Coupon Smarts: 10 Super Saver Strategies
“A penny saved is a penny earned,” said Benjamin Franklin, an American founding father and humorist.
Coupon clippers know this truth firsthand. With grocery prices rising almost daily, the ranks of couponing savers is growing nearly as quickly. Smart shoppers understand that free coupons, used wisely, can equal free money. Those15-cent, 25-cent, 50-cent and 75-cent coupons can quickly add up to real dollars, if you use them strategically.
How can you make the most of coupons to maximize your cash savings at the checkout counter? Try these 10 Super Saver Strategies for coupon clippers.
Coupon Smarts: Make Couponing a Family Project.
Do you have children in the home? Why not enlist your youngsters in the coupon challenge? Make it motivating. How about offering each child half of the savings from the coupons he or she collects and presents in the grocery store? What a wonderful and practical way to teach thrifty shopping and financial responsibility.
Coupon Smarts: Check Your Local Newspaper.
Most daily newspapers offer grocery coupons on Thursday and Sundays. Thursday newspapers usually include a food section with recipes, store sales notices and clip-out product coupons. The big Sunday newspapers most often include pull-out sections from local grocery stores, as well as manufacturers’ own product coupons.
Even if you do not subscribe to a daily newspaper, your coupon-clipping savings may quickly recover the newsstand cost of the Thursday and Sunday papers.
Coupon Smarts: Sort Your Daily Mail.
Before you toss out your junk mail, be sure to flip through the advertising packets. You may be surprised to find product coupons that you can actually use.
If you are willing to complete supermarket surveys and direct-mail questionnaires for consumers, you will likely find yourself amassing plenty of direct-mail grocery coupons.
Coupon Smarts: Look for Coupons Online.
A simple internet browser search may reveal dozens of websites offering freeprintable coupons for groceries and other items.
Although this list is neither exhaustive nor an endorsement of any listed sites, it may get you started in your quest for online printable coupons.
You can find online printable coupons (usually arranged by product category) at Cool Savings, Coupon Mom, Coupon Mountain, Coupons.Com, Grocery Coupons, My Coupon Hunter, Online Coupons, Print Coupons, Retail Me Not,Smart Source, Store Coupons Now, The Grocery Game, Wow Coupons and many other websites.
Some of these printable coupon sites do require enrollment, and a few actually charge for membership. Still, the potential savings may often outweigh the initial cost.
Coupon Smarts: Practice Coupon Swapping and Pass-Alongs.
As you begin collecting coupons, you may find it helpful to share unused coupons with friends, family members, neighbors or coworkers.
Why not place a bin or basket by the water cooler at the office or on the counter in the locker room at the gym? Folks can poke through the pile to find coupons they can use, while leaving their own extras.