Have you ever seen any of those “crazy” couponing TV shows? Do you have a friend that coupons religiously? I have a coworker who does and when you listen to him talk, you walk away surprised by how passionate someone can be about it. Coupons and discounting motivates people, especially when they’re facing financial hardship. But it doesn’t require hardship to get into it. A simple desire for frugality can turn us ordinary folks into minimalists. Don’t worry…it’s not something you have to be scared of.
In a world where prices are skyrocketing everywhere, everyone needs some form of plan, even outrageous ones that could lower their purchase price. Coupons are an essential part of many a broke person’s repertoire; however, coupons can be fit into anyone’s daily life with just a little bit of time and effort. Those who use coupons are getting savings across the board. So why shouldn’t the rest of us?
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Getting Coupons at the Right Time
Coupons are best sought after when you know there is a sale going on at your local grocery store, apparel store, electronic store, pet store or any other place you can think of. If you can pair a high value coupon with an awesome sale in-store, you can really rack up some exciting savings. Other great times to look for coupons are around any kind of holiday. Company’s love to circulate coupons around the holidays to get people to buy, buy, buy products geared towards holidays! And often enough the coupons are high value!
Businesses in general exist because they are able to make a sufficient profit on a product to continue their operations. At some point, there are product lines that may be occupying too much warehouse space and the business will need to get rid of them. Whatever the reasons are, such products are then sold at a great discount price by offering coupons to the customers. The same products may be the items that we see and consume on a regular basis. Their cost used to make us shake our heads, but over time we’ve forgotten how outrageously overpriced they are. With coupons, the price becomes more affordable.
Where to Find Coupons
The challenge is to know exactly where these coupons can be found but not everyone knows the right place. Luckily, coupons can be found in numerous places. Some easy places to find them include the Sunday newspaper and other circulars local to your grocery stores and neighborhood. Most consumers are now relying on the internet for shopping online savings over the other sources mentioned. If you really want to delve into the world of couponing, a lot of times you can find specific ones you are looking for by searching a company’s website or joining their e-mailing lists. Other great places to find coupons can include a company’s social networking site, adds in your everyday mail and special sites dedicated to bringing you coupons for groceries and other needed services.
I personally also like having them texted to me on my phone. Some consumers prefer using online coupons and promotional codes directly on the merchant’s website. Others take it to the store and let the cashier apply the discount. I like to use my smartphone. All of these offer options where you don’t have to print anything out. Even high end stores offer discounts. They might not be called coupons but if you get on the emailing list you’ll receive the discounted and sale offers.
Pros:
Pairing the right coupon with the right deal can save you tons of money and even make a purchase completely FREE! There’s a significant amount of savings on many items of daily use.
If you are on a strict budget, couponing can help you put away extra money for your family, bills and other debts.
After you have couponed for a while, you will most likely get a good feeling as to fair prices for certain items you are buying. With this savvy knowledge at hand, you can even learn to spot amazing deals WITHOUT coupons! Coupons that can be doubled is worth the time taken to collect them.
Easy to print, clip and carry in your wallet.
Cons:
If you let couponing overtake your life, people may forget who you are! Make sure to balance your couponing relationship evenly with your human and animal relationships!
Sometimes people do not read the coupons fine print closely enough and can plan a large trip with many coupons, only to find out at the register that the coupon has expired, is only for certain sizes of products or only covers a product up to a certain price.
Many coupons carry terms and conditions towards purchases. Some companies do not allow more than one coupon to be used for a single item. You are likely to see this pattern more than once in your experience with coupons.
Make sure you know each store’s coupon policy thoroughly before you start planning a grocery trip, coupons confidently in hand. You can get very flustered at the register if you realize as you are trying to check out that that store does not accept printed at home coupons, free product coupons, does not double coupons and much more.
John is the co- founder of Fearless Men; a blog for all to engage and discuss character growth, fitness, relationships and finances. John has lived in 9 countries, is an Army veteran, Christ Follower and wants to go white shark cage diving one day. He enjoys sports, reading, volunteering and learning. He is passionate about invigorating other men to join the adventure in becoming better men. Follow Fearless Men on Twitter, Facebook or G+.
Do you use coupons? How much do you save per month with coupons?
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