There are those of us who use coupons — and then there are the super couponers. Most of us are content to walk out of a store having kept a few dollars in our pocket by deploying some strategically clipped coupons. But those super shoppers who spend so little and get so much: how do they do it and, more importantly, what can we learn from their shopping habits that will help us save big?
The most significant difference between the shopping habits of super shoppers and most other people has to do with their level of dedication to the art of saving. They have a strategy — which actually resembles more of a battle plan — when it comes to the entire shopping experience.
Their plan begins long before they are at the store and continues long after they return home with their discounted booty. Here are some of the things they do that differ from most shoppers:
- Super shoppers plan ahead — way ahead. When they walk into a store, they are not buying exactly what their family needs today. Their mission is to take advantage of the bargains that are available today. They take those bargains home to add their pantry (which is full of their previous bargains). As a result, they always have a supply of items they’ve purchased at deep discounts. In the long run, they save because they never need to pay full price for those products.
- Super shoppers take advantage of every saving opportunity. While most people would be satisfied with saving a few cents or a dollar purchasing a product when it’s on sale, super shoppers wait until they can take advantage of multiple discounts on a product — a sale price, plus a manufacturer coupon, (perhaps the particular store doubles or triples them), a store coupon and perhaps a Catalina offer as well. Those kinds of big savings take a lot of planning, organization and the ability and willingness to stock up when you can get the best deals.
- Super shoppers are willing and able to devote a lot of time and effort to their saving strategy. Some super shoppers not only clip every coupon they come across but they catalog or file them as well. That alone takes time and effort. In addition, they must take the time to find out where items are on sale, match them with coupons and deals and educate themselves on store coupon policies so they know, for instance, who doubles or triples and who accepts expired coupons.
The truth is, we’re not all cut out to be super couponers. Some folks, while they would appreciate the savings, just aren’t willing to do all that it takes to join those ranks. There are, however, tactics to be learned from these savings superstars that will benefit our budgets:
- Look for sales and stock up on items you know you’ll use.
- Clip coupons for items you use and match them to sales whenever possible.
- Compare prices between stores.
Super couponing can lead to super saving if you have the time and inclination to take it on and see it through. But even if you motto isn’t, “I live to coupon,” take heart — there’s a lot to be learned from the habits of the super savers. You can still see significant savings by balancing your desire to super-save with your other priorities.
What are your personal super-saving tactics?
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