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An Effective Coupon Strategy

I love a grocery shopping trip when I get to use a bunch of coupons. However, if you’re not careful you can end up wasting money on things you don’t really need to buy at all… just to make use of the coupon. The trick is to only clip coupons on things you were already planning to buy anyway.

Coupons

Coupons aren’t just out there to save people money for no reason. They are part of a marketing strategy for that brand or company. Companies use their coupons to get people to buy more of their items than they were planning to buy in the first place, and give them $1.00 off as a reward for spending. Companies also use coupons as a way to introduce new items to their customers. It feels easier to spend the money to try something new if you think you are getting a good deal on it.

I’ve learned to not let myself get distracted by coupons for things that I don’t actually need. The goal of using coupons is to save money, not find more ways to spend it. Even when I do have a coupon, I try my best to still wait until the store puts that same item on sale. I’ve found that I can often save more money waiting for a buy-one-get-one sale than I do using the coupon. The best deal comes when the store has the item on sale and I can use a coupon too… the most value for my money.

It seems almost counter intuitive to save money by buying things that you don’t need yet, but I think that it works out best that way. It takes a while to get ahead of the curve, but once you start following the sales you get an idea of when a particular item will be on sale again. That way you can buy extra so that you don’t ever have to buy it at full price. The other tricky thing is not being afraid to let good coupons expire. You have to evaluate if a coupon is really the best value or if a store sale will save more money. Not every coupon needs to be used… only those which are most beneficial!

What strategies help you save money at the grocery store?

Of Corn and Computers

Breaking news of the day: I ate corn! A friend dropped by to visit this afternoon and brought with him a bag full of freshly picked corn on the cob. It had occurred to me on the drive up here that the opportunity would probably come up to try corn again, and it did. I just couldn’t resist giving it at least a little try.

My allergist had advised me to cut out corn for several months in hopes that it would lessen my sensitivity to it. Since it had been about that long, I figured that now was as good a time as any. It doesn’t get any better than eating it hours after it was picked! It was SO good!! So far I’ve had no problems. I’m maybe a little itchy around my chest and arms, but nothing major. It’s hard to tell if that’s only my imagination. I think I’ll give it a few days and try it again before we head home.

In more important news: Jesse finally has his new computer! We have been planning this purchase for quite a while now, he was so excited when it was finally time to go to the apple store.

We have been watching our budget very closely these days. We are working very hard to save money and not spend money spontaneously. Our goal was to get ahead a little in the business account and then earn enough on top of that to pay cash for the new computer.

With all the programs Jesse usually has to have running at once, the laptop would often have a hard time keeping up with him. I know he was frustrated with being slowed down by his computer, but he was determined to stick with his goal. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be wise with his money unlike he used to be.

I’m so proud of him for EARNING his new computer before purchasing it. I had one very happy Jesse after making that purchase. We decided it would best if I drove home from the store so that he could play with it on the way home.

It turned out to be great timing that we were able to make the purchase right before coming to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He’s been able to set up his entire office here and work like he would have at home. Plus that means the taptop is now free for me to be able to use. Good work Jesse, I’m glad you’re happy with your new purchase.

An Effective Coupon Strategy

Of Corn and Computers

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