and printed out some great coupons (it was a holiday weekend after all). Hubby would NEVER do this on his own. He likes money. He likes saving. But he’s not about to put forth “effort” to save money (much like that fact that he hated my yard sale!). And, there’s and odd reaction men seem to have about using a coupon, like it somehow damages their pride. As if the mere suggestion of couponing makes them weak.
So…….
We started at Men’s Warehouse - It was a buy one / get one free weekend (no coupon necessary – hubby’s a happy guy!)
We then went to Macy’s - I had a 20% off coupon… we pick out the stuff he needs and it turns out my coupon doesn’t apply to those items (of course not!) Hubby grumbles about how much they cost. So of course, I try to use this as a learning experience to tout the virtues of using coupons. “See honey, they really do save money ….. and it’s not all that hard to hand a little piece of paper to the sales clerk!”
We head to another store - I have a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $25. That’s a damn good deal if I do say so myself (in case you’re not all that good with math… it’s 40% off!). And, I’ve actually printed a couple of these coupons since they’re good for the entire week and who knows what I might want to buy. We’re in line about to pay and I decide that I probably won’t use the other coupons. So, I turn to the guy in line behind us and I say to him “Hey, I have this extra coupon if you want it”. And, he looks at me like I’m an alien from another planet who’s offered to give him some sort of poisoned paper. His eyes are wide and he’s probably thinking …. “A coupon?? Real men don’t use coupons. What should I do?”. So, I try to ease him into it. “It’s for $10 off your purchase. Confusion. Hesitation. Fear. He glances around to see if anyone else is watching… wondering…. “can I take that piece of paper without anyone else seeing me?” Then, he ever-so-slightly extends his arm and I quickly shift the paper into his limp, uncertain hand.
As we walk away I say to hubby……
“I just don’t get it. I handed that man $10 and he seemed unsure”. To which hubby replies…”you didn’t hand him $10.. you handed him a coupon!”
“It’s the same difference”
“No, it’s not”
“What do you mean it’s not… that coupon is worth $10. If I’d offered that dude a $10 bill you better believe he would have taken it”
“Yes, I’m sure he would have”
“Then, I don’t get it…. what’s with you men? A coupon is worth it’s value in money…. don’t you like money?
“Yes, we like money but it’s not money, it’s a coupon. It’s just not the same…………”
I can’t see my almost-hubby doing this. Maybe because we’re so low on money we’re trying really hard to save anything. Discounts, coupons, sure, why not? Just the other night, almost-hubby was the one to offer we used a coupon for our dinner. Perhaps your hubby wouldn’t feel so proud if he was broke and living on government benefits.
My hubs is the exact opposite … he saw that we saved $300 last year through our supermarket loyalty program and has now given himself a goal of saving more than that this year. Now, don’t get me wrong … hubby is a man’s man. He plays hockey … he drinks beer … he has a man cave … but this has become a slight obsession for him, so I let him go with it. He looks forward to the coupons in the Sunday paper and comes grocery shopping with me. He proudly scans his coupons and shows me the receipt like a little kid with a great report card so I can see how much closer he is to his goal. It’s hysterical. I’m not complaining … The hubs knows that every penny we save while shopping is another penny he can put towards our yearly Bora Bora vacation.
On the coupon issue, my husband is a fence sitter. He likes that idea of saving money. And so he keeps coupon. However, they pile up on his kitchen drop zone until they are a fire hazard because he doesn’t actually use them.
This is so completely true. Men are terrified of the coupon!!
It’s the same! It’s the same! It’s the same dam thing! lol. Too funny. Stopping over from LBS Tea Party, and became your newest follower, via reader. Come see me over at Lighten Up!
OK! I’m visiting from LB Tea Party and your blog name caught my eye (of course) – and I LOVE THIS POST! It is a fact men and women think totally differently – add to the fact Alpha Hubby is an engineer and I have a double whammy! He’d had using coupons, too! I love your description of the guy in line behind you! Like you were trying to sell him drugs or something!
I must have a little Y chromosome in my DNA because I hate coupons. I don’t look for them, and I don’t use them. I would have reacted just like the guy behind you. Actually, I have before, but I took the coupon and got 20% off my Johann Fabrics purchase.
So I apologize to all women out there. It is money and I will try harder next time.
Hey.
Hilarious composition… coupons seem so much logically ill-logical to men! It only forces them to spend more to save more!!!
… and they say that WOMEN are hard to understand! : )
Visiting from LBS
Stopped over from LBS! I’m a little late on the Tea Party-as always.
Hubs would never, ever use a coupon. He would however, print or cut it and give it to me to spend FOR him. -_-
Loved this – I think it was one of your BEST articles
Hilarious! My brother in law (no hubby yet) is a coupon collector. My sister even went out and bought a coupon divider….for him. It’s outrageous but he is one of the rarities in men I guess. I’m dropping in from LBS and super glad I did to see where your adventures go! Have a lovely weekend.
http://livinginthatblondemoment.blogspot.com/
Love this! So, when we were dating, my now husband said to me, “What’s your opinion on coupons?”. I answered, “If you can get the same thing for less money…why wouldn’t you do it?” and then he breathed a sigh of relief. My hubby is a coupon freak! I say that, but I guess in today’s terms he’s probably not…but we keep a stash of restaurant coupons in the car, I randomly find coupons he puts in my wallet, we have a drawer specifically designated for coupons….all because of my husband. Once a month we get a magazine that contains coupons for businesses around town…it’s his favorite day of the month. It’s absolutely common for him to come in and say, “Honey…guess what came in the mail today??? the MINT!” and then he sits down to memorize it.
Rebecca ~ “The Mint”… I just love it. Perhaps I can send over hubby for some couponing lessons. He does use them but only under duress!!