Do Coupons Really Save You Money?
Filed under: Frugal/Simplified Living, Great Deals, Saving Money
As we transition into a new year many will set goals to reduce household spending and reduce debt. This is a good time to consider the use of coupons to reduce spending and how to get started.
In this tough economy, “couponing” is receiving serious consideration in many households. So do coupons really save you money or Are They a Waste of Time? The short answer to this question is yes. But, you have to have a system in place for cutting them and storing them in order to have your coupons accessible so you will use them.
When I started using coupons years ago, they were really only available in the newspaper. You could cut them out of the Sunday paper and they were good for a month or two. Now, the availability of coupons is endless. They can still be found in the newspaper and magazines, but are now in abundance in printable form from websites and in the form of online coupons that are great when shopping on the Internet. With so many choices for coupons, there’s no reason not to be saving every time you shop. Here are some ways that coupons can save you a lot of green.
1. Cut out coupons for the grocery store. People have to eat. It’s a fact of life. Those coupons in the Sunday paper are good for everything from cat food to candy bars (not that you should eat a lot of those). Snip all that may apply to your household needs.
2. Get organized. Make your own coupon organizer or use a ready-made 
coupon organizer like the highly-acclaimed Couponizer. The Couponizer does the organization for you – it makes it easy to categorize your coupons by type and/or expiration. Every time you go to the grocery store, you can easily pull out the stack of coupons that pertain to the goodies in your cart or coupons that will soon be expiring. The feature I appreciate most about The Couponizer is that it lays flat in my cart so I can be hands-free and not have to fumble with the accordian type that I used to use.
3. Use coupons for other things besides the grocery store. Coupons can be found in magazines on advertising pages and in amongst your mail on other days of the week. There are coupons for restaurants, car repairs, mattresses and carpet steam cleaning. Everyone will need car repairs at some point (especially after your last payment) so those auto coupons can come in handy.
4. Present your coupon before you buy in some instances. This applies to restaurants and car repairs. If you have any questions about the coupon’s validity, ask before you spend the time shopping. If you can have your brakes serviced for $100, be sure that it includes both sets of brakes and the rotors and/or brake pads. Know what you are getting so you can judge if the coupon is a good deal.
5. Look for other bargains to pair with your coupons. Coupons can be just like money – it burns a hole in your pocket. If you have a coupon for 20 percent off your purchase at an electronics store, shop the store circular to see if they have anything on sale that you want to purchase. Save that 20 percent off coupon for when that laptop you want goes on sale. Now, you’ll get an extra percentage off the total price.
6. Use store incentives. Some stores (mostly grocery stores) offer coupons and discounts just for signing up for their store incentive card. Just by walking in the store, you receive a discount on many items they sell. In combination with a coupon you can save more.
Coupons can save you money on clothing, groceries, automotive needs, toys, travel, movies and more. Be sure to read coupons carefully for restrictions and black-out times. To get the most bang for your buck, keep your coupons in easy reach when you’re leaving the house, or keep them in the car. Afterall, unless you’re shopping on-line you will always be using coupons while out and about.
Originally posted 2009-12-27 20:28:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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I used to participate in coupon exchange clubs, where you could trade coupons you didn’t need for others you could use. I didn’t know whether such things still existed but apparently they do – http://consumereducation.suite101.com/article.cfm/trading_coupons_on_the_web
If you decide to get involved with this type of activity, you really have to be careful that it doesn’t take up so much of your time that it ends up offsetting any money you save!
I like to keep an envelope of coupons clipped to my fridge next to my grocery list. It reminds me to look through them for any relevant ones as I’m taking my grocery list off the fridge to take to the store.
I think in order to truly save money with coupons, however, you have to use them mainly on items you would normally buy anyway. Often, if you switch brands in order to use the coupon, you don’t end up saving money over all.
Great post!
The coupons you get with the Sunday paper are a great way to save money. They can also help you organize your meals for upcoming weeks. The one drawback is the time it takes to search for and clip the ones you will really use. I much prefer the instant gratification of online coupons.