Cashing In On Coupons by Vanessa Houk

0104.Joy.09
596 words

Learn the value of


Cashing in on Coupons

By Vanessa Houk


A smart shopper realizes that coupons are "money.”


When the Salvation Army called for donations of turkeys and food in November, my family donated hundreds of dollars worth of food and several turkeys-and yet we have been mostly unemployed for the past year.

How can an unemployed family of four spend less than $200 a month on groceries and still be able to donate such a large amount of food to our local food bank? By understanding how to use coupons and sales to maximize savings. I’ve saved thousands of dollars in the last year and you can too, but first, you'll need to know a few basics.

Coupons can be found in newspapers, magazines and in the "blinky machines" in our local stores. While you might be tempted to skip over the items your family doesn't already buy, sometimes, high value coupons can make products free or very inexpensive. For example, I don't normally buy butter because it’s expensive, but there were some recent Sunday circular coupons for a dollar off on a package of Challenge butter. Those coupons combined with a good in-store sale netted free butter for my holiday baking. If I had skipped the coupons, I would have missed that great freebie. Or an even better example: A few months ago there was a coupon for $10 off Grab It mops (an item that I might have passed over if it were not for the high value of the coupon). When I priced the mops, they were $18-$24-not that great of a deal until Safeway offered them on sale for $9.99 and I was able to get several for free. A smart shopper realizes that coupons are "money.”

You'll need a file to keep your coupons in. I use a cheap one I found at the dollar store. It won't last forever, but it works for now. I like to file by category so that when I need something it will be easy to find.

On Wednesdays, the Mail Tribune includes local grocery ads. Some people loathe ads, but I love them. They allow me to compare prices. This way I save time and money. I am not brand loyal and I rarely pay full price for anything.

Many people are not aware that you can combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons. For example, Fred Meyer offered a store coupon for Ritz crackers at four for $5, which is a good price in itself. I had four one-dollar-off-coupons for Nabisco crackers, so I got four large boxes of crackers for just a buck. Smart shoppers know that when you come across a good deal like that, it’s time to stock up. Having a stockpile of things that you buy regularly will help you trim your budget on a long-term basis.

To maximize savings I watch for rebate offers that I can combine with my coupon deals. There are many good offers out at any given time, so part of the "grocery game" is to see what else I can get for free once I'm home from shopping. We've enjoyed free movie passes, toys, magazine subscriptions, T-shirts and more. Not only is "couponing" a fun hobby, but the rewards can help you enjoy a better life. So start clipping and watch your savings add up!