Home > Living a Better LIFE > Archives > 2009 > May > 27 > Entry
People, start your clipping
I am hooked on coupons.
At 27, I have always known the power of coupons. I just have never harnessed that power … until now.
On Saturday, a friend from church, Melody, showed me what someone who spent some time and serious effort on coupons could do. Before this weekend, I was like many people who get the Sunday paper. I looked at the sale papers for items I might like. I went through the coupon circulars and clipped the ones I thought I could use. I always have been careful to avoid buying something just because I had a coupon. You are not saving if you never would have bought the item without a coupon and end up spending money.
The coupon subculture is entirely too big and complicated for me to fully explore in a single blog. There are entire Web sites dedicated to this stuff that do a better job than me. I will just give some of the highlights about what I have learned.
Harris Teeter regularly doubles coupons valued at 99 cents or less. Starting today and ending Tuesday, the store will triple coupons. When applied correctly, you can get dozens of items free or for a few cents. I think this is the Holy Grail for coupon-savvy shoppers. I went to the store about 8 a.m., and several items on sale already were sold out. Considering the triple coupons didn’t start until 7 a.m., those were some dedicated shoppers.
Drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens have reward programs that give you vouchers toward future purchases when you buy certain products. Melody warned me I probably would mess it up the first time I tried it, and she was right. For some good instructions on how to use these programs to your advantage, follow these links for instructions on the rewards programs at CVS and Walgreens.
There are tons of bloggers out there who do nothing but update people on deals, coupons and freebies. I have found a few favorites, but I know you will find more if you keep look. Some of the ones I have found are www.coupongeek.net and www.thefreebieblogger.com.
The Sunday paper is a great source for coupons that you will not find anywhere else. There also is a wealth of printable coupons to be found online. Some of the biggest sources are www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com and www.afullcup.com.
As I said, this is just a drop in the bucket of the coupons and deals that are out there. I will say up front, this probably is not a hobby for people with no free time. It takes time to find these coupons, cut them out and keep them organized so you are not dropping them all over the grocery store floor. But when done properly, these coupons can be huge money savers. Melody went to Harris Teeter and bought $130 worth of groceries for $33. Another friend bought $120 worth for $50.
Someday I hope to reach those highs, or should I say lows.
Have any good coupon or money saving tips for your fellow readers? Share your thoughts by commenting here or e-mail me at lmcfarland@coxnc.com.
Comments
By nbr
November 4, 2009 5:38 AM | Link to this
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