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The Bargain Hunter

Deal of the Century

I asked Elvia if one bargain in particular stuck out in her mind. She didn't hesitate.

“Last year, I remember it perfectly. It was July and I went [online] to buy some things for my daughter. And there was a computer glitch... I had a coupon for 15% off and I didn't know until I went to check out, but everything came up as $4.99.

“I was sweating, my heart was pounding. I was like, 'go through, credit card, go through, go through.' And it went through.

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My friend Elvia is a busy working mother who does all the shopping for her husband and two young children. She's also nursing a serious bargain-hunting addiction. You may think this sounds like a benign fixation, but it is an activity that takes up a lot of time and resources.

“You know what gets me?,” she says. “Those stupid coupons that show up at my house. And those coupons you get from clothes stores... if you spend $150 your discount doubles to $50.”

How often does she go out in search of bargains?

“Well, most of the time I'm at the store and I'm like, 'oh, that's on sale.'

“It makes me feel good because I'm like, 'look what I got, you'll never believe.'”

Elvia has bargain hunting down to a science. “I don't pay full price ever. Ever. If I don't have a coupon or I don't see a bargain, I don't shop.”
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