Save money with coupons

Mar 19, 2012 10:28 AM by
Posted in Shopping / Bargains, Savings & Shopping Tips
Woman shopping with coupons

You've heard it before: "Coupons are a waste of time! What's the use in saving 40 cents? They're too much of a hassle." I used to think like that until a few years ago. But now I know better.

Coupons: Clutter
or cash?

Picture this: I was standing at the cash register in the grocery store, getting ready to pay, and I pulled out my envelope of coupons. The lady behind me sighed loudly, obviously annoyed because the wad of coupons I handed the cashier would slow things down. I smiled at the woman and said, "Lots of coupons, but I'm saving money!"

After a few minutes, the coupons were scanned, and to the amazement of the woman behind me, I saved $80! Original total: $100, savings $80 (80 percent) -- and only $20 out of pocket. How did I do it?

The secret to couponing success

A few years back, as a new stay-at-home mom and living on one income, I knew I had to find a way to save money at the grocery store and stockpile necessities like diapers. I started clipping the coupons in the Sunday paper. Then I moved on to magazines and local fliers that came in the mail. I started out using just an envelope for coupons, but as I got more involved in couponing, my storage system grew into a three-ring binder, complete with plastic baseball-card-holder pages to hold the coupons. This system has worked well for me the past few years.

Along with coupons from the Sunday paper, be sure to check these online coupon sites:

Here are seven great ways you can save with coupons -- starting right now!

CouponsAt the grocery store

This is the most obvious place to save money with coupons. The biggest secret of people who save the most at the store are those who match coupons with "loss leaders" -- those heavily discounted items they feature in their ads in order to get you through their door. I have gotten jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce for 50 cents, bags of brand-name diapers for $4, Gerber baby food for 20 cents a jar -- and have taken advantage of many other great offers.

4 Money-saving grocery shopping apps >>

Save money when eating out

Articles about the frugal lifestyle usually recommend always cooking at home. This is an obvious way to save money, but sometimes you need a treat or a break from the kitchen! I've saved on eating out by purchasing the Entertainment book, clipping coupons from the local Pennysaver fliers, buying coupon booklets (for instance, at Halloween, McDonald's sells a coupon booklet) and of course, offers that are featured in the Sunday newspaper. And while saving is good, what about free? If you sign up for the mailing list on the website of your favorite restaurant, many offer free food for your birthday. (See a great list of birthday clubs here!) Also, keep an eye out for restaurants that offer "Kids eat free" nights each week -- you can usually get two free kiddie meals with the purchase of one adult entree. Find out about restaurants that have clubs or special offers right here.

Get discounts on car maintenance

I never pay full price for an oil change or any other routine service on our cars. We receive coupons in the mail from the local franchises and dealerships, and we use those to save $10 or more off the normal cost of an oil change. If you're going in for warranty work on your vehicle, some dealers will change the oil -- and wash your car -- free of charge.

hammerSave on household maintenance

For household maintenance, we subscribe to Angie's List to find the best plumbers, landscapers and more. Angie's List also includes coupons, both on the website and in their monthly magazine.

Save when renting movies

I've found there are always movie rental coupons around. Whether it's a 99-cent rental for Blockbuster or a free rental at Hollywood Video, get video rental cards for both places and take advantage of those coupons! Also check out places to rent movies online -- they will either be mailed to you or you can download them to your PC or TiVo. Look into Netflix and Amazon.com's Unbox on-demand download service. Sure beats paying $4 per rental.

Swap with friends

Do you often find coupons for things you just don't use -- such as diapers, frozen meals or a certain brand of shampoo? Consider starting a local coupon exchange club. Get together with a few friends once a month, clip all the coupons you can find and swap the coupons you don't need for the ones you want. You can also find coupon exchanges online, including one at couponless.com.

Use online coupon codes

My motto is "Never pay more than I have to!" This includes finding the best deals online. Whether it's free shipping or 10 to 20 percent off, it's worth looking for promo codes. Check out the Points & Prizes blog for coupon codes, freebies and contest links, updated daily. You can also visit amazing-bargains.com for a list of thousands of coupon codes for online stores.

Once you get started saving money by couponing, you'll be hooked -- and you'll be that much richer, too!

More on budgeting and saving

The busy woman's guide to couponing
5 Tips for shopping and saving big
Best coupon apps for the iPhone

Tags: groceries

More From SheKnows Explorer

Comments

Comments on "Save money with coupons"

Arya mer January 18, 2013 | 3:21 AM

Its really a great post about Coiupons. I like this post.........

Lois May 12, 2011 | 12:51 PM

I am teaching diabled individuals how to shop on a budget. Good information.

bonnie January 31, 2010 | 4:45 PM

I went to the store and used coupons, my bill started out at 144.01 and then it ended up being only 81.75.With a savings of 61.00 dollars that is the most yet.

Nitesh Mundra July 01, 2009 | 3:00 AM

one very good coupon site is swoopup , it it user friendly and very easy to use and the offers listed are just exceptional.

Jim Curtz June 10, 2009 | 12:04 AM

Excellent Article! Coupon Refund

sammiekat February 14, 2009 | 2:03 PM

Another site everyone should check out that should be on your next list of the best coupon sites is Dealio. Imo, they have the best coverage of coupon codes as well as printable coupons. I frequently use their codes for Victoria's Secret, Macy's, Kohls, and Target. Here's the link if you're interested- http://www.dealio/

Laura Williams January 12, 2009 | 1:48 PM

Glad to see another person using the binder. I started the binder method in the 90's and posted on couple of message boards where it took off like wild fire. I am reading about many people using it now. So fun! Laura's Couponing and Refunding Hints &Tips http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot/2007/07/lauras-couponing-and-refunding-hints.html and Coupon Binder and BONUS: Woman's Day Article Featuring Me http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot/2008/09/comment-from-reader-coupon-binder-and.html

Mic January 07, 2009 | 11:05 AM

A lot of stores in my area won't accept coupons printed from websites ... so call before you shop! Better safe than sorry.

Karen October 26, 2008 | 6:57 AM

It is so hard to get organized but I have found coupon codes to be useful when ordering anything on line and won't buy without somesort of coupon code. A site I have found to be very useful is hotcouponworld.

Jo September 25, 2008 | 6:51 PM

Hands down retailmenot is the best online coupon site. Surprised you didn't mention it.

Cheryl Anderson May 20, 2008 | 6:00 AM

People can also save money like our Glendale, AZ neighbourhood has been doing - use a bargain website (like Unodeals ) and monitor it everyday and more often during hot promotional times of the year. Be the first one to buy the bargains that come up as they finish quickly.

Mike Allen May 14, 2008 | 1:40 PM

Great suggestions! You mentioned online coupon codes and one coupon site. I'd like to invite you to check out my company's coupon site at http://www.shoppingbargains. We have staff-edited coupons and deals (including a number of exclusive ones) for more than 1000 online stores. You can set up "deal squeal alerts" that are emailed to you with coupons/deals based on the shopping categories of your choice.

+ Add Comment


(required - not published)