I used to never worry about clipping coupons. I always did alright, never had to pinch a penny and frankly, I thought coupons were for someone else to use. Someone, who needed them, kind of like social security, it's for those in need. I still feel like that about social security, basically if both your hands and feet work and you got half a brain, ya don't need it, because you can work and pay your way.
When the economy took a nosedive right around 2008, even I was just like before, always working, always putting my best foot forward, but I started to feel the pinch, just like many thousands of others. Suddenly things weren't going so great, and it was just around that time, I changed my view of the whole coupon game.
Truly, it is a game, and if you figure out the strategy, the system to the madness, it can actually be fun and save you a ton of money in the process. Let me put it to you this way: If you find a ten dollar bill laying on the ground, do you pick it up? Most likely your answer is 'yes'. If you ask me, picking up that ten dollar bill is a lot like picking up a couple of coupons, say, from a circular in a store, in a newspaper or even online and using them to save money on the things you were already going to buy. Basically, coupons are found money.
In this economy, where even the routine trip to the grocery store puts a strain on our wallets, coupons to me, have become almost a necessity. It's money, laying around for you to use, it costs you virtually no effort to obtain them and they can save you big-time. I see it like this, coupons allow your money to stretch a lot further. You may argue that you spend the same amount at the grocery store still, and while that may be true, I can honestly say, it keeps my pantry stocked and I get a lot more product for the amount of money I spend. With coupons, I manage to save between 25% and 50% on the things on my list, combine them with store deals and you got yourself a cart full of stuff, spending exactly what you would have before on only half the items.
I'm lucky enough to live in a state where Publix is my main supermarket. Publix is famous for its 2 for 1 deals."BOGO", as 'us couponers' like to call it. You get to buy two for the price of one. Already a great deal, but as the avid couponer knows: I can do better than that! This is where the game comes in. The hunt for the coupon to "stack" on top of the deal. Get a manufacturer's coupon AND a store coupon on top of the BOGO deal and you're something like the uncrowned coupon-queen (or king). Things like that can easily reduce the original shelf price to a mere fraction of it, enabling you to end up with way more product for way less money.
Interestingly, if you spend just an extra minute or two to think about a purchase that you're going to make, it may well be worth your while to check for a coupon or deal. It may not be right for everyone, but for me, it did two things:
ONE: I think before I buy. This allows me to check for a deal on the store shelf or in the store circular, because quite frankly, does it really matter if you buy Wheat Thins this week and Cheez-it's the next, or the other way round? I go with the deal and get more for my money, next time the other crackers are on sale, I'll get them then. Follow the deal, you'll get more product. Simple as that.
TWO: When ordering or buying big items, I always go online and even just do a google search for a coupon for a particular item. The last time I did that, I had to buy contact lenses, an absolute necessity for me, I saved $30 off and free shipping, a total of $50 OFF my order instantly, just because I spent exactly ONE MINUTE searching for a coupon code.
I'll always have that minute to do that. That minute, paid for my next water bill. Think about it. Try it. What do you have to lose???
By the way, my last grocery bill was $125.00 before coupons. After coupons, it was $76.
Here are some sites that I can recommend, to use or check for discounts before you buy.
http://thefrugalgirls.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com
http://www.coupons.com
http://www.redplum.com
When the economy took a nosedive right around 2008, even I was just like before, always working, always putting my best foot forward, but I started to feel the pinch, just like many thousands of others. Suddenly things weren't going so great, and it was just around that time, I changed my view of the whole coupon game.
Truly, it is a game, and if you figure out the strategy, the system to the madness, it can actually be fun and save you a ton of money in the process. Let me put it to you this way: If you find a ten dollar bill laying on the ground, do you pick it up? Most likely your answer is 'yes'. If you ask me, picking up that ten dollar bill is a lot like picking up a couple of coupons, say, from a circular in a store, in a newspaper or even online and using them to save money on the things you were already going to buy. Basically, coupons are found money.
In this economy, where even the routine trip to the grocery store puts a strain on our wallets, coupons to me, have become almost a necessity. It's money, laying around for you to use, it costs you virtually no effort to obtain them and they can save you big-time. I see it like this, coupons allow your money to stretch a lot further. You may argue that you spend the same amount at the grocery store still, and while that may be true, I can honestly say, it keeps my pantry stocked and I get a lot more product for the amount of money I spend. With coupons, I manage to save between 25% and 50% on the things on my list, combine them with store deals and you got yourself a cart full of stuff, spending exactly what you would have before on only half the items.
I'm lucky enough to live in a state where Publix is my main supermarket. Publix is famous for its 2 for 1 deals."BOGO", as 'us couponers' like to call it. You get to buy two for the price of one. Already a great deal, but as the avid couponer knows: I can do better than that! This is where the game comes in. The hunt for the coupon to "stack" on top of the deal. Get a manufacturer's coupon AND a store coupon on top of the BOGO deal and you're something like the uncrowned coupon-queen (or king). Things like that can easily reduce the original shelf price to a mere fraction of it, enabling you to end up with way more product for way less money.
Interestingly, if you spend just an extra minute or two to think about a purchase that you're going to make, it may well be worth your while to check for a coupon or deal. It may not be right for everyone, but for me, it did two things:
ONE: I think before I buy. This allows me to check for a deal on the store shelf or in the store circular, because quite frankly, does it really matter if you buy Wheat Thins this week and Cheez-it's the next, or the other way round? I go with the deal and get more for my money, next time the other crackers are on sale, I'll get them then. Follow the deal, you'll get more product. Simple as that.
TWO: When ordering or buying big items, I always go online and even just do a google search for a coupon for a particular item. The last time I did that, I had to buy contact lenses, an absolute necessity for me, I saved $30 off and free shipping, a total of $50 OFF my order instantly, just because I spent exactly ONE MINUTE searching for a coupon code.
I'll always have that minute to do that. That minute, paid for my next water bill. Think about it. Try it. What do you have to lose???
By the way, my last grocery bill was $125.00 before coupons. After coupons, it was $76.
Here are some sites that I can recommend, to use or check for discounts before you buy.
http://thefrugalgirls.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com
http://www.coupons.com
http://www.redplum.com
