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?
Related:
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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myfijourney says
I've tried basic couponing several times in the past and I can't keep up with it. It just seems to take an extraordinary amount of effort and for some reason I never seem to buy things (especially groceries) that there are coupons for.
Lisa @ Cents To Save says
I am a sporadic coupon user. I tend to go gangbusters for a few months, then I get bored or overwhelmed and let it go. But, in a few months…. I will pick it backup again.
DC@Young Adult Money says
We use coupons all the time. Just this week my wife saved in excess of $100 on a $100ish purchase on groceries and other household items, all through couponing and matching up coupons with deals that were going on. The savings can really add up!
My recent post Friday Giveaway Roundup – 103 Giveaways
Sara says
I am super curious how much people save using coupons grocery shopping ? I use coupons but only on items that we actually use. Maybe I save 15-20 a week combining sales and coupons. I feel like I will never achieve "Extremem Couponing" totals because I buy things like fresh produce and meat that there are no coupons for. I do think there is the potential to save more using coupons but I haven't quite cracked the secret yet.
My recent post March 2013 Goals Update and April Goals
FrugalRules says
We use coupons from time to time, only on what we would normally buy though. We just don't have the time and son;t want to be buying things we don't need just to use a coupon.
My recent post Frugal Friday: Missing From a Wal-Mart Near You Edition
Alexa says
I tried using coupons for a few months when "Extreme Couponing" first aired. There's no doubt that you can get substantial savings but it just didn't stick with me. It was like a race to the store. If there was going to be a good deal on something the shelves would be cleared an hour after the store opened. That kinda turned me off to it. That some people were being obsessive and greedy with extreme couponing.
I do always search for discount codes when shopping online though.
My recent post Success: Everyone Starts at the Bottom
andiperullo says
My Mom is obsessed and she saves so much money, I've never used one in my life can you believe it? You've inspired me to start!
My recent post Cayman Islands: Day 4 (Part 2)
Alan@escapingmydebt says
You are touching on a subject my wife and I need to do a better job with each month. We used to use coupons more often but some where we stopped looking or cutting. The ones we get in the mail are usually for only a few products that we do not use or use very seldom so by the time we need them the coupon has expired. But I did used to go through my coupons before I went to the store to make sure they did not expire.
My recent post Financial Respite for Single Moms
Holly@ClubThrifty says
I use coupons but not as much as I used to. I don't have as much time to devote to it anymore….but I used to be obsessed!
Jon says
Another great post! My wife is an avid coupon user and has taught me to at least Google for a coupon on my iPhone while waiting in line to checkout at retail stores. A lot of her coupons are printed from online sites so I recently wrote a post about the costs associated with couponing – http://bit.ly/WE12hm – and was pretty surprised how much it costs to coupon. Thanks for the great thoughts about couponing!
My recent post Making Your Smartphone Pay for Itself
sugarcoatedsheridan says
I use some coupons but sometimes I pay for convenience because I think it takes too much time to drive to the certain store, clip the certain coupons, etc. There is no doubt that you can save a ton of money doing it though!
Budget & the Beach says
I use coupons loosely. I get the sunday paper but that's about it. Most of the foods in my opinion that have coupons are junk. But I'll use them for beauty/hygiene related products like hair color, toothpaste, makeup, etc. I just don't have that kind of time to get seriously into it.
My recent post Link Love/Week in Review 4/5/13
alwayshungry4 says
Whenever I watch the show on TLC, some of their stuff is useful but most are junky and things I wouldn't buy, anyway. If I happen to think about it, I'll look in the mailings, but I don't directly seek them out… maybe I should see what online coupons are about, though!
FinancialBlackSheep says
I signed up to receive email for a coupon site and some of my favorite stores. I have them automatically archived and marked as coupon so I never see them. If I am going to buy something I start searching my emails and looking for deals. It's easier this way and I never have to be overwhelmed by all of the information pushed at me. 🙂
Cece says
Uggh! I'll never be a solid couponer. I want to be so bad but it just never works out for me. I get them by e mail too. I print them out and go in the store and use 1 or 2 and that is if they even make it to the store. Those coupon junky's on TLC have lots of time that I don't, lots of space and are clearly obsessed. I can't be like them but I'd like to do better with coupons then I am.
My recent post Blogging is Bad for Your Budget
Jesusita says
Love reading this stuff. Keep up the good work!
Stephanie @CouponsRain says
Truly said by Michelle, Couponing has Pros as well as Cons but if we knew everything like a “Professional” or any person which uses it often then, its always a Plus point. 🙂 Online coupons are widely used for saving huge amount of money and site like RetailMenot, LavishCoupon, clothingRIC are superb in finding them. Thanks!