All the Info
Here is where you will find all of the information we teach in our classes. Scroll down the page or click the links to look for Coupon Basics, Coupon Ethics, Coupon Myths, Coupon Organization, Finding Coupons, and What is Stockpiling articles to help you answer your questions. Whether you are just starting out with couponing, or if you are just wanting to reference the information, this is a great place to start!
Coupon Myths
. No matter what you think you know about coupons and couponers, it is time to dispel some myths that cause people to NOT coupon. Changing your mindset is an important part of coupon success!
- “Store brands are cheaper.”
Not true! When you use coupons correctly, national-brand items are usually cheaper or free. Store brands are not free! - “It is cheaper for me to shop at a wholesale club or Walmart.”
Not true! Buying items in bulk does not guarantee a better price- most of the time, you are really just wasting your money. Often, the items you are really saving on are the house or store brands, and in item-to-item comparisons, you come out ahead by matching coupons to sales in grocery stores. - “Only poor people use coupons.”
Not true! Actually, studies done on coupon demographics show that well over half of couponers are from households with incomes greater than $60,000 a year. - “There are no coupons for things that are healthy.”
Not true! There are a lot of organic coupons available, especially if you sign up at the manufacturer websites. Not only that, but often when you get an item that has overage, the overage acts like a coupon for the other stuff (milk, produce, meat) that you don’t have a coupon for. Some stores also send out coupons for meat and produce quite often. - “None of the products I use have coupons.”
This may be true, but it may be that, in order to save your family money and make a difference in your household budget, you need to try different products. When you become an Extreme Couponer, brand loyalty becomes a thing of the past. You should try to become more open to trying different brands- it is all about changing your mindset! - “I don’t have time to clip coupons.”
We all have busy lives. It is a rare person who doesn’t have time to make $30-$40 an hour for their family. If you devote two hours to clipping and organizing coupons a week, and then save $80 at the grocery store, it is like having made $40 an hour for clipping coupons- and that is just one trip! There will be many more trips that benefit from those 2 hours! You can devote as much time as you want to couponing, but if it saves your family hundreds of dollars a month, can you really afford to NOT do it? - “It is too overwhelming.”
That can be true. However, you now have a ton of information and support at your disposal, so there goes that excuse! Seriously though, if you stay organized, that is more than half the battle. Devote a bit of time to it each week and it will not be overwhelming when you get the hang of it- it will actually be quite fun! - Getting free stuff is wrong- if you aren’t paying, the stores are not making any money.
Not true! Stores are actually making money off of each coupon that is redeemed. They get reimbursed for the face value of each coupon, as well as making a handling fee- so they are making a profit right there. Not only that, but many people who “use” coupons use them on items that are not on sale, and they also buy other items that were not on their list- thereby spending more money than they had planned, and making the store more money. The manufacturers also put out coupons to convince people to try their items and to become loyal to them- and many times, it works! This more than makes up for the very small percentage of the population who practices “extreme couponing”. Rest assured that if stores were losing money, they would no longer accept coupons. If manufacturers were losing money, they would no longer put out coupons.
Coupon Basics
Most of us have used coupons before. You clip them out of the papers, you stick them in your purse, you purchase an item and remember that you have a coupon for it somewhere, and sometimes you are able to dig it out and save a bit of change on your item. Not too hard, right?
But then you look around and hear about people getting all of this FREE stuff with coupons, and you just don’t see how it is possible! You might say, “Well, I use coupons, but I have never saved money like that!” Well, not only is it possible, it is EASY to do when you know how!
Here are some basic couponing tips to get you started:
1. Most grocery stores DOUBLE coupons up to 50 cents- so that 50 cent coupon is actually worth $1! (Drugstores and supercenters do NOT double!)
2. At most stores, you can STACK coupons. This means you can use ONE manufacturer coupon and ONE store coupon on the SAME item.
3. Everything goes on sale at some point. Most items are on a 6-week cycle. This means that once every 6 weeks an item goes down to its lowest sale price. This is called the “rock-bottom price”- and THIS is when you should use your coupon. Using coupons on non-sale items is a waste of your time and your coupon.
4. Buy one get one free sales are actually half-price sales (at grocery stores)- you quite typically do NOT have to buy 2 items to get the reduced price. Even better, coupons can be used on BOTH items (we will discuss this more)!
5. Any time an item has overage (the amount of the coupon is greater than the price of the item), you should buy it. The overage acts as a coupon for the rest of your purchase.
6. Mid-week grocery trips are what cost you the most- so even if you carefully prepare a grocery list, “running out” to the store to grab an item costs you big time- the item is usually not on sale. This can totally blow your budget. Preparation is key.
7. Creating a “stockpile” can help you avoid midweek trips by ensuring that you have enough of the product for your family to last you until that product goes on sale again. You need to have as many coupons as you can to stockpile well.
8. RAINCHECKS RAINCHECKS RAINCHECKS! If the store is out of a sale item that you went to get, don’t panic! Ask for a raincheck at Customer Service. This will allow you to purchase the item when they have replenished the shelves, and still receive the sale price. If you have coupons that are about to expire, let them know.
9. You need to have a way to organize your coupons that makes sense to you, and allows you to quickly find the coupon that you need.
10. Coupon wording is more important that the picture on the coupon. They will always picture the most expensive item on the coupon. Read your coupon carefully so that you and your cashier know what your coupon is for.
But then you look around and hear about people getting all of this FREE stuff with coupons, and you just don’t see how it is possible! You might say, “Well, I use coupons, but I have never saved money like that!” Well, not only is it possible, it is EASY to do when you know how!
Here are some basic couponing tips to get you started:
1. Most grocery stores DOUBLE coupons up to 50 cents- so that 50 cent coupon is actually worth $1! (Drugstores and supercenters do NOT double!)
2. At most stores, you can STACK coupons. This means you can use ONE manufacturer coupon and ONE store coupon on the SAME item.
3. Everything goes on sale at some point. Most items are on a 6-week cycle. This means that once every 6 weeks an item goes down to its lowest sale price. This is called the “rock-bottom price”- and THIS is when you should use your coupon. Using coupons on non-sale items is a waste of your time and your coupon.
4. Buy one get one free sales are actually half-price sales (at grocery stores)- you quite typically do NOT have to buy 2 items to get the reduced price. Even better, coupons can be used on BOTH items (we will discuss this more)!
5. Any time an item has overage (the amount of the coupon is greater than the price of the item), you should buy it. The overage acts as a coupon for the rest of your purchase.
6. Mid-week grocery trips are what cost you the most- so even if you carefully prepare a grocery list, “running out” to the store to grab an item costs you big time- the item is usually not on sale. This can totally blow your budget. Preparation is key.
7. Creating a “stockpile” can help you avoid midweek trips by ensuring that you have enough of the product for your family to last you until that product goes on sale again. You need to have as many coupons as you can to stockpile well.
8. RAINCHECKS RAINCHECKS RAINCHECKS! If the store is out of a sale item that you went to get, don’t panic! Ask for a raincheck at Customer Service. This will allow you to purchase the item when they have replenished the shelves, and still receive the sale price. If you have coupons that are about to expire, let them know.
9. You need to have a way to organize your coupons that makes sense to you, and allows you to quickly find the coupon that you need.
10. Coupon wording is more important that the picture on the coupon. They will always picture the most expensive item on the coupon. Read your coupon carefully so that you and your cashier know what your coupon is for.
Coupon Ethics
There are right ways, wrong ways, and illegal ways to use coupons. I want to educate you on these so that you can be a wise and fair consumer. Remember, when you intentionally misuse coupons to get a good deal, you are STEALING from the store. Stealing is ILLEGAL. Illegal activities are not glorifying to God and jail is not a frugal decision for your family- so don’t do it!
We will begin with understanding coupons. Manufacturers often put out coupons for items that they want you to try- it is basically like advertising for them, in the hopes that once you try the product you will be hooked. You use the coupon at the store, the store mails the coupons to a clearing house, the clearing house goes through all of the coupons to make sure that they are legitimate and were used correctly (and YES, they can tell!). If they were, the store is reimbursed for the coupon plus a handling fee- so stores actually make money off of your coupons. Manufacturer coupons ALWAYS begin with a number 5 or a number 9 under the barcode. That is an easy way to tell if it is a manufacturer coupon or a store coupon.
Store coupons are put out by the specific store. They can only be used at that store (generally), but can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon for greater savings. You can ONLY use a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon. You can NEVER use two manufacturer coupons on the same item- that is stealing and the store does not get reimbursed for those! Don’t even be tempted to slip one in there- saving $1 is not enough to compromise your integrity.
Printable coupons are coded with all sorts of information that tells the clearing house where it was printed, when it was printed, and has a special number and computer-specific code that traces it back to YOU. Because they are coded, the clearing house can tell if copies have been made of that coupon. DO NOT make copies of your printable coupons (or any coupons)! Print off your two per computer, but don’t try to make copies thinking that no one will know- they will know, and they will know it was YOU! This is illegal and is called coupon fraud.
As far as “right and wrong” go, we need to remember to be couponer-friendly people. We are all a community, trying to save our families money. Some of us pick up extra items to donate. This is great and an awesome way to use your coupons to glorify God. Don’t be a shelf-clearer! Please don’t go in on the first day of the sale and buy up all of the Windex just because it is free. Nobody is impressed with that! It is selfish and inconsiderate of the person coming in after you who would like the deal- or has a legitimate need for that item! Buy what your family needs, some extra to donate if you wish, but leave some for others. It is not glorifying to God to coupon selfishly.
Be kind to the people around you. Be polite and kind to cashiers- the couponers that go in being hateful and causing arguments with cashiers and managers make it harder on all of the other couponers, and make it less likely that these stores will remain coupon-friendly. If they are arguing and you know that you are correct, POLITELY talk to them about it (it also helps to have a copy of their coupon policy with you). Being nice goes a lot further than being nasty! If you have a lot of items and a lot of coupons, let the person behind you with a much smaller load go first- it says a lot about the type of person (and couponer) you are! If your transaction is taking a lot time, apologize to the person behind you. If you have extra coupons that you are not going to use while you are shopping, consider leaving them next to that item in the store for someone else to find and use. Be considerate of other people’s time, efforts, and feelings so that people will not dread seeing us couponers coming!
We will begin with understanding coupons. Manufacturers often put out coupons for items that they want you to try- it is basically like advertising for them, in the hopes that once you try the product you will be hooked. You use the coupon at the store, the store mails the coupons to a clearing house, the clearing house goes through all of the coupons to make sure that they are legitimate and were used correctly (and YES, they can tell!). If they were, the store is reimbursed for the coupon plus a handling fee- so stores actually make money off of your coupons. Manufacturer coupons ALWAYS begin with a number 5 or a number 9 under the barcode. That is an easy way to tell if it is a manufacturer coupon or a store coupon.
Store coupons are put out by the specific store. They can only be used at that store (generally), but can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon for greater savings. You can ONLY use a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon. You can NEVER use two manufacturer coupons on the same item- that is stealing and the store does not get reimbursed for those! Don’t even be tempted to slip one in there- saving $1 is not enough to compromise your integrity.
Printable coupons are coded with all sorts of information that tells the clearing house where it was printed, when it was printed, and has a special number and computer-specific code that traces it back to YOU. Because they are coded, the clearing house can tell if copies have been made of that coupon. DO NOT make copies of your printable coupons (or any coupons)! Print off your two per computer, but don’t try to make copies thinking that no one will know- they will know, and they will know it was YOU! This is illegal and is called coupon fraud.
As far as “right and wrong” go, we need to remember to be couponer-friendly people. We are all a community, trying to save our families money. Some of us pick up extra items to donate. This is great and an awesome way to use your coupons to glorify God. Don’t be a shelf-clearer! Please don’t go in on the first day of the sale and buy up all of the Windex just because it is free. Nobody is impressed with that! It is selfish and inconsiderate of the person coming in after you who would like the deal- or has a legitimate need for that item! Buy what your family needs, some extra to donate if you wish, but leave some for others. It is not glorifying to God to coupon selfishly.
Be kind to the people around you. Be polite and kind to cashiers- the couponers that go in being hateful and causing arguments with cashiers and managers make it harder on all of the other couponers, and make it less likely that these stores will remain coupon-friendly. If they are arguing and you know that you are correct, POLITELY talk to them about it (it also helps to have a copy of their coupon policy with you). Being nice goes a lot further than being nasty! If you have a lot of items and a lot of coupons, let the person behind you with a much smaller load go first- it says a lot about the type of person (and couponer) you are! If your transaction is taking a lot time, apologize to the person behind you. If you have extra coupons that you are not going to use while you are shopping, consider leaving them next to that item in the store for someone else to find and use. Be considerate of other people’s time, efforts, and feelings so that people will not dread seeing us couponers coming!
Organizing Your Coupons
If you cannot find the coupons you need on a specific item, you will become very frustrated. It is VERY important to have an organizational system that enables you to quickly and easily find the coupons you need when you need them- we don’t need something else that makes life more difficult and stressful! Make it easy on yourself!
Different methods:
-The Envelope Method: Keeping your coupons separated by type of product or aisle of the store
-The Coupon Pouch method: Putting your coupons into a little “coupon organizer” that you would buy at the store. Small enough to fit in your purse, this organizer has a few sections so that you can separate your coupons however you wish.
-The Accordion Folder Method: Sort of a giant version of the Coupon Pouch, you have a bigger folder and a lot more separators for your coupons.
-The Notebook Method: A notebook filled with baseball card holders and using index dividers to organize your coupons by type
-The File Method: This type keeps your circulars organized by date- instead of clipping out all of the coupons, you leave them in the circular and clip what you need as you make your grocery list.
Different methods will appeal to different people, depending on what your “coupon usage” will be. Do you need a lot of coupons, and don’t have the time to pull out handfuls and search through them every time you need a specific one? You probably won’t want the Envelope or Coupon Pouch method. Do you only have a few coupons that can easily travel in your purse? You probably won’t want a great big notebook.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. How many coupons do I have?
2. How much time do I have to spend clipping coupons?
3. Is it important to me to have my coupons with me every time I go to the store, in case I find an awesome unadvertised deal?
4. Do I have time to search through a bunch of coupons every time I need one?
5. Do I want to be weighed down with a whole other THING to carry?
Different methods:
-The Envelope Method: Keeping your coupons separated by type of product or aisle of the store
-The Coupon Pouch method: Putting your coupons into a little “coupon organizer” that you would buy at the store. Small enough to fit in your purse, this organizer has a few sections so that you can separate your coupons however you wish.
-The Accordion Folder Method: Sort of a giant version of the Coupon Pouch, you have a bigger folder and a lot more separators for your coupons.
-The Notebook Method: A notebook filled with baseball card holders and using index dividers to organize your coupons by type
-The File Method: This type keeps your circulars organized by date- instead of clipping out all of the coupons, you leave them in the circular and clip what you need as you make your grocery list.
Different methods will appeal to different people, depending on what your “coupon usage” will be. Do you need a lot of coupons, and don’t have the time to pull out handfuls and search through them every time you need a specific one? You probably won’t want the Envelope or Coupon Pouch method. Do you only have a few coupons that can easily travel in your purse? You probably won’t want a great big notebook.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. How many coupons do I have?
2. How much time do I have to spend clipping coupons?
3. Is it important to me to have my coupons with me every time I go to the store, in case I find an awesome unadvertised deal?
4. Do I have time to search through a bunch of coupons every time I need one?
5. Do I want to be weighed down with a whole other THING to carry?
Where do you FIND all those coupons?
Great question! There are many places to find coupons, many of which you would never even think about! The first and most obvious is the newspaper. Our area has the largest and best newspaper in the Southeast for coupons: the AJC. Buy the paper every Sunday. In fact, if you can, buy the double issue of the paper- it is two papers wrapped with a blue band for the same price as one paper. That means twice as many coupons!
Here are some other places:
Online coupon sites:
There are tons of printable coupons out there if you know where to look. Most of these places have print limits. Many of them will let you print the coupon two times (hit “Back” then “Refresh” to print your coupons a second time), but when the master print limit is hit, no one will be able to print any more coupons- so if you see one you might use, print it!
Signing up for e-newsletters from your favorite stores and manufacturers can get you coupons and discounts not available to the general public. This is great, not only for groceries, but for clothing stores and other retailers!
The manufacturers themselves:
Have you ever tried a product that you loved? Well, they want to know! Calling or emailing your favorite brands with comments on their products, good or bad, will quite often result in coupons in the mail for your favorite products!
Magazines:
Many magazines now have coupons in them. One great one to get is All You, which can ONLY be found at Walmart (unless you get a subscription). This magazine has tons of coupons every single month- it pays for itself. Family Circle is another good one.
Signing up for free samples:
There are many blogs dedicated to helping you live frugally. A lot of these devote much of their time to helping you find free samples of products- so not only do you get tons of fun stuff in the mail, these free products typically have high-value coupons with them!
The stores themselves:
Most stores will mail you coupons (if you have a loyalty card) or have coupon books in the stores. Many times these coupons are STORE coupons that can be stacked with MANUFACTURER coupons to get the lowest price on an item. Always be on the lookout in stores for coupon books, Blinkies (the little machines the shoot out coupons that you see everywhere), tearpad coupons (usually on displays). Don’t be greedy with these, though! Nothing is worse that coming in to find that someone has taken all of the coupons before you arrived! Also, never take coupons off of items unless you are buying that item. It is like stealing from the person who comes after you to purchase it.
DON’T DO IT!
Coupon Clipping Services:
If there is a coupon for an item your family uses a lot, and it is something you need to stockpile like crazy, there are a ton of coupon clipping services out there. You can basically order as many of that particular coupon as you need for your family, and pay a small fee for them. www.hotcouponworld.com has a list of clipping services, or you can type “clipping service” into a search engine to find some.
eBay:
You can also buy “lots” of specific coupons on eBay if there is an item you would really like to stock up on.
Here are some other places:
Online coupon sites:
There are tons of printable coupons out there if you know where to look. Most of these places have print limits. Many of them will let you print the coupon two times (hit “Back” then “Refresh” to print your coupons a second time), but when the master print limit is hit, no one will be able to print any more coupons- so if you see one you might use, print it!
- www.redplum.com
- www.coupons.com
- www.allyou.com
- www.hotcouponworld.com
- www.target.com (at the bottom, there is a section for Coupons)
Signing up for e-newsletters from your favorite stores and manufacturers can get you coupons and discounts not available to the general public. This is great, not only for groceries, but for clothing stores and other retailers!
The manufacturers themselves:
Have you ever tried a product that you loved? Well, they want to know! Calling or emailing your favorite brands with comments on their products, good or bad, will quite often result in coupons in the mail for your favorite products!
Magazines:
Many magazines now have coupons in them. One great one to get is All You, which can ONLY be found at Walmart (unless you get a subscription). This magazine has tons of coupons every single month- it pays for itself. Family Circle is another good one.
Signing up for free samples:
There are many blogs dedicated to helping you live frugally. A lot of these devote much of their time to helping you find free samples of products- so not only do you get tons of fun stuff in the mail, these free products typically have high-value coupons with them!
The stores themselves:
Most stores will mail you coupons (if you have a loyalty card) or have coupon books in the stores. Many times these coupons are STORE coupons that can be stacked with MANUFACTURER coupons to get the lowest price on an item. Always be on the lookout in stores for coupon books, Blinkies (the little machines the shoot out coupons that you see everywhere), tearpad coupons (usually on displays). Don’t be greedy with these, though! Nothing is worse that coming in to find that someone has taken all of the coupons before you arrived! Also, never take coupons off of items unless you are buying that item. It is like stealing from the person who comes after you to purchase it.
DON’T DO IT!
Coupon Clipping Services:
If there is a coupon for an item your family uses a lot, and it is something you need to stockpile like crazy, there are a ton of coupon clipping services out there. You can basically order as many of that particular coupon as you need for your family, and pay a small fee for them. www.hotcouponworld.com has a list of clipping services, or you can type “clipping service” into a search engine to find some.
eBay:
You can also buy “lots” of specific coupons on eBay if there is an item you would really like to stock up on.
What is "stockpiling"?
One of the goals of “extreme couponing” is to create a stockpile of items. We are not talking “Y2K stockpiling in case the world ends”, so don’t worry! Stockpiling just means that you buy as many of one item as your family needs to last you until the item goes on sale at its rock-bottom price. The reason? If you can buy an item for free, why would you want to pay full price for it because you have run out? This is a waste of your hard-earned money, and a waste of time- you have to run out to the store again! Stockpiling is a way to be a good steward of your finances. Midweek grocery trips can kill your budget, and being sure that you buy enough to last you until the item is again at a rock-bottom price will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Every family has different needs. My family eats a lot of frozen veggies, so this is an item I like to stock up on when it is free. Your family may only eat frozen veggies once a week, so you only need to stockpile 6 or 7 bags to last you until the next sale. Take a good, hard look at what your family consumes and how much of it, and plan accordingly.
1.To stockpile effectively, you need storage space. Shelves, a bigger freezer for meat and other frozen items, storage bins, etc. Be organized so that you know when your stockpile is running low!
2. You also need as many coupons as possible. Buying 1 or 2 double issues of the paper, printing coupons for those items whenever you see them, and using clipping services are great ways to get extras of the coupons you really need.
3. Meat is a great thing to stock up on. Meat can be very expensive, and trying to plan your menu around meat items you don’t have on hand can also kill your budget. When you notice a great sale on meat, buy a lot of it! Many times the family packs are an even better deal. Package it individually in a freezer for easy defrosting. I like to start buying chicken breasts and pork chops when they fall under $1.99 a pound (or 99 cents a lb for split chicken breasts). There are not a lot of coupons for meat, but buying it at a rock-bottom price is a very wise decision. It can also save a lot of money on your weekly budget- if you have a huge stockpile of meat in the freezer, you may not have to buy ANY for several weeks, and this frees up income for other groceries, purchases, or fun stuff!
4. Track sales- there is nothing worse than using a coupon on an item when you thought it was a great deal, but coming back a week later and finding that it could have been FREE!
5. Stockpiling is also great for ministry purposes. If you see items that are free or super cheap, and you have coupons that you are not going to use, pick up some of those items anyways to donate. This is a great way to glorify God and help your community with your coupons- do what you can with what you have! God will honor that!
6. Don’t buy up ALL the items just because they are free, though. There are a lot of couponers in our area, so buying all the products for “ministry” when there are many other people who need those items and will be coming into the store for them is not fair, nor is it kind. If you take all of them, you are not only robbing those people of a chance to provide those items to their family at a rock-bottom price, but you are also robbing them of an opportunity to use it for ministry. God does not honor selfishness, even if you try to cover it up with a “ministering” attitude. Let’s minister to each other as well! (Buy a few, then go back in when the sale ends and buy more. If they are gone, ask for a raincheck. If you need a lot, talk to the store manager about ordering some for you.)
Every family has different needs. My family eats a lot of frozen veggies, so this is an item I like to stock up on when it is free. Your family may only eat frozen veggies once a week, so you only need to stockpile 6 or 7 bags to last you until the next sale. Take a good, hard look at what your family consumes and how much of it, and plan accordingly.
1.To stockpile effectively, you need storage space. Shelves, a bigger freezer for meat and other frozen items, storage bins, etc. Be organized so that you know when your stockpile is running low!
2. You also need as many coupons as possible. Buying 1 or 2 double issues of the paper, printing coupons for those items whenever you see them, and using clipping services are great ways to get extras of the coupons you really need.
3. Meat is a great thing to stock up on. Meat can be very expensive, and trying to plan your menu around meat items you don’t have on hand can also kill your budget. When you notice a great sale on meat, buy a lot of it! Many times the family packs are an even better deal. Package it individually in a freezer for easy defrosting. I like to start buying chicken breasts and pork chops when they fall under $1.99 a pound (or 99 cents a lb for split chicken breasts). There are not a lot of coupons for meat, but buying it at a rock-bottom price is a very wise decision. It can also save a lot of money on your weekly budget- if you have a huge stockpile of meat in the freezer, you may not have to buy ANY for several weeks, and this frees up income for other groceries, purchases, or fun stuff!
4. Track sales- there is nothing worse than using a coupon on an item when you thought it was a great deal, but coming back a week later and finding that it could have been FREE!
5. Stockpiling is also great for ministry purposes. If you see items that are free or super cheap, and you have coupons that you are not going to use, pick up some of those items anyways to donate. This is a great way to glorify God and help your community with your coupons- do what you can with what you have! God will honor that!
6. Don’t buy up ALL the items just because they are free, though. There are a lot of couponers in our area, so buying all the products for “ministry” when there are many other people who need those items and will be coming into the store for them is not fair, nor is it kind. If you take all of them, you are not only robbing those people of a chance to provide those items to their family at a rock-bottom price, but you are also robbing them of an opportunity to use it for ministry. God does not honor selfishness, even if you try to cover it up with a “ministering” attitude. Let’s minister to each other as well! (Buy a few, then go back in when the sale ends and buy more. If they are gone, ask for a raincheck. If you need a lot, talk to the store manager about ordering some for you.)
