Smile! Choosing a Professional Photographer for Your Special Event

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

Summer brings about many momentous occasions, like weddings, anniversary parties, reunions; the types of events that you may very well want to capture with photographs. While virtually everyone is in constant possession of a camera on their person these days, special occasions such as these may be cause to employ the talents and experience of a professional photographer. A professional is adept at capturing both the little and big moments of an occasion with an objective and creative eye, while freeing up participants to enjoy the event itself. Not to mention, professional photographic equipment is far superior to that which the average person carries and will produce much better images. If you can possibly afford it, a professional photographer is worth the investment to record the memories of these once-in-a-lifetime events.

There’s no doubt, however, that the services of a pro don’t come cheap – nor should they. The expertise, talent, experience and equipment they bring to the party are worth a lot. Ideally, you want the best quality and service that you can afford, without paying for that which is superfluous. Here’s how to choose the right professional photographer so that your dollars are spent wisely and you come away with the best possible photographic record of your occasion:

Wise Choices When Considering Professional Photography

  • Get a feel for the photographer’s work. Even if you’re working with a studio, meet the specific photographer who will be photographing your event in person. Look at his or her actual photos and not just representative photos from several photographers employed by the studio. Do they please your eye? Are they the types of photos you’d like to see of your occasion? Examine the small details – are the photos well-balanced and pleasantly arranged? Ask for references and contact some previous customers for feedback on their experience and their level of satisfaction.
  • Get a feel for the photographer’s personality. The best photographer for you will be able to convey that they can and will:
    • put subjects at ease in order to capture the best shots
    • respect your requests for specific photos
    • be flexible and “go with the flow” of the event rather than being unnecessarily rigid
    • exercise their creativity to capture the flavor of the occasion
    • capture spontaneous moments
  • Pay for what you need and nothing more. Photography “packages” can be confusing and probably include items you don’t want or need. While they may seem to represent a bargain because of all they include, you may be better off streamlining your choices when trying to keep the cost down. If you must go with a package, choose a modest one that will provide the services you absolutely require. Remember that the point is to get those precious photos taken of your event. What you ultimately do with them can be decided once the high emotions of the event are said and done and you know which and how many of the photos you really want to purchase, copy and put into an album.
  • Limit the photographer’s time. Consider hiring the photographer for a finite amount of time rather than for the entire event. Get those portraits taken, some candid and casual photos shot, and have him or her be done. A professional’s time is much of what you’re paying for, so limiting the amount of it spent in the field could help keep down your overall cost.

You’ll be forever grateful to have recorded your special occasion with professional photos! The potentially high cost can be mitigated with careful consideration of your needs and the photographer.

How do you keep professional photographer costs down?

Biblical Principles of Money Management: Budgeting

by Jessica Sommerfield · 1 comment

You probably don’t think of the Bible as a resource for financial advice. Finance is, of course, not its main theme. But the truth is that the Bible contains many nuggets of wisdom for handling your finances, touching on a range of topics such as:

  • The importance of planning (budgeting & saving)
  • The dangers of materialism
  • Contentment
  • Lending and borrowing (debt)
  • Giving
  • Stewardship/diligence

When you consider the wisdom of many of these financial or finance-applicable concepts, you will realize they are definitely not too outdated for use in in the modern world; and, if they are practiced, can keep you from financial ruin.

The first financial topic I have listed is budgeting. Although budgeting isn’t a word you’ll find in the Bible, the concept of budgeting can be found throughout Scripture. The book of Proverbs, in particular, has a lot to say about the wisdom of planning and the careful use of resources.

Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. – Proverbs 24:3-4

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty. – Prov. 21:5

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spends it up. – Prov. 21:20

A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider that poverty will come upon him. – Prov. 28:20

Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. – Prov. 6:6-8

As you can see, the concept of budgeting is not a modern one. Even in ancient times, before the time of spreadsheets, pie charts, and checking accounts, it was considered wise (and necessary) to carefully plan the use of one’s resources. In terms of the agrarian lifestyle, wise planners wouldn’t burn through the food or money they collected from the harvest of their crops. They would consider the reality that winter was coming, so they needed to plan ahead to avoid starvation.

Hastening after Riches

Few of us have to face starvation as result of our poor financial planning, but we do have to deal with unaffordable emergencies, missed opportunities, poor credit scores, or bankruptcy due to excessive spending and failing to save money. In our consumer-driven culture, it’s easy to get caught up in obtaining possessions rather than building wealth for the future. Countless stories exist of people who hastily spent their fortunes without planning for the future and now live in financial ruin and poverty.

Consider the Ant

Another application easily gleaned from these passages is that of planning for our retirement. Just as ants work hard while it’s still summer in preparation for the hibernation of winter, we are wise to work hard while we’re still young and able so we have plenty stored up when we are no longer able to earn a living. In practical terms, this means setting up a 401K, an IRA, and other investment accounts when we begin our careers and not touching them until we retire.

Budgeting, saving and retirement planning are modern terms for concepts that are as old as time. Taking a look at the ageless wisdom of Biblical concepts of money management is beneficial in examining our finances to ensure we are on the path to financial success.

No Space to Grow Vegetables? Try Container Gardening as a Frugal Alternative

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

Growing your own vegetables can be a rewarding and economical way to have the freshest produce this summer. But vegetable gardening may not seem feasible to you if you:

  • have no yard at all
  • have a very small garden area
  • have garden space that’s not suitable for growing vegetables

There is a solution: You can grow vegetables in containers! Yes, container gardening allows you the opportunity to grow produce without an entire “vegetable patch.” Containers can be located in ideal growing locations (on a deck or patio, along a sunny wall or strategically spaced around your yard), allowing you to garden almost anywhere.

Benefits of container gardens

In some ways, containers are preferable to gardens in the ground. Container gardens are less prone to insect and other pest problems because they aren’t at ground level. They’re also more physically convenient to tend because they sit higher, minimizing stooping and bending.

Important considerations for container gardening

  • Choose a container that’s large enough to accommodate the root system of the vegetable planted. If the container is too small, plant growth may be stifled, causing small fruits and minimal production.
  • Plants that grow tall (like tomatoes and peppers) should be planted in deeper containers so as to avoid becoming top-heavy.
  • Herbs and salad greens can be planted in shallower containers.

Containers for growing vegetables

Other than choosing one of an appropriate size, the sky’s the limit when choosing planters! Whatever container you choose should allow for proper drainage so the roots won’t rot; if it doesn’t have holes to let excess water escape, punch or drill some. Vegetables can be planted in such creative and inexpensive vessels as:

  • galvanized or plastic buckets
  • child’s wagon
  • repurposed desk drawers
  • wheelbarrow
  • child’s wading pool
  • recycling bin, trash/garbage can
  • a heavy-duty plastic bag inside a milk crate
  • bathtubs, sinks and toilet bowls
  • storage bins
  • canvas shopping bags

Potting mix for container-grown vegetables

It is advised that you plant vegetables in a potting mix rather than garden soil. Garden soil alone is too dense and compact for the close-confines of a container. It may also be too alkaline or acidic, contain fungus, diseases, weed seeds or insects that could hinder vegetable growth. A light, well-aerated potting mix containing peat moss and/or vermiculite or perlite will drain easily and provide the ideal growing medium for your plants. Soil and soilless mixtures are commercially available for container growing. Seeds and seedlings can be planted directly in containers at the same time planting in the ground is recommended.

Container garden placement

Locate containers properly for best growth and vegetable production. South, west or east exposures are the sunniest; most plants need a minimum of six hours of sun daily. Northern exposure will be shadier but may work for leafy vegetables that prefer cooler growing conditions.

Watering container-grown vegetables

Proper watering is crucial to the health of container-grown plants. Poke a stick into the soil to gauge when watering is necessary. If soil sticks to it, watering isn’t necessary; if the stick comes out clean, water immediately. Watering container gardens twice per day could be necessary in the hottest temperatures, but over watering can wash away nutrients.

Fertilizer

A fertilizing strategy should be employed for container gardens. Add a slow-release fertilizer at planting time to get plants off to a strong start. Then, when plants begin to produce, add a water-soluble fertilizer to replace nutrients lost during their vigorous growth and alleviate the stress of contained roots.

With container growing, almost anyone, anywhere, can grow vegetables, conveniently and affordably.

Have you grown vegetables in a container?

Shopping? Watch Out for these Ad Buzzwords

by Miranda Marquit · 0 comments

One of the best ways to ensure that you get the best bargain is to shop around. But, even as you shop around you might be taken in by certain buzzwords on an ad.

As you do your shopping, make sure that you dig a little deeper to make sure you are getting true value for your money. Money Adviser from the parent company of Consumer Reports warns against the emptiness of certain ad buzzwords:

“For pennies a day”

This claim is one that I think is most insidious. It’s designed to make you think that something is really inexpensive. But remember that “pennies a day” can start to add up later. It’s the equivalent of the car dealer asking you how much you can afford a month. You get a car payment that you can fit into your monthly budget, but you might be spending more money overall by the time the loan is paid off.

Don’t listen to claims of “only” a certain amount per day or month. Instead, look at the total cost and base your decision on that apples to apples comparison.

“Up to”

This is a term that is used to advertise all sorts of products and services. You might be told you can get “up to” 70% off something, or that a certain bank offers high-yield bank accounts of “up to” 1.5% APY. You assume you’re going to get the top price, but you might not actually be eligible for this amount.

The knife cuts both ways, too. You might see adds for loan rates “as low as” 1.99% or airfares “as low as” $69. All that means is that at least someone, somewhere, got that deal. You might not be so lucky.

“Free”

You might be promised “free” shipping, or another item that doesn’t come with another charge. However, Money Adviser points out that in many cases, the “free” portion of the item has been added to the original price somehow. You want to make sure you shop around for total costs, since it might be that you can get the same item for cheaper, even though you aren’t getting something “free” thrown in. Make sure you are truly getting a good deal.

“I was skeptical at first”

Adding testimonials to products and services is a good way for retailers to convince others to buy products. There is nothing that can substitute for a recommendation from a “real” person. However, you need to be skeptical of the skepticism of a testimonial. As you might imagine, the point of such a testimonial is convince you that the product is superior, since it overcame the misgivings of a hardened cynic.

Bottom Line

Really consider the products and services you plan to buy. There are all sorts of sneaky tactics used by retailers to get their hands on your money. Sometimes, the products and services really are worth what you pay for them. Other times, though, it’s just hype. You need to protect yourself from the hype, and remember that no one watches out for your money like you do.

Club Soda: Wonder Product #3

by Jessica Sommerfield · 0 comments

Just this weekend our neighbor shared a personal story of how club soda came to her rescue. While she was away, a bottle of wine popped its cork and shot its notoriously-staining contents across a nearby fabric-covered chair as well as on the carpet. By the time she returned, the wine had set in and she feared she would have to throw away the stained chair cover.

A modern-day problem solver, she immediately searched the Internet for cleaning solutions. The most recommended were club soda and a popular cleaning product. By soaking the stains in club soda and then using the cleaning product, she was able to lift the wine stains completely out of the chair cover as well as the carpet.

Club soda, otherwise known as carbonated water, has been produced since the 1700s and is most commonly used as a beverage, a base for soft drinks, and a mixer for cocktails. Besides its thirst-quenching qualities, club soda can be used for a number of everyday purposes and household tasks. At a few dollars a bottle, club soda is a money-saver’s wonder product. Here are a few of the many ways you can use club soda.

A Cleaning Agent
Club soda is great at loosening grease or hardened grime, and, as in the previous example, lifting stains. Use it to soak pots and pans to make cleaning much easier, and keep it handy in case of stain emergencies. Club soda is great at loosening things, and that includes screws, nails, and stubborn rusted threads on lids and fixtures, making it a must-have for the garage and toolbox.It also does a beautiful job of cleaning gemstones and removing chlorine buildup from hair. Club soda is gentle enough to be used as a cleaner on nearly every surface in your home and won’t leave streaks. While it cleans it also eliminate odors, making it especially good for cleaning pet messes.

A Medicine
A well-known home ready for an upset stomach is to sip ginger ale. Ginger, of course, is known to be good at settling the stomach, but the carbonated water itself contains alkaline minerals effective in neutralizing stomach acid. The bubbling nature of club soda also encourages the release of painful gas buildup. So the next time you’re sick, avoid the sugar in ginger ale and reach for some club soda instead.

A Gardening Tool
Most gardeners know that watering your plants with club soda is an easy and effective way to boost the health of your houseplants. The minerals dissolved in club soda are exactly the minerals your plants need for proper growth. Fertilizers contain these minerals, too, but it’s easier for plants to absorb them with the water. You only need to water your plants with club soda once a week to provide a healthy mineral boost.

A Cooking Product
We already know club soda is used to make soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Try making your own healthier ‘soft drinks’ at home by adding it to 100% fruit juice. You can use club soda as a substitute for water when cooking to add a light, fluffy texture to foods, thanks to the effervescent nature of carbonated water. Another interesting culinary use of club soda is in loosening oyster shells.

Miscellaneous Problem-Solver
These and many other miscellaneous uses for club soda continue to be found and shared by ordinary people looking to solve problems simply, cheaply, and effectively.  Stock up on club soda on your next shopping trip and start finding new ways to use this wonder product to save even more time, effort, and money.

Get a Green Lawn Without Spending a Lot of Green

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

Spring means it’s time to focus on your yard – and specifically on your lawn! The cost of keeping grass green and healthy can add up – but a bit of basic information can help you save money while maintaining an attractive lawn.

The best lawns have the healthiest, deepest root systems. Paying particular attention to the following aspects of lawn care will help those roots to thrive!

Watering

Watering properly helps you save money. A robust root system needs – and stores – the water that sustains the lawn. Healthy lawns can survive moderate droughts because, although the surface may be dry, the roots still have access to moisture.

Effective lawn watering:

  • Water your grass only when it’s difficult to push a stick 4-6 inches into your lawn, where the roots are.
  • When it’s dry, water your lawn heavily – but not so heavily that the water runs off. Turn off your sprinkler briefly if you notice puddles in your lawn; puddles indicate that the water is flowing faster than the soil can absorb it.
  • Water at the coolest time of day so that less water is lost to evaporation and more will penetrate the ground.

Mowing

On top of keeping it looking tidy, mowing properly can save you money on water, keep your lawn’s roots healthy and help cut back on weeds.

Lawn mowing best practices:

  • A rule of thumb is to cut 1/3 the length of the grass when mowing. When grass has a bit of length, it provides a measure of shade for itself, helping to maintain the moisture in the soil beneath which supports vigorous root health. Longer grass also discourages weed growth.
  • Avoid mowing during the hottest hours of the day; doing so can damage your grass.
  • Mowing wet grass can damage your mower.
  • Mow in a variety of patterns to avoid soil compaction which can choke the roots.

Fertilizing

Fertilizer ensures healthy nutrition for your lawn. Proper fertilization up to four times per year makes for the healthiest lawn possible.

Lawn fertilizer facts:

Fertilizers contain three main ingredients, represented by numbers listed on their packaging. The amounts of these components will help you choose the appropriate fertilizer for your lawn’s needs.

  1. The first number indicates the amount of nitrogen, which keeps the lawn green.
  2. The second number indicates the amount of phosphorus, which strengthens roots.
  3. The third number indicates the amount of potassium, which helps the grass fight off disease and survive heat and arid conditions.
  • Slow-release fertilizer will feed your lawn over a longer period of time than quick-release.
  • Applying fertilizer when the weather is too hot may result in chemically burned grass.
  • Water the lawn after fertilizing to minimize its contact with the grass itself and to deliver it into the soil where it can be absorbed by the roots.

Lawn weed control

As mentioned earlier, the healthier the lawn and the more appropriate its length, the fewer the weeds. Weeds are more than unattractive – they choke out desirable grass.

Lawn weed wisdom:

  • Many weeds – especially larger ones – are best pulled out by hand.
  • If you opt for a chemical weed killer, make certain that it’s specifically for use on the lawn so it doesn’t also kill your grass.
  • Apply weed control when the wind is calm so it doesn’t accidentally get blown onto desirable plants.

When it comes to your yard, it’s yet another case of knowledge empowering you to save money. By attending to of these aspects of lawn care, you’ll make great strides toward healthy grass and healthy savings on your yard maintenance costs.

How do you save on lawn care?

5 Tips for Growing Your Home Business

by Jessica Sommerfield · 0 comments

Working from home is becoming an increasingly common way for wives, mothers, physically disabled, retired, and those otherwise unemployed in the public workforce to generate income. Starting your own business can be challenging and scary, especially when you’re uncertain of its success or failure; a plan that looks good on paper can flop when it’s actually carried out. On the other hand, your business may have started out with a bang only to die shortly thereafter. The following are some tips for starting and maintaining long-term income from your home-operated business.

#1. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

One of the biggest reasons for the failure of home-based businesses is the lack of advertising. You may not be selling your product or service simply because people aren’t aware it’s available! Large corporations spend significant portions of their budgets on advertising since it has been proven to influence the way the public acts and spends their money. Your home-based business may lack the large-scale structure and funds for extensive advertising, but this isn’t necessarily a limitation on the quality of your advertising.

#2. Utilize Social Media

One of the best ways to advertise in recent times is through social media. Create a Facebook page or a website advertisement for your business including pictures, details, prices, and contact information. Start with your friends and family and ask them to share your website or Facebook page with contacts that might be interested. Use your personal social media accounts to post updates about special events and pricing, post pictures of yourself or others using your products, and link to your business website. As long as you don’t become obnoxious about it, this is a great way to ‘sneak’ advertising into a place where hundreds of people will be browsing on a daily basis.

#3. Believe in Your Business, Product, and Services – Others Will, Too

Some of the greatest salesmen are those who were once (or still are) customers themselves. Personal experience and positive results with a product or service will make a greater impression than high-pressure sales tactics. Using your products and services gives you first-hand experiences to share (fuel for advertising) with others and gives others a living, breathing example of a satisfied customer. Since you’ll be sharing from your life and not from rehearsed lines, others will sense your sincerity and respond.

#4. Follow Up with Your Customers

If you’re running a customer-based home business, it’s extremely important that you establish follow-up with them. Whether you have 5 or 50 customers, strive to make each of them feel as if they were the first one, the only one, and the most important one.  The quality of customers you have means more than the quantity. Loyal, satisfied customers may continue to support your business for years to come and willingly advertise for free, so make sure they are completely satisfied. Be sure to offer money-back guarantees, return policies, and refunds so that even people who aren’t satisfied with your product or services will at least have a pleasant experience.

#5.Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative

If your business is slowing down for no apparent reason, it may be time to breathe some new life into it. Don’t be afraid to try new sales tactics, venues, products, or other ways to draw in customers with your business’s uniqueness and appeal. Stay on top of the latest market research in your field to keep abreast of major trends or changes that might affect you. It’s also a good idea to invite another business-saavy person to give objective input on things you may need to change or improve.

Cracking the Gift Code: Giving – and Getting – Great Gifts

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

Giving good gifts is part art and part science. Those who know the solution to the “gift-giving equation” appear to be natural-born gifters, coming up with the best, most appropriate and much-appreciated gifts for any recipient, for any occasion. Those who lack adequate gift-giving skills, however, just haven’t cracked the code; they give but often feel they’re grasping at straws when choosing gifts.

As a giver, not knowing what will make a great gift makes the giving a source of stress and uncertainty. And for those who’ve been the recipient of a “well-intentioned but somewhat lacking” gift, it’s equally frustrating. You want to avoid giving something that will ultimately be returned or, at the least, go unappreciated. To do so cheats the recipient of a gift he appreciates and is a waste of your money and effort. Rest assured; there are things you can do to become both a better gift giver and receiver.

Be a better gift giver

No guessing or assuming! Good gift givers do their homework. Rather than go with something generic (All teens like music, so an iTunes gift card it is…), find out about the recipient’s hobbies, interests and passions – then choose accordingly.

Ask her family and friends – Directly contact those who know the recipient best and find out about her: favorites, aspirations, decor, pastimes, preferences, needs… If there’s a gift registry involved with the occasion, be certain to consult it and either choose from it or let it inspire your gift.

Find him online – In our electronic age, there’s no shortage of means to find out what a recipient likes. The direct way is to visit sites like Amazon.com and see if your recipient has a wish list. Like a gift registry, it will give you a list of specific items he wants as well as an overview of the types of items for which he has an affinity.

Even if there’s no gift registry or wish list per se, you can find out a lot about a recipient’s preferences and taste from their Facebook profile, Pinterest pins, lastfm.com music library, even from their Twitter followers. You can get a real “feel” for someone via these sites because these are online destinations where people show and tell about things that are important to them.

Be a better gift receiver

There’s a lot you can do to make it easier for people to give you gifts that you really desire. Even if an occasion doesn’t warrant a gift registry, do keep a wish list on a site like Amazon.com and let it be known that it’s a current and realistic view of things you “wish” to have. (On a side note, did you know that you can now put a 2013 Dodge Dart on an online gift registry and have recipients offset the cost of your new car by “sponsoring” its components?) While expecting folks to buy you an engine or a rear bumper may be a bit unrealistic to many, maintaining a list of things that fit your style, tastes and interests can be tremendously helpful to gifters.

And rather than explicitly “dropping hints” about things you would like to receive, posting links and talking about them and your sense of style, interests and priorities on your social media outlets will put givers in a much stronger position to choose wisely on your behalf.

You can be a better gift giver and receiver. Great givers pick up clues and run with them. Great recipients leave a clearly marked trail to follow.

How do you make sure you give and get great gifts?

Q-Tips: Wonder Product #2

by Jessica Sommerfield · 0 comments

Q-tips are yet another household product we nearly always have on hand but take for granted and under-utilize in various areas of our home. Q-tips have been on the market since the 1920s, are completely biodegradable, and at less than $4 for several hundred, are one of the cheapest household necessities around. Take a look at some of these ingenious and creative ways you can use Q-tips in your everyday life to save money and accomplish tasks more effectively.

Use Q-tips in first aid
Q-tips are great applicators for antibiotic ointment, salve and burn cream, one of their most common uses in homes and doctors’ offices. It’s a good idea to keep Q-tips handy right in your first aid kit so you don’t have to search for them when someone gets hurt.

Use Q-tips as a beauty tool
Q-tips are great for makeup application or removal because of their ability to reach small areas. Everyone should know by now it’s not recommended to use Q-tips for cleaning your ears, as they actually compress wax further into your ear, and if used forcefully, can damage your ear drum.  But cleaning earwax is far from the only cosmetic or hygienic use of Q-tips. Use Q-tips to perform the following in your beauty routine:

  • Smudge eyeliner or shadow under your eyes
  • Remove makeup smudges through the day (Q-tips are much gentler on your skin than fingers)
  • Remove nail polish more effectively than with cotton balls
  • Clean or apply moisturizer to the outer lobes of your ears
  • Apply concealer
  • Freshen your perfume – take along a zip lock bag with perfume-soaked Q-tips to reapply to your pulse points

Use Q-tips as a cleaning tool
Q-tips can be a great tool in your housecleaning routine, again for their ability to reach small areas and pick up dirt and grime otherwise inaccessible. Here are some cleaning tasks Q-tips can make a little easier:

  • Cleaning in between keys on keyboards and other delicate electronics with rubbing alcohol
  • Dusting the inside of picture frames and the crevices of knick-knacks
  • Cleaning the grooves on bottle tops, the refrigerator, and inside narrow spouts
  • Touching up paint or refinishing furniture in small areas and corners
  • Reaching mildew in bathroom or kitchen grout with bleach
  • Dusting air conditioner and heating duct vents
  • Cleaning jewelry or silver tableware

Use Q-tips for pet care
Q-tips are gentle and effective at cleaning your pet’s eyes, outer ears and paws.

Use Q-tips for crafts and projects
Q-tips make perfect paintbrushes for children, and the best part is they don’t have to be cleaned.  They can also be used to adeptly apply face paint. Mature artists find Q-tips useful to precisely carve pottery, or paint model cars and figurines. Q-tips themselves are good building blocks for cottony crafts such as snowmen or snowflakes among other ideas.

These are just a few of the many ways to utilize this cheap, simple, common household item. Making the most of something you probably already keep in your cupboard is a practical way to save money, time and effort. Look around your house and you might find many other uses for the amazing Q-tip.

Coupon Trends: Lessons Learned from Experience

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

According to their 2012 Year End Report on Coupon Trends, Inmar, a company that provides marketing and consumerism insight to organizations, 310 billion manufacturer coupons were distributed in 2012. How many did you redeem? If you reply, “Not as many as usual,” you’re not alone. Last year, only 3 billion (a mere 1%) of those coupons were actually redeemed. To provide some perspective, 3.5 billion coupons were redeemed in 2011 – indicating that coupon redemption dropped in just one year by a significant 14.3%. Thirty years of Inmar’s data suggests that traditionally, when the economy is depressed, coupon usage increases; so why was 2012 a year that didn’t “follow the rules” when it came to coupon redemption?

3 reasons for the 2012 drop in coupon redemption

  1. Consumers may be reacting differently to economic challenges – Some consumers may have simply changed their buying habits. They may have switched to store or generic brands, which are in greater supply and of better quality than ever before – and which don’t offer coupons. They may also be shopping at stores that don’t accept coupons, like private label stores and warehouse clubs to stretch their dollars.
  2. Changes in coupons themselves – Consumers are certain to have noticed that many coupons don’t represent the value they used to. Redemption values have dropped, required purchase quantity has increased and expiration dates have shortened, making coupons a less-desirable means to saving.
  3. Lifestyle disconnect – While the economy experiences its slow recovery, technology presses onward. Consumers find themselves living in an ever-more electronic world, making the clipping of paper coupons seem like an antiquated practice. Yet the vast majority of coupons distributed in 2012 were still of the “clip out of the Sunday paper” variety. Consumers want to get their coupons where they find their news, do their shopping, enjoy their entertainment and maintain their social networks – online. In fact, Inmar’s research discovered that more than 2/3 of shoppers say they would use more coupons if they were available online.

Coupons: What do today’s shoppers want?

Inmar’s consumer research indicates that shoppers are still very enthusiastic about using coupons, with 60% reporting having redeemed coupons in more than half of their shopping trips. Interest in coupons is also extremely high among new and emerging coupon enthusiasts, including millennials, students and men. That’s why it’s incumbent upon manufacturers and marketers to offer coupons that consumers want in the way that they want to receive them. Inmar’s report indicates that shoppers want the following from their coupons:

  • High value – In 2012, the average face value of food coupons decreased 5.4% to $1.06 and for non-food coupons increased 0.5% to $1.91.
  • Single-item coupons – The study discovered that 34% of consumers won’t use a coupon if it requires them to purchase multiple items.
  • Longer redemption times – In 2012, the average redemption period of food coupons was down 8.0% to 2.3 months and for non-food coupons, down 12.5% to 2.1 months.
  • Digital coupons – Demand for digital coupons is highest among younger shoppers, those who use a smartphone, college graduates, and those with children. That demographic is growing by the day, leading to an unprecedented demand for coupons delivered electronically. Of course, sites like this one, CouponShoebox.com, that aggregate coupons help too.
  • Easy to find – Shoppers prefer the fewest number of steps and/or sites to locate the coupons they desire.
  • Convenient to redeem – Shoppers are looking for coupons they can collect at the store or pre-load to their loyalty card. Providing promotion information all in one place makes shopping and redeeming coupons easier, and therefore more likely to happen. Consumers desire simple, automatic savings.

The lesson from an atypical year like 2012 is that shoppers still like to use coupons but they want them to keep pace with their lives, economic situation and the technology they use.

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