SHEILA BARNES: Crazy About
Coupons
Just
the other day, Colgate toothpaste was on sale at a local
pharmacy and Zulema Barnes- Chung thought of her mother,
Sheila Barnes. That was because Ms. Barnes was a bargain
hunter extraordinaire, who transformed the routine of
buying household goods into a competitive sport.
"My mom would go so far as to take other people's
fliers just to get the coupons," Ms. Barnes-Chung said.
"I guess that was stealing, but she did it so she could
have three of each coupon. That's how bad it was."
And it was never really about the money. No, Ms.
Barnes, who was 55 and worked for Aon, did not cut
coupons because she was miserly. "It was a game for her
to see who could save the most, a game mostly between her
and my aunt," Ms. Barnes-Chung said. "They kept the
receipts to show the whole family `Look what I got!'
"
"My aunt says it's not so fun anymore," she continued.
"But when I saw the toothpaste on sale, I thought about
my mom. I almost dialed her number, before it hit
me."
.