With gas prices floating around $ 3.50 a gallon this summer, we are all looking for ways to save money. Daily deals are great ways to save money on restaurants and services. But you aren’t likely to get a text message about deals on toilet paper, spaghetti sauce or peanut butter.
For those everyday things we want to spend less on, coupons remain a thriving option. In 2009, U.S. homes redemeed 3.3 billion coupons and coupon-ing has morphed from novel obsession to accepted practice for penny pinchers of all kinds.
Stephanie Thomas of Springfield, Mo., is a recent convert to the ways of the coupon. She said she has cut her grocery bill from $ 150 to $ 50 a week, spending 3-4 hours a week clipping, gathering and organizing her coupons. We asked her to share her secrets to mastering coupons.
1. NOT ALL COUPONS ARE ALIKE â€" Thomas said she scours newspapers from Springfield, St. Louis and Kansas City on Sundays. They aren’t always duplicates. Thomas said she’s seen the same coupon for a product offering 33 cents off in Springfield offering 55 cents off in Kansas City. The same theory applies when using online coupons. Thomas said consider using a different zip code than your own. You may get a bigger bargain.
2. USE THE WEB â€" Thomas said she supplements her coupon clipping with her favorite coupon sites. Couponsmoms.com, Facebook and Coupons.com are her favorites.
3. SHOP MULTIPLE STORES â€" Thomas passes several grocery stores and retailers on her way to work. She shops around and boasts of receipts showing $ 40 and $ 50 saved on a single visit.
4. WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK â€" Manufacturers offer coupons on their own sites. But if you don’t find what you’re looking for, ask. Thomas said she sent a company an e-mail asking about deals on bananas. The company e-mailed her back with printable coupons.
5. NEGOTIATE â€" Thomas said for big ticket items, swallow your pride and negotiate. Thomas said she talked an $ 80 purse down to $ 30 at a Branson outlet store and has saved lots of money bargaining with retailers on her refrigerator, TV and washer/dryer. The key to success: be willing to walk away. “I know what I want to pay for it. If they can’t come down, that’s fine. I can go somewhere else and see if they will or fine something else,†Thomas said.
Thomas and her colleague Christa Davis will lead an “extreme couponing†seminar Wednesday June 15 at 3 p.m. at the CU Community Credit Union, 818 N. Benton Ave., Springfield. You can RSVP for the event or e-mail marketing@mycucommunity.com. Call 417-865-3912 for more information.
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