Blog Reader Beware

I'm sad to have to write this post, but I feel that I need to once again share the fact that NOT ALL DEALS FOUND ON SHOPPING BLOGS ARE LEGAL.

Unfortunately there are bloggers out there who feel the need to entice others to make shady purchases.

Just as I set goals for what I would like to accomplish through the voice of this blog(teaching others amazing spending habits and leading others to give both locally and globally), I also set healthy parameters. My most boldly stated parameter is that I will not lead others to unethically spend their coupons. I admit, I am not perfect, but every time I sit before my keyboard I ask myself if I am writing words that will help other families to care for themselves by purchasing necessities, healthy items, and in an ethical manner. If the answer is NOT yes to all three, then I refrain from posting AND from purchasing those deals for myself.

My personal view of spending coupons is that they have been an incredible blessing for my family- especially during the stretch of time that my husband, our sole breadwinner, had lost his job. Spending coupons has eased our own financial burdens and has brought my family back to enjoying simple pleasures instead of running in the rat race of 'keeping up with the Joneses.'

Sharpen Your Scissors' purpose is to capture my thinking, my reasoning and my ethics for encouraging you to clip and save. I am very transparent with my ethical lines that I have drawn in the sand. Coupon spending is a privilege, and yes, I often view my spending as a game where I challenge myself to provide for my family by spending less, but in this game cheaters NEVER win.

As I stated before, I am not perfect in many ways. When I have made mistakes in the past I did everything within my power to make them right... going as far as contacting manufacturers and publicly sharing where I had been wrong on this blog so that others may learn from my experience and not make the same mistake themselves. Learning from and NOT repeating my mistakes is the key to moving forward with a greater understanding of coupon ethics.

Personally, I am deeply convicted about what I teach. I feel that if I teach even one person a teeny tiny little bit shady trick, that I am responsible each time that shady trick is committed- even if it is not by me. Just like the incredible ripple effect of how AMAZING coupon spending is, and how many lives have been impacted through my voice here in the blogosphere, there is the same availability for shady coupon spending to create just as vast a ripple effect. Please beware of tempting voices who may lead you astray... its just not worth it!

My final thoughts are just to remind you that the reason we coupon spenders are sometimes looked down upon, why we have cranky cashiers and not very helpful store managers and worst of all, why we have stinky return policies at most of the stores we frequent (and no more FREE Cottonelle toilet paper at Kroger) is because there are people taking advantage of the system and ruining it for ALL OF US!