This morning I received an email from a reader regarding many of the coupon blogs she follows. She was frustrated with many of the blogs because one of the deals she tried to take advantage of included more steps AND fine print than the bloggers disclosed in their post. I spent a bit of time sending her an email response and I realized that I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you as well 🙂 If you are new to Addicted to Saving OR if you are a long-time follower, I want you to make sure you know how I run Addicted to Saving. Below is the email I sent as well as some additional thoughts I’ve added in purple:
Dear XXXXXXX.
Thanks for the heads up and for the email! I’m not aware of the XXXXXXXXX offer you are mentioning but yes, I definitely see that that the XXXXXXXXX verbiage you pasted shows that you have to do a lot more work to actually receive the coffee sample.
Every freebie/deal/etc that I post on Addicted to Saving, I personally test out. Every freebie that you all get, I get too. I don’t personally purchase every item that is on sale (I have a budget I have to stick to. BUT I do go to checkout on each item to make sure the math works, there is not hidden shipping charges etc.)Â
Side note one – there are many freebies that I do not post because they don’t look legit or because the company is unknown or because I personally would not sign up for it. I HIGHLY recommend that you sign up for an alternate email address to use specifically for freebies. That way any and all junk emails that you get after signing up will go to your alternate email. ALSO – know that if you are giving out your phone number online, you will be called. I never give my phone # out unless I am placing an order. Â
Side note two – you may remember yesterday’s Amazon Huggies Wipes deal that I posted. I posted a disclaimer that the deal may or may not be too good to be true. You all probably don’t realize this, but I acquired at least 2 or 3 new gray hairs after I posted this deal. Even though I disclosed that this may be too good to be true, I will still feel responsible if the deal falls through. On the other hand, I will feel triumphant if the deal works out. I hesitated to post the deal but I knew that some of you would rather take the risk of your order being cancelled versus potentially miss out on a deal as good as it was.
Some of the deals I post may involve extra work. For example, there is a Free Better Homes & Gardens subscription you can score. It is legitimately free. However, you will get asked to sign up for other offers. In my post, I let everyone know that you do not have to accept any other offers. Some readers will put in the extra work to get a freebie like that. Others will not. I totally understand and get it.
Side note – I did put in the work for this offer and can’t wait to get a year’s worth of Better Homes & Gardens for FREE! 😉
I do my best. I am only human. I have made mistakes and I will continue to. However, my goal is to be as upfront and honest as I can. And I totally appreciate your taking the time to email me. It is a great reminder to continue to test out each deal before I post it!
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
thanks for all your hard work!
This is one of the reasons I trust your posts. You are very clear in your instructions. Keep up the good work! Also, I appreciate you as one of the first I found with a coupon database, which makes finding offers even easier. Don’t be discouraged, your service has saved me lots of money and time (and I can’t wait to get my BH&G mags either!)
I wouldn’t want your job- I know you spend endless hours. Thank you so much for doing all the work for us!
You do such a great job, thank you for all you do. I benefit so much for all of your hard work and I appreciate you very much.
You are great!! Thanks for all the deals you post daily, you save our family so much$$$ 🙂
Thanks for the post and thanks for the work! I did not get to take advantage of the wipes deal yesterday, but did try to purchase another one on Amazon for the same wipes from a different vendor. I got a phone call this morning from the company informing me that the price was improperly listed, BUT they are sending me a courtesy box of wipes AND refunding the price I paid! Wow! So, thanks for all the work you do and thanks for being trustworthy and transparent.
Thank you for all you do!!
I did the BH&G too. Pretty easy.
Clearly your confidence level must be elevated after reading the posts on how trusted your site is Liza. Personally I’ve not had difficulty with any offer you posted. Thanks.
Thanks for all your hard work Liza. I stumbled upon your site almost two years ago. It is still my #1 go to couponing blog.
I appreciate the work you’re doing. I have gotten some pretty good deals on items that I wouldn’t have know about otherwise. Thanks!!!!!