Monday, July 21, 2008

Remember to Coupon with Integrity

Gordon B. Hinckley stated:

The thirteenth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that “we believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.”

We cannot be less than honest, we cannot be less than true, we cannot be less than virtuous if we are to keep sacred the trust given us. Once it was said among our people that a man’s word was as good as his bond. Shall any of us be less reliable, less honest than our forebears?

Those who are living the principle of honesty know that the Lord does bless them. Theirs is the precious right to hold their heads in the sunlight of truth, unashamed before any man. On the other hand, if there be need for reformation in any member of this Church, let it begin where we now stand.

Brothers and sisters, the Lord requires his people to be honest. May we desire with all our hearts to be honest in all our relationships and in all the things that we do. God will help us if we seek the strength that comes from him. Sweet then will be our peace of mind and our lives. Blessed will be those with whom we live and associate. And God will bless and guide us with his loving care.

Please remember to be honest when using coupons. If coupons are not used correctly, it costs the economy and everyone. This is one reason for rising grocery prices. Fraudulent use of coupons become absorbed in the prices of the product in the long run.

This is coupon misredemption according to http://www.centsoff.com/.

Coupon misredemption occurs whenever someone attempts to redeem a coupon that is void for a product that he/she has NOT purchased. This activity is often in violation of Federal or State laws.Coupon misredemption costs consumer product manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Estimates of this cost vary from a low of about $300 million annually to more than twice that amount.Coupon misredemption also increases costs for consumers, because the costs of misredemption often must be reflected in consumer prices.

I am not perfect, and I do not pretend to be. However, we can work towards living the gospel principles and being honest in all of our dealings. A few dollars is not worth losing your personal integrity over.

It is great to get good deals, but we must follow the rules. I believe by following the rules, we will be blessed and have an even larger abundance.

I recently gave a box of food away to someone in need, but some of the items I put in were really hard for me to give away because I didn't feel I had a lot of it for my own use. The next week, there were some great deals and I was able to replenish my stock, plus more. I really felt blessed for this and I was able to give more. (Time to put together another food box...)

Please remember why we are doing this. It is to help assist others and provide for our families. I hope we can all strive to do what is right. I do not want to seem like I am on a high horse, but I really feel strongly about honesty. (I am that weirdo that takes something back into the store that I wasn't charged for because it was on the bottom of my cart...at least my conscience is clear).

It is not about how we handle ourselves when people are watching, but who we are when no one is watching. I know that I strive to do what is right and live the gospel. I hope we can all listen to the wise advice from our prophets and continue to be a "peculiar" people by choosing the right.

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