Using vouchers 'discreetly'

joebloggs69

Hi,

Odd subject I know, but I wondered if anyone was like me in that, although I am not ashamed of using vouchers in restaurants, it still feels a bit lame taking that special someone out for a romantic meal and then handing over an A4 sheet of paper I've printed myself and asking 'Can I use this voucher here?'. If so I'd be interested in your thoughts or ideas.

I carry a money clip with my monthly budget of cash 'for spending' in it. It has the added bonus of looking a bit posh, when in fact the opposite is true - I'm skint! So I've taken to printing out several vouchers for restaurants in my area, I try and print them 2 per page (i.e. so they are A5 sideways instead of A4) then cut off any excess paper - this in itself is money saving!

That means I can fold them up to pound-note size and add them to the back of my money clip. I also write in the top corner of each one (much like the denomination on a pound note) some initials so I know which one is which without having to get them all out and spread them over the table! For example OBE5 meaning All Bar One meal for £5 etc.

I know this may sound shallow, but it's not that my girlfriend minds, in fact she partial to a good voucher too! I just feel it doesn't ruin the atmosphere as much!

I'd be curious to hear if anyone else does something similar.

Paws

I have no shame and just hand it over

liam8282

Your girlfriend isn't bothered and likes vouchers, so I can't see a problem.

I can vaguely remember reading in some paper that Wayne Rooney and Colleen, went for a meal to a place and used a buy one get one free voucher, or it might have been that the restaurant was doing 2 meals for the price of one, something like that anyway.

Just found it:

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/article168037.ece

Tibbs,The_Freebie_Hunter

Put it this way, I think it would be more shameful to pay full price, when you didn't need to.

Well done on the voucher use. This should be commended, not shamed.

Coupon-mad

Tibbs,The_Freebie_Hunter wrote: »

Put it this way, I think it would be more shameful to pay full price, when you didn't need to.

Well done on the voucher use. This should be commended, not shamed.

I agree!

As I use a lot of coupons almost every day, I can also say that I have noticed a change in public opinion about coupons in the last year.

People in the queue either used to stare, glare or on occasion make an openly rude/jokey comment about me paying with coupons in Tesco.

This past year, I can count on one hand the glares I have seen and everyone else has either said 'good on you' or asked where they can collect vouchers like me.

So I think the OP is using vouchers at a time when they are mostly viewed as perfectly acceptable. Even people who wouldn't bother to use one themselves seem more open to discreet (or indiscreet) moneysaving.

Tibbs,The_Freebie_Hunter

Coupon-Mad, my OH used to be the world's worst for voucher use, and he'd cringe when I opened my bag with vouchers spewing forth - for anything and everything.

Now, I seen a change in him too, and he even finds vouchers and codes for me.

He has started to see the end-result of frugality, which are improvements to home, better quality goods for less, etc.

Tibbs,The_Freebie_Hunter

For anyone who has seen the advert on STV for jobhunting - with the tribal chant of 'oh give me, oh give me a job,' I think we should adapt this for money saving use of 'oh give me, oh give me a bargain.'

Remember, we need to say it loud and with pride, and with hearfelt thanks. It should be our new MSE ritual - lol.

liam8282

Since I have joined this site, whenever I buy anything now I always look on here to see if there is anyway I can get it cheaper.

This site has saved me a lot of money on purchases, days out, holidays, the list goes on.

I cannot praise this site enough and tell everyone I know about it.

rm84

joebloggs69 wrote: »

Hi,

Odd subject I know, but I wondered if anyone was like me in that, although I am not ashamed of using vouchers in restaurants, it still feels a bit lame taking that special someone out for a romantic meal and then handing over an A4 sheet of paper I've printed myself and asking 'Can I use this voucher here?'. If so I'd be interested in your thoughts or ideas.

I carry a money clip with my monthly budget of cash 'for spending' in it. It has the added bonus of looking a bit posh, when in fact the opposite is true - I'm skint! So I've taken to printing out several vouchers for restaurants in my area, I try and print them 2 per page (i.e. so they are A5 sideways instead of A4) then cut off any excess paper - this in itself is money saving!

That means I can fold them up to pound-note size and add them to the back of my money clip. I also write in the top corner of each one (much like the denomination on a pound note) some initials so I know which one is which without having to get them all out and spread them over the table! For example OBE5 meaning All Bar One meal for £5 etc.

I know this may sound shallow, but it's not that my girlfriend minds, in fact she partial to a good voucher too! I just feel it doesn't ruin the atmosphere as much!

I'd be curious to hear if anyone else does something similar.

I agree with the general consensus on this thread - at a time like this when money is tight for a lot of people, voucher use is rarely frowned upon or an issue for embarrassment.

That said... I really like your idea of printing out the vouchers small and coding them on the back so you know what they are instantly. I print mine out default size (lazy!) which is often A4 and then end up spreading several across the table to find out what they are, which is not the most discreet! Top tip

sazzakins

Tibbs,The_Freebie_Hunter wrote: »

Coupon-Mad, my OH used to be the world's worst for voucher use, and he'd cringe when I opened my bag with vouchers spewing forth - for anything and everything.

Now, I seen a change in him too, and he even finds vouchers and codes for me.

He has started to see the end-result of frugality, which are improvements to home, better quality goods for less, etc.

I agree, the first time I used vouchers in a restaurant I KNEW my BF was embarrassed, I was too TBH but I showed no fear. Over the last year or so it has become more acceptable. When my parents first saw me cutting out vouchers from their sunday papers I got 'darling.. if your poor this month you will lend you..' now they want to know exactly what the bargain is and go out to buy the paper again!

jenniewb

It may help to know that for most people, they take their 'cues' on how to react about something, from other people. So if you hand over a voucher, and show your embarrassment or apologise about using it, others around you are more likely to then react as though you are doing something terribly wrong and humiliate things further.

Simply hand over the voucher, act as if you know exactly what your doing, as though you have done it 1000 times before and continue with what you were doing before hand (be it talking, packing your shopping bags in a supermarket, or finishing your glass of wine). Its then left to the other party to feel anything objective and raise any issues if there are any, and they are then likely to do so with the word "sorry" ahead of it. They then feel they are in the wrong.