Using Coupons to Save Money

How do you go about saving money? There are a million and one ways to do this. But the one that gets lost in the shuffle and considered "old-fashioned" is the wonderful art of coupon cutting.

Coupons have been around for over 100 years. Starting with the first soft drink coupons were used to create attention to their products. They offered a chance for a person to try their product without having to lose much if anything at all. Companies began to catch onto this marketing strategy and coupons became more popular. As printing costs lowered, the coupon market surged. The housewife could buy brand name items and still stay within the family budget. What more could you ask for?

As time went on the generations began to reject much of their parents and grandparents "things". If they did something as part of their normal lives, it was rejected. The coupons were included. To cut out coupons was not modern. Ah, but to save money is.

Coupons save you money! That is if you are smart and know your stuff. Open up a magazine or the Sunday paper and you will find coupons. They even come in an envelope in the mail. In fact look for them on the internet. They are everywhere. Why? Because they help the seller and the buyer.

The seller gets the consumers attention and hopefully their loyalty. The consumer gets something cheaper. How can you make coupons work for you? Easily.

First you need to get to the coupons. Spend $1.00 or $2.00 for the Sunday paper and use the coupons. Look online and see what is out there. But here is where you need to be smart.

Be Smart - Don't just buy a product because you have a coupon for it. Yes, you will save $3.00 on the large package of diapers. Do you have a baby? Do you even know anyone who has a baby? If you don't need it or have any use for it, why buy it. You might be "saving" $3.00, but you are spending $11.00 more than you would have without knowing of the coupon. If you were planning on buying it anyway, use the coupon. If you need it and was waiting, use the coupon before it expires. If you were wanting to try this new product but was hesitant, see if now is the right time with a few cents off. Be smart.

The Cents Add Up - Don't ignore 5 cents off on a product. Those 5 cents add up! You will be amazed at how much you can save when you had the cashier a handful of coupons. A wise shopper might use 10 or 20 coupons per grocery run. They are watching for the deals.

Educate Yourself - Learn your local stores. Most stores are predictable on when they have sales though you might not know on what. If the coupon is not about to expire, hold on to it and combine with an in-store sale or other coupon. Many stores have special days where they double the value of the coupons you bring in up to a certain amount. Instead of saving $10 on that week's grocery run you could save $20. That could be just one week. If that happened every week you are looking at having an extra $1000 on hand. Who is not looking for that?

Comparison Shopping - Compare the coupon savings to other brands. Just because you have a coupon in your hand does not mean that you are going to get a better deal. One name brand coupon might only bring the product down 35 cents. The store brand could still be a dollar cheaper. Are you one to go for the cheapest? The coupon could give you a name brand at the cost of the generic so keep a close eye on this.

Coupons can be a great way to save money if handled wisely. Use them only when you were going to buy the item anyway, when you need the item, and when it saves you money. Start a coupon club at work or in your neighborhood. Therefore, if you have some coupons that you won't use, someone else could make use of them. Put your savings in a jar and have a family vacation before you know it. Check out what others are saying from their own experiences at their own sites or through their own ebooks. Coupons are proven to save money when used correctly.