September is a great month for saving. It’s National College Savings Month. And it’s National Coupon Month. A whole month devoted to coupons.
With the recession still a reality for many, even though it is technically over, it becomes pretty clear that coupons are once again becoming an integral part of our lives. Coupons can help us live more frugally, saving us money on the things that we use regularly (and sometimes enticing us to buy things that maybe we don’t actually need).
The PMA Coupon Council conducted a survey recently, and had some pretty cool statistics about coupons. Here are some of the results from the coupon survey:
- Those who use coupons report that they save about 7% on grocery bills with coupons.
- 89% of the population uses coupons.
- Nearly all primary shoppers (97%) use coupons at the grocery store.
Other studies have been done showing that spending about a half an hour a week clipping and organizing coupons can result in savings of close to $1,000 a year. Of course, in order to realize such savings it is important that you plan your coupon use carefully. And, as you might imagine, you get better results when you combine offers, and when you plan your coupon use to coincide with sales. With a little effort, and a system, you could see those coupons for $1.00 really add up over time.
Give Coupons a Try in September
If you have been ambivalent about coupons, worried that they will not provide you with savings that are “worth the trouble”, maybe now is a good time to test them out. National Coupon Month is the perfect time to test out coupon clipping and see whether or not you can actually make your couponing efforts pay off. As you get ready to test out the idea of using coupons, consider the following tips to help you find better success:
- Use coupons on items you would buy anyway: Don’t buy something just because you have a coupon. Look for coupons on items you would normally buy anyway.
- Go looking for coupons: The Internet has provided us with a way to get coupons without needing to always wait for the Sunday paper. Look online, and even consider signing up for a free service that will alert you to coupons and deals for your favorite products.
- Organize your coupons: Use a system to organize your coupons. You should also compare your shopping list to the coupons that you have in your system. Make a note of which coupons are for products that happen to be on sale.
Couponing without a plan and a purpose is most likely to end in frustration. Just like nearly everything else in the world of personal and family finances, it is important to have a plan and a goal. If you just occasionally clip a coupon, without a strategy that can help you maximize the savings, you will be disappointed by the results. However, if you actively look for ways to use coupons and online promo codes as part of an overall strategy of saving, you are more likely to find the results you want.
{ 0 comments… add one now }