With today’s economy, it’s only sensible that you look for discounts and promos that will give you more value for your money. An excellent way to reduce your expenses is to use coupons. These certificates or tickets are produced by shops to entice consumers to buy from them because of the price markdowns.
If you’re still starting with couponing, here are some tips to remember:
1. Get Coupons for Almost Anything
Coupons may be more common for the food and apparel industries, but you can also find excellent deals for fitness, lifestyle, and travel such asa cheapoair hotel promo code. It only takes diligent research to find promos online. Whether you need to buy furniture for your home or it’s time to replenish your pantry, look for stores that are having a sale.
These are the ways to get coupons:
● Internet Printables – The Internet is an information goldmine. With the right string of keywords, you can get printable coupons from third-party websites such as coupons.com that you can use when shopping online or in-store.
● Coupon Apps – You can download mobile apps that offer cash backs on purchases like Ebates.
● Direct from the Source – Another excellent way of collecting coupons is through the shop themselves. Most of the time, you just need to subscribe to newsletters from the official sites of retailers to get updates on their sale and promos.
● Sunday Paper – The newspaper is still relevant, albeit mostly for coupon gathering. You can sign up to have it delivered right at your doorstep. Most local stores insert their coupons in the paper.
● On Products – The next time you go through the aisles of a store, be on the lookout for coupons attached onto the products. These may come as stickers or can be hooked on the cap.
● Magazines – Magazines have product ads where, if you look closely, you can find discounts on the goods featured. To save even more money, you can ask for magazines from family and friends who finished reading them and don’t plan on using the promos.
2. Stay Focused When Shopping
Most businesses design their shops in a way that lures the customers to come in and take a peek at their products while ensuring that they spend enough time there to make a purchase. It can be particularly tempting whenclothes shopping where you want to put on every item.
To guarantee that you stick to your budget, you should write down the things that you need to buy before going into the store and prepare your coupons. Once you’re in, make sure only to grab the items on your list, pay for them using the tickets, and head out.
3. Be Aware of the Different Price Points
While all goods may have a suggested retail price (SRP), you may notice that some retailers offer less for a particular item whereas others are more expensive. If you’re planning to restock your pantry, you must be aware of the different price points for each product so that you know when to buy and when to pass.
There are four major price points:
● Average Price – You can determine this one by taking note of the prices of the items you buy on a regular day. This way, when there’s a sale, you can distinguish if the sale price is worth it.
● Maximum Price – This price is the highest amount you paid for an item. It can be because the demand is high while the supply is low at the time.
● Deal Price – It’s the outcome for the cost reductions when an item is on sale, and you have a coupon that further marks down the price.
● Stock-Up Price – This one is also a combination of the sale and coupon, but it pertains to the lowest price ever for the product.
4. Have a Dedicated Coupon Holder
Storing everything in one place makes it easy for you to organize your coupons according to the brand or products. You should have two coupon holders: a large one for keeping all the promo tickets and a small one that you can bring with you to the shop without difficulty.
5. Stock Up During a Sale
If an item that your family always uses or consumes goes on sale, you should buy in bulk to squeeze more savings out of your coupons. Of course, you shouldn’t stock up on perishable goods if you and your loved ones can’t gobble them up entirely before the expiry date.
These are the items that you can buy in bulk without worrying about decay:
● Paper Products – Everyone uses toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels so stock up on them when they’re on sale.
● Canned Goods – From tomato soups to meatloaf, canned goods last longer than other food products.
● Laundry Soap – Detergents typically have a longer shelf life as well, but don’t go overboard since three large containers can last you a long time.
● School Supplies – There’s lots of sales that happen before the start of the school year. Take advantage of this by buying paper, pens, and folders in bulk.
6. Stack Coupons in Order
It is possible to gain freebies when you stack coupons. For example, if Walmart has a sale on L’Oreal shampoos at 2 USD per container, you can use a 1 USD store coupon and a 1 USD coupon from the manufacturer to get the ultimate deal. Also, remember to present coupons in a particular order. If you have a store coupon of 5 USD off of a 20 USD purchase, use that first before showing your other coupons as you may not reach the required amount to validate the promo.
7. Shop at Multiple Stores
You shouldn’t limit yourself to just one store. To take advantage of all the discounts and promos, scour your neighborhood for shops that regularly conduct sales and give out coupons. Again, make a list of the items you need and look for the best deals in the area. Even if you consider the cost of gas, if the retailers are near each other, you still get more savings rather than buying from just one store and missing out on all the price reductions.
Conclusion
As with everything in life, you must make wise decisions especially when it comes to money that you worked hard to gain. Coupons provide you with direct savings on items that you consistently use. With the tips above, you can work your way toward becoming a smart consumer without compromising your lifestyle.