Since the recession, there has been a large increase in people wanting to be more frugal. Watching the amount of money that is spent at the grocery store has encouraged many people to step back and decide how to become more frugal in other areas of spending as well.
Using coupons can save you a lot of money – If you don’t subscribe to the weekly newspaper or get coupons from a magazine, there are other ways to obtain coupons. There are several coupon sites where you can print coupons. You will have to download a program to your computer to print them. You are required to have this program because there is a limit on how many coupons can be printed from each computer.
You may be surprised to learn that many people purchase coupons on the Internet. You can always find coupons on E-bay. Several legitimate websites also sell coupons. Be sure the coupons are manufacturer coupons that come from magazines or inserts from the Sunday paper. Most sellers will have a picture of the coupons they are selling or will tell buyers in the details if the coupons are from inserts and magazines or printed from the Internet. If you are not sure, ask the seller before you bid or purchase them.
Before bidding on an auction, be sure the seller has a 95 percent or higher feedback as well as several positive ratings. Read the reviews to see what others are saying about the seller. There may be some negative feedback simply because the buyer did not read the entire auction or you may find that the seller has bad business practices. Do not be in such a hurry to buy something that you skip the specifics about what you will be purchasing.
Trade or start a coupon box to save money – If you often have coupons that you don’t use, consider joining a group of shoppers that trade coupons. This can be a local group or a group online.
You may also want to check the grocery store or other places you visit – such as the local library, coffee shop or a group that you belong to – to see if they have a coupon box for people to leave coupons they won’t use and take coupons they will use. If there is not a coupon box, ask management if you could set one out. Make a small note on an index card explaining what the container or shoebox is for, leave some coupons in the box and each visit to the store you can find coupons and leave those you do not use.
Make a price book – Some people will keep a small notebook in their purse or with their re-usable grocery bags to have paper handy to jot down the price of products they normally buy. These can be very useful when trying to decide if something is really a good deal or if you should walk away from it.
I found Folgers decaf instant coffee on sale for $2 at a local drug store that was regularly priced $7. I also had coupons that brought the price down even more. This is one sale price that is obviously a good deal for anyone who drinks instant coffee. However, I did check my price book to see that Wal-Mart sold the same coffee for $6.
Making changes in your spending may help you realize that you need to continue this way of shopping. Keep a record of the money you have saved and use it to buy something special or start a savings account to earn some interest on the money