For the first guest post, I have asked Karen Harris to share her expertise in couponing with us. Enjoy!
The Magic of Coupons…
Coupons can be
magical little things.
To some
they’re just a little piece of paper that says, “save 50 cents off a box of
Cheerios”. Some say, it’s just $.50
that I’m going to lose between home and the checkout… and some will say, YEAH BABY, that’s a $1 off
a box of Cheerios. What people don’t
realize is that 50 cent coupon can add up to a lot of money saved – and
quickly!
There are many things one can do to save money at the
grocery store. Price matching is one
very big thing. Meal planning based on
what’s on sale can also make a really big difference. But when you add the magic of coupons –
that’s where the fun begins.
I recommend people buy a paper every Sunday, consistency
will make a difference in the big money- saving picture. Then once you have your coupons, don’t run to
the store today to use it, wait for that item to go on sale, that is when you
want to use it. And with Wal-mart
allowing us to price match, that really makes it easy vs. driving to other
stores in another town.
Say that box of Cheerios is normally priced at Wal-mart $2.98,
but HyVee has them on sale for $1.89, and you put your $.50 coupon with it,
that box only cost you $1.39. That is a
savings of $1.59 or 54%!!! Now you have
two options… cut your grocery bill by
over half, or buy 2 boxes for less than the price of one box. By stocking up at that price, you will save
money in the long run, because you’re going to be buying Cheerios, so buy them
when they’re on sale.
Now that same box of Cheerios is also on sale at Country Mart for $2.00, and you say to yourself, I’ll just price match them at Wal-mart, but what you aren’t taking into consideration is that Country Mart will double coupons up to $.50, which means that coupon is actually worth $1.00! (Please know that Country Mart will take manufacture coupons in print, newspaper inserts, magazines, peelies, and internet coupons only from www.coupons.com.) So at Country Mart the cereal will cost $2.00, but that 50 cent coupon will double, so you will only pay $1.00 or a savings 67%!!!
Tell me couponing isn’t Magical!
Thank you, Karen!
