DaVinci and the price of vanity

SUN WUKONG
DaVinci and the price of vanity
By Wu Zhong, China Editor

HONG KONG - Over the past 30 or so years, China has grown into a world manufacturing center, thanks to the influx of foreign investment to boost the re-export oriented processing industries. Many people within China have mixed feelings about this particular facet of development.

On one hand, they feel very proud that their country nowadays can "produce" nearly all consumer goods of most name brands available in the world. That pride is especially on display in Beijing, China's capital, where local residents think they live under the feet of the "Son of Heaven" (the emperor) and thus superior to people elsewhere.

"We really don't need to go shopping in Hong Kong. As you can see, we have everything you have (in Hong Kong) and a whole lot


more. All foreign and domestic products are available here," a friend in Beijing replied when asked what he would buy in Hong Kong.

On the other hand, they also feel frustrated and disappointed that not many home-brand products can match the quality of foreign imports.Even foreign brand products made in China with original material are not as good quality as those made by the original producers.

Top 13 Ways to Save Using Coupons - Adventures of a Couponista

Always use coupons on items you need when they go on sale to double up on savings. Watch the grocery ads for the weekly sales. When items are at rock bottom price stock up on them to last you 3-6 months ( typical sales cycle ). This is called stockpiling . Once you have a good stock pile going you will only need to buy the weekly fresh items and items that are at stock pile prices.

Just because a store tells you it is on sale does not mean that is the cheapest sale price. Start a price journal and track prices on your typical grocery purchases. We purchase so many different products it is hard to remember what a good sale price is and at what store. Many times items will be consistently on sale and the first week will not be rock bottom price.

Some of the best coupons come from the Internet. Check out coupon web sites to select coupons you want to print and cut out to use at your grocery store just as you would coupons from the Sunday paper. One of the top coupon sites on the web is Coupons.com . Social Media has also become a huge force in the coupon world and many companies release their hottest coupons via. facebook.

If you spot a great sale and want to maximize your savings, go online to a site like My Coupon Hunter or Coupon Carryout to order coupons for a few cents each. Some people may argue that paying for a coupon defeats the purpose but I disagree. It really depends on the coupon and what you are paying for it. Is it economical to pay $0.10 for a $0.30 coupon, not really. Is it economical to pay $0.10 for a $5.00 coupon, yes! If I spend $5.00 on coupons but those coupons get me $50 in free products, it was more than worth the $5.00.

Check out you favor products websites as you’ll often find money-saving printable coupons right on the sites. Make sure you sign up for their special offers by mail or email too. I receive tons of coupons right in my email. Send a short email to a company telling them you love their product. I have received coupons for FREE items numerous times. Companies love praise. Make a list of your favorite brands then once a week pick one of them and send off a short email then sit back and watch the coupons and free stuff be delivered right to your mailbox. Here is a list of coupon friendly companies to get you started.

To save the most money it pays to know your store’s coupon policies and be aware of which stores double or triple, and up to how much on each product and how often. One of my favorite stores is Dillons/Kroger. They double coupons up to $0.50 and anything from $0.51 to $0.99 is rounded up to a $1.00. I consistently save 75% off my groceries shopping there. I also am lucky enough to have a Homeland Stores right down the road from me. They double coupons up to $1.00. They tend to be rather expensive but when you pair sale items with a doubled $1.00 coupon, I get some unbelievable savings and many free items.

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