The Couponizer Company
Hey Shoppers! Check out our great money-saving tips below!
Hey Shoppers! Check out our great money-saving tips below!
Find out what is right and wrong with this show
Extreme Couponing on TLC sure has brought saving money by using coupons into the spotlight! All of the consumers who are featured on this show are smart, highly creative and determined people who at one time had a common problem, financial stress. One show guest was asked to respond to someone who says they don't have time for coupons, she replied "Honey, you just haven't been broke enough!" It is undeniable that when there is not enough money to cover expenses, then stress builds inside your body, your mind, your marriage and/or in many other significant relationships. So, to relieve financial stress, the choice is simple, earn more money or cut expenses or some combination of both.
Coupons actually accomplish both! By matching a product choice with a coupon thereby lowering the price of the item, you turn what was once a piece of paper (or image) into cash! When coupons are used as intended, then a winning outcome for all is created. However with "Extreme" anything there are risks associated with going too far.
The Good
I do like the way the show champions using coupons to generate cash that does not require an employer. Many consumers are full time homemakers as evidenced on the show and for them using coupons provides a way to contribute financially while managing the day to day flow of raising a family and running the household. Also, I love the passion many of the folks on the show have for saving money and helping others. If you head over to the show website, there are useful tips and links to creative and informative video clips and blogs. If you are new to coupons, you will find some great information and for more experienced shoppers, you may learn something new and can share your couponing experiences with others. The collaborative spirit of consumers these days is refreshing and certainly a welcome force during what continue to be rough economic times for many people.
The Bad
I don't like the obsession with coupons and stockpiles. Extreme couponers seem to have trouble saying "No" when coupons are involved. Who needs $1,500 in toothpaste, laundry bins full of deodorant and enough maxi pads to last a lifetime? The reconfiguring of home space to accommodate excessive stockpiles of goods that is then sometimes insured is (in my humble opinion) kind of crazy since insurance costs money. Hoarding comes to mind, but actually accumulating something for preservation or future use is okay until it interferes with quality of life. Some of the people on the show seem out of control, unhappy and on the verge of a nervous breakdown and this is not good. Also, the amount of time it takes to pull off mega savings that are featured in the show is not achievable for the average consumer, after all the show edits out much of the work behind the scenes to glamorize the outcome.
The Ugly
I don't support win-lose scenarios in business. According to the Coupon Information Council, "unfortunately, as with anything of real value, coupons are subject to misuse and fraud, just like credit/debit cards, checks, currency and virtually every type of legitimate economic activity." Many consumers simply do not understand that coupons are promotion marketing and when a business needs more business, they freely offer discounts in the form of paper or digital coupons in hopes of stimulating and/or sustaining business. You'll see this often when a new product hits the market. So, when a customer uses a coupon as they were intended, then this is a win-win. But what happens when coupons are hogged and/or disproportionately used to exploit the system or worse counterfeited? This is a win-lose scenario in business. Why? Because all the product that was meant for many goes to few. If win-lose scenarios last long enough then smart businesses simply stop offering attractive discounts and find other ways to attract and retain customers.
There are billions of dollars saved by consumers every year and for many coupons are a genuine help through tough economic times. So how do we all co-exist in the coupon age and maintain win-wins in the marketplace? Let's all continue making informed decisions when buying anything, after all this is at the core of smart money management. Also, be educated about coupon misuse and fraud and use coupons as they were intended. Remember to consider the big picture since your actions as a consumer do effect others and being a good steward of the gift of savings will help ensure it's availability. Then find your level of involvement with coupons, deals and discounts that works for you and as with anything, moderation is the key to long term success.
The dreaded syndrome that causes you to lose money
Once you allow multiple coupon sources into your life, you may find yourself overwhelmed quickly by all the information and could suffer from what I call couponumbness. This occurs when you just don't care anymore because you are literally overexposed to savings! So below are a few things you can do to stay engaged with the savings that really matters to you and continue to reap the rewards:
Sign up Selectively.
Much of the information circulating on the Internet like store deals, printable coupons and daily deals is coming from common sources, so if you are required to join a mailing list, do it selectively or you might end up getting alerts for the same stuff over and over. Be proactive in managing your intake of information the same way you manage the intake of things into your home and purge when you no longer see the value. You may always sign-up again at another time.
Organize your Inbox.
With merchants, retailers and websites reaching out daily through e-mail, create folders in your Inbox to save messages that peak your interest or you have an active deal pending. I learned this the hard way, after forgetting what deal was on what website and losing my login info. So, I created a folder for each company or website I chose to follow and store the communications in one place. If a deal is pre-paid (like through Groupon or Living Social), then once I print the voucher, I stored them in my trusty Couponizer.
Focus!
The truth is not every deal, coupon or discount will fit your needs. It may fit your wants, but it may not fit your needs at the time. So learn to allow deals, discounts and coupons to pass you by since the likelihood it will surface again is greater than never seeing it again. Coupons at their core are about businesses driving sales, so hang around a business or brand long enough and you will see coupon trends which is a good thing!
In the end, as consumers today, the best any of us can do with all the great offers available is to make good decisions by including the offers that are meaningful (however big or small), manage them to redemption, reap the savings and then move on to the next one! Your ability to prevent overexposure (couponumbness) and achieve consistent savings success are greatly improved when you do this and have a system to support the process.
Check out this great article, written by Amy!
The cashier is not to blame.
Online coupons have come a long way since they were introduced! Today printing coupons from home is all about selecting what you want, when you want it and it is fast, and easy to get your savings. Within minutes, hundreds of dollars in coupons emerge out of the printer; all you have to do is provide the ink and paper. Sounds wonderful and for those with whom this process works.
However many consumers go through the process of printing, clipping and walking the home printed coupons into the store only to be denied using them by the cashier. What has happened is the ability to manipulate a coupon offer on paper in the early phases of home printed coupons was too easy for the scammers of the world. Billions in dollars have been lost to counterfeit coupons according to the Coupon Information Corporation dedicated to coupon misredemption and fraud.
So, here are some tips on what to do if you are denied redeeming coupons printed at home:
With better bar code technology, security on the internet, and education for store staff about how to spot counterfeit coupons, policies will change since most stores value customers who use coupons legitimately.
For additional tips, watch this video clip from ABC Good Morning America - if only one of these ladies had been using a Couponizer!
Get your piece of over $200 billion in savings!
Everyone always asks me where to get the most coupons. My answer is always the Sunday newspaper since 82% of coupons are issued in the Sunday newspaper. This represents well over $200 billion in savings extended to consumers.
If you do not want to subscribe, then the Sunday paper usually comes out the day before and is sold in most major grocery stores for around $2.50. The good news is you may find the paper bundled with two copies to double your coupons savings. After all, every household needs newspaper for other projects like painting, lining the cat box (in our house the rabbit cage), or making paper-mache art projects. So, go get or subscribe to the Sunday paper if you don't already and start getting the savings available every week. Also, remember to recycle!
How to stick with your spending plan when distractions are at an all time high.
Coupons are certainly designed to save money but did you know they have another hidden purpose that can also save you money?
Coupons can actually help you maintain focus while shopping. The definition of focus as a verb is to concentrate and one place it is easy to lose your concentration is the grocery store or any store for that matter. Coupons can help you focus on saving money. After all, during the holiday season stores are teeming with carefully placed displays and demonstrations, samples, smells and other colorful visual distractions that vie for your attention no matter what the price!
So the next time you are organizing your coupons think of them as little focusing devices that help you execute your shopping and saving plan!
Wouldn't it be fast if you didn't have to cut out coupons? Actually this step is an important one because it causes you to stop and evaluate the value of keeping the coupon. When you cut out your coupons, make sure you leave in tact the expiration date, bar code and product name. Any pictures or other advertising can be trimmed and will not affect the scanning of the coupon. When you trim up your coupons, filing in an organizer is easier!!
REMEMBER...cut only the coupons that you intend to use or trade with your friends and family. If you go crazy and cut every coupon, it will create unnecessary clutter and bulk in your Couponizer. Also, you may end up spending more money than you would have without the coupon. If you carefully evaluate each coupon, then the savings you intend will be the savings you achieve.
Going to online coupon websites to find online coupon codes is smart and you can wind up saving you lots of money depending on the deal. However, often you may find yourself having to register your e- mail address to gain access to the savings. Depending on the service and their privacy policy, this address may be given to other businesses to send you promotional material.
So, it’s smart to set up a new email account so your personal account doesn’t get bogged down with advertisements. I learned this the hard way! Your interent service provider may allow you to have more than one e-mail address or there are a number of different sites that offer free email accounts including MSN (Hotmail) and Yahoo. All the e-mail ads and other spam will go to this address and you don't have to set it up to download the e-mails, so they will just go into cyberspace and you won't have to deal with deleting them out of your personal e- mail box.
This way you can surf for savings without getting hit with a tidal wave of advertisements.
If you want to get more coupons for the products your family enjoys, then call the manufacturer of these products. 35% of companies offering coupons make them available upon request. Usually there is a toll-free number on the product packaging or you may go to their website. When calling, mention that you are a loyal customer interested in receiving coupons in the mail and they will likely send coupons directly to you. Also, they may send you promotional coupons through the year that you may not have otherwise received.
It has been my experience that most companies are willing to reward you at least ONCE for contacting them directly.
"A steal of a deal" usually refers to a good thing but sometimes NOT! Coupon fraud is on the rise especially on the Internet and hurts consumers and businesses alike. Below are some common coupon opportunities that look good at first, but you'd be wise to investigate further before participating:
| Opportunity | What's the Deal? | Why is it Considered Fraud? |
| Coupons for Sale | An opportunity to select desired coupons and purchase large quantities at low prices, sometimes multiples of the same item. | Coupons being sold on the Internet or by other means may be stolen property or counterfeit. Click here to view a counterfeit coupon and read up on this problem. |
| Coupon Certificate Booklets | Bundling coupons in a booklet for sale. | While many of these offerings are legitimate, do your homework on the business that is offering the booklet. Ask questions of the origin and legitimacy of the coupons as well as any others fees or handling costs. |
| Selling unwanted Coupons over the Internet | A chance to make extra money by selling your extra coupons to a business. | While your coupons may be legitimate, the organization who is paying you for them probably is not. Buying and selling coupon is against the law. |
Last year, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers of America wrote a letter to e-Bay asking them to stop selling and auctioning grocery coupons on their website. Click here to view the letter (it is a .pdf file readable in Adobe Acrobat).
In March of 2003, federal law enforcement officials arrested 16 individuals who were involved in coupon clipping and redemption fraud that generated more than $4 million. The fraud was investigated for a year and a half before the arrest was made. The way the suspects generated the cash was through 370 retailers in 15 states and they would pose as storeowners and in some cases use real storeowners to send the coupons to a clearinghouse for the redemption. The redemption usually equals face value plus a few cents more back to the storeowner. The operation was sophisticated enough to siphon the money over to Jordan and Israel's West bank.
Do NOT confront the individuals involved in the scam. Keep all your records, including the e-mails and envelopes of anything associated with the scam that was mailed and/or given to you. Contact the Coupon Information Corporation for more information on how to report coupon fraud.
September- National Coupon Month
Menu planning is a central part of making coupons work for you. If you view a coupon as a "sneak peek" into what you may buy, then you are able to build your menus and grocery list around these items. If you know you will use the items bought at great prices, then the coupon is worth the effort.
National Coupon Month is a program of the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Educational Foundation, Inc., which is an educational public foundation. The Coupon Council, a coupon advocacy group within the PMA seeks to support the benefits coupons offer consumers. Included on their website are lesson plans designed to get kids of all ages involved in shopping for deals using coupons.
Many shoppers are familiar with the "blinky machines" that dispense coupons in the grocery store aisles. Often the coupons in these machines are more trouble then they are worth since they most always try to force you to buy more than you intended. So, this begs the question, is that really savings? However, most shoppers overlook plenty of other great coupons that are available in the store aisles. Lately, I have noticed temporary cardboard displays offering coupons for a variety of quality products. Since these displays blend in so well with the surroundings, you may miss them or think they are another worthless impulse purchase item and therefore miss the savings.
Just today, popsicles were on my shopping list. While in the freezer section, I found a display of manufacturers cents off coupons. One coupon was for $1 off Minute Maid frozen juice bars which qualifies as a popsicle in my book. Also, the store had this product on sale for 2 boxes for $4, so today I took home 2 boxes of popsicles for $2 and I went on to find an additional $4 in savings from coupons I found in the store.
Of course, this does not happen all the time but it gives you an example of how you can leverage savings that are offered right in the store. You just have to find the coupon displays and see if there are any matches on your list.
If you want to go right to the coupon displays in the store, ask the store manager before you begin shopping, they will know where they are!
Often new products are promoted through extending a coupon as an incentive to buy the item. When the item matches up with something you would buy anyway, this is a great time to save money! So instead of allowing the offers to come to you, with the use of a search engine, you are able to go find the offers and new products. Simply type in the name of a trusted brand of product that you currently buy and you will likely find a website for it. You'll be amazed at the creativity of the promotions and the value extended to launch products into the marketplace. In addition this is where you may find sweepstakes, games, recipes, practical tips, more product information and more printable coupons.
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