The Couponizer Company
Hey Shoppers! Check out our great money-saving tips below!
Hey Shoppers! Check out our great money-saving tips below!
Make the most of your coupons without fear of spending more money!
According to a recent study by CouponInfoNow.com, the economy and coupon use are inversely related meaning that as consumer confidence in the economy turns negative, consumers respond with economizing behaviors and coupon response increases. So, as coupon response increases, this means many consumers are using coupons for the first time and many search for tools and information to help shape new routines and skills.
Think for a minute about a new skill you have mastered, at first, you may have fears to overcome. When it comes to coupons, you may have piles of coupon circulars and/or individual ucoupons seemingly multiplying inside your mailbox, purse, diaper bag or car. Usually if you are given a coupon, it is initially hard to just throw it away, so it remains - somewhere. Now, you have decided to cash in on all the savings and you are afraid you might spend more money by being tempted to buy things you don't need. This is a vaild concern however below are a few ways to combat this fear.
To achieve the benefits of any new routine but specifically as it pertains to new economizing behaviors such as using coupons, three basic things are needed:
GOALS
One of our family goals is to be good stewards of money and live within our means. So using coupons supports and reinforces this goal. Do you have goals? Without connecting using coupons to a higher purpose, you are likely to get caught up in the activity of using coupons rather than the results. If you focus on the results, then you will stick with getting the most out of coupons and are less likely to abandon ship when the going gets tough.
TOOLS & INFORMATION
It can be overwhelming to plan and shop the grocery store differently since these patterns and behaviors are ingrained as a part of everyday life. This is why to be successful; you must equip yourself with the right tools and information. There are many coupon organizing solutions on the market today, much more than when I got started or perhaps The Couponizer would never been invented! The important thing here is to find what works for you! Then use sources such as websites featured on my website and the Sunday newspaper to gather coupons and more information about store sales.
PRACTICE
Practice is another way of saying repetition. To achieve progress, you must practice economizing behaviors more often than not. Doing what it takes to conserve financial resources day after day and week after week will move you closer to your goals. Find a routine for planning and organizing your shopping that works and stick with it.
By putting these three things in place, your fear of spending more money will be replaced by the confidence you build over time with saving money. Afterall, living within your means It is a journey, not a destination and there will be ups and downs along the way, however the important thing is to keep trying.
Time spent planning your shopping pays off at checkout!
I strive to do a better job of planning my shopping trips to keep my spending in line with our finances. I share my planning process with you to illustrate that planning pays off in the end and it can be simple. The reality is that these steps may not always go in order and sometimes I skip a step or two. However I am in the SAVINGS zone when I do them all in pretty much in this order.
—Glance at my calendar and determine how many meals will be consumed at home together as a family, at home but not all together or out. When we are all together I cook real recipes and when we are not I usually throw together frozen stuff.
—Take a visual tour of what is in the refrigerator and pantry. This helps me to remember things I bought but never used thus preventing a pregnant pantry and chemistry experiments in the produce drawer!
—Grab coupons from website and Sunday newspaper, select and cut coupons, then store in my Couponizer and then look over store deals online.
—Build a shopping list or add to one I already started and match coupons to the list and/or look at coupons first and then start my list.
—Finally, shop from my Couponizer and shopping list and maybe add 1-2 impulse purchases for fun.
—Review receipt as I walk to my car. Now I know where I stand. If I feel out of control, I write down my total until I get back on track.
Then the whole process starts over next week. The goal being that my receipt total is on or close to my spending target. Over time if you add up your savings, you will be amazed and motivated to keep up a planning process to ensure future success.
NEED HELP?
Creating a spending target? Click Here
A new Calendar? Click Here
Organizing solutions for your pantry? Click Here
Coupons? Click Here
Want to see store deals? Click Here
A system for keeping it all together? Click Here
A few tips on maximizing snack nutrition and savings!
One of the biggest reasons people tell me they think coupons are a waste of time is because they think coupons are available for mostly unhealthy snack foods. So, to educate these folks, I came up with a few tips on how to leverage coupons for healthy snacking and cash in on some savings too:
—Identify your families top 10 favorite snack foods that are healthy. For example, my family loves to snack on fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, nuts, etc...
—Identify your families top 10 favorite snacks that are not so healthy but taste great and are fun to eat. For example, my family loves ice cream, brownies, fruit gummy snacks, cookies, cake, etc...
—Now look at this list of 20 items and next time you are scanning the coupons from the Sunday paper, match up items on both lists.
—Try to make your snack choices balanced according to your health goals. Obviously a steady diet of unhealthy snacks is not good for anyone!
I am certain you will find coupons for most everything on both lists. You may not find an exact match to a specific brand but you will find savings available if you are willing to try something new or different. If you are extremely brand loyal, try calling the manufacturer to request coupons. Their number is usually on the label. Remember, you can reach out to the companies that make the things you love to eat just as they reach out to you with coupon savings!
Click here for Manufacturer's 800 numbersThis system is so easy and so effective!
This tip is from Serena Morgan from Roswell, GA
While shopping for back to school groceries, I noticed a fellow coupon shopper (Serena) making hash marks as she shopped. I was curious and kindly asked her what she was doing. She explained that every dollar she spends gets a hash mark on her tally sheet. For example, if she is buying breakfast cereal, she checks the price subtracts the coupon amount and writes a tally mark for each dollar. So, if the box cost $3.99, she had a $1 off coupon then she would tally on her sheet 3 hash marks, always rounding up. This way she can quickly glance her sheet and know her total bill. She added and I agree it is easier to put things back while in the aisles than it is at checkout!
With this system you will better gauge when you are creeping towards your budget limit and make adjustments much easier. Anyone who uses coupons knows it is easy to get carried away with selecting deals so this system is a way to check and balance spending as you shop the grocery store or any other store!
So, simple, so brilliant! Thank you Serena for this great tip!
Many times I am asked what my average monthly savings at the grocery store are and truthfully I have to say it varies. There are factors that influence my ability to maximize savings and the biggest one is PLANNING. Other factors include seasons, family activities, and my energy level. So if you really want to see your savings increase I suggest you follow these simple planning steps for a cheerful checkout!
Planning for Savings:
& Clip and file your coupons to have lots of choices. The Sunday newspaper is your best source of legitimate manufacturer's coupons. Look for additional coupons from sources such as P&G Saver.
& Go online and access a website such as The Grocery Game that posts grocery store and coupon deals and find the deals that match your needs.
& Build your shopping list and compile your coupons deliberately. An organization system such as The Couponizer helps this process by providing you with the tools necessary to plan and shop successfully.
& Make a special shopping trip so you can focus and buy ONLY items that you have a coupon for or are listed at a great store price.
IDEA! If the kids come along, make the shopping a treasure hunt, give 'em a coupon and let them loose on the aisle to find the item! I do this and it is fun to see my kids be successful in helping me shop for deals.
Timing is everything with a coupon since grocery store items typically follow a 12-week cycle — everything dips to its lowest price at some point during that time. The trick is to catch it at that low point, use a coupon to drop the price even lower, and then if possible stock up on things that have a long shelf life.
Try The Grocery Game for a 4 week trial for $1 - then it is only $10 every 8 weeks for one store. The three features that set this Web site apart are first, information about unadvertised as well as advertised specials are included in the sale list. And second, the staff uses a proprietary process to check price history on about 10,000 items every week to sort out real sales from "phantom sales" — advertised specials that really aren't as good as they appear. About half the items in a typical weekly flier are actually on phantom sale. And lastly, the simplicity of the website. So often, I have seen coupon websites that are so cluttered with ads, offers and lengthy instructions that you loose interest quickly. The Grocery Game is visually appealing and with minimal visual clutter to distract you from your task of planning your savings.
According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, it is estimated that, on average, 20% of Americans have “maxed out” their credit cards and about 25% of adults in the United States have a history of credit problems. Americans’ average credit card debt is $8400 per household and in the first quarter of 2002, total credit debt was $660 billion. So in a nutshell, the Federal Reserve reports that more than 40% of American families spend more than they earn.
These financial statistics are sobering, but there is hope. You must take action to reverse a debt situation that you may never have intended. Events, circumstances and choices may have lead you into debt and now may be the time to implement change. If you find yourself or your family in debt and have made a deliberate decision to pay down debt, then below is a successful strategy that will help you attack your debt with the goal of eliminating it.
Assuming you have created a spending plan (budget) and you know exactly how much money is set aside for debt reduction, and then I recommend setting up what is commonly referred to as a "Debt Snowball." This process is taught by Crown Financial Ministries and simply put, it is a plan that lists debts in a way that sets up a snowball effect meaning you eliminate the small ones first and you gain momentum as the larger and larger debts are eliminated until you are debt free.
The plan looks like this: Create a table with the following columns:
Then order the list from the lowest amount owed to the highest amount owed. Typically, for example a home mortgage would be listed at the bottom of the list since often this is the largest amount of debt carried and perhaps a gas credit card with a small balance would be listed at the top.
Then with the money you have set aside to pay down debt start by eliminating the small debts first by paying the maximum towards smaller balances and minimum payments against the highest debt. As debts are paid off you may end up rearranging the order you pay off debts when debts that are lower in $ amount carry a higher interest rate. For example you may owe $1500 with an interest rate of 14%, then the next debt is $1900 with a interest rate of 22%, it makes sense to pay off the debt with the higher interest rate first, then go back and pay down the other one. As each debt is paid off move the payment to the next higher until all your debts are eliminated.
With a plan like this, you will find yourself regaining control which is critical to long term success. Also, you will have to work hard to maintain zero balances on all the debts you have eliminated in the process. You can quickly sabotage your efforts if you build debt back up while trying to pay it down. It is kind of like trying to walk up the down escalator, you will never reach the top!
Creating a plan like I just described and sticking to it over the long haul, will place you well on your way to establishing healthier spending habits which will yield benefits far beyond just financial.
If you would like to share your story of becoming debt-free, please do! My e-mail address listed at the end of the newsletter.
What do you do when you find yourself at the grocery store without your coupons? It is tempting to impulse shop your way to the checkout. I know because I have done this only to regret it. Now, I have 4 things I do to prevent this:
Also, don't let going on vacation be a time when you leave your coupons at home. We usually stock a kitchen on vacation and coupons go a long way towards saving on items like condiments, breakfast cereal, snacks and paper goods. Also, inquire about a vacation card at the grocery store, this way you will get the store savings and without having to sign up for a discount card you may never use again.
For whatever reason, there will be times when you shop without your coupons, so instead of abandoning the savings mindset, now you can follow these few simple strategies to continue to keep the grocery bill down.
By Natalie Rankart, Junior, South Forsyth High School and Summer Intern at The Couponizer Company
The day has come and it is finally time to go back to school and stocking up on new school supplies. It is a yearly ritual that I look forward to since I am a teenager in high school. Since our family tries to stick to a budget, these are the steps that my sister and I take to save the most money.
Steps to take at home:
Steps to take in the store:
When I get home after shopping, I am eager to get organized and share with my dad all my great deals. Going supply shopping a few weeks before school with savings in mind helps me not to get overwhelmed with all the tasks and expenses associated with back to school.
Unless you squirrel away gifts all year long which is one strategy for reducing holiday gift expenses, then shopping will likely consume much of your time over the next month. Shopping usually translates into spending money and many of the items you choose will be cherished gifts for loved ones, decorations to brighten your home and/or good food to share for holiday occasions. However, of the items you purchase this month, many may have been on IMPULSE. My definition of impulse is - you see it, you love it, you have to have it, you buy it. Webster’s definition is – a sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action. I like my definition better. While it can be fun and exciting to find something you just have to have...it can get out of control quickly if you lose track of how often you are doing it.
Have you thought about when, why and how much shopping you will do this month? Often the strategy is to dive in, shop as you go and hope the bank account holds out or whip out the charge card and worry about it next year. According to the experts at the Institute of Consumer Financial Education,the average amount charged on credit cards for Christmas is around $1000 per family. The sobering news is this - if minimum payments are made toward that debt at 12% interest, it will take over 8 years to repay it with an additional $545 interest charge. That means your kindergartner's Christmas won't be paid off until he graduates from 8th grade! And that is only one Christmas. Often our Christmas debt is "layered" year after year! It is much better to simply pay for your Christmas each year within the boundaries of what you can actually afford. Advice from Jim Garnett, a/k/a Ask MrG, who is a member of the ICFE Board of Advisors and the Education Coordinator for Consumer Credit of America a/k/a Consumer Credit of Des Moines.
What to do? Now is the time to take a few minutes and map out a plan. It does not have to be ultra sophisticated - just a simple list to enable spending within your means. Your gift list needs to be balanced by what you can afford, not by what you have access to buy. Most consumers have access to more credit than ever needed. Determine what your limits are by how much actual cash you have to spend toward Christmas. Start impulse SAVING by resisting slick salespeople with super compelling deal tactics who will try to talk you into something that was NOT in the plan! You’ll never see this person again and they don't care about paying the bill when it comes due!
To have a question answered by Jim, contact him at: AskMrG@yahoo.com
If you have an extra hour or so during the last days of the holiday, why not inventory your pantry and cupboards? Find out what you need and what you want to stock up on for the coming Winter months.
WHY now? Well, the stores are overstocked! Predicting what people will buy during the holidays can be tricky business and most stores end up with extras. The post-holiday deals at the grocery store are plentiful since much of the merchandise is seasonal, possibly perishable and has to go. Look for "Buy One Get One Free" deals that are used to clear out stock quickly and when you combine coupons with this kind of deal, you really can rack up the savings.
Here are a few steps to making your stock-up run to the grocery store reap the most savings:
Also, save the store receipt, if you stick to your plan, you may likely see savings of 50-75% or more and this is a trophy worth saving! Remember you may access store circulars online to pre-shop the weekly specials. See the online weekly specials at Kroger.
He's making a list and checking it twice...
Even Santa makes a gift giving list! The first thing you do when making your list is decide on your spending limit!! This will guide you in making purchases that support your overall spending goal.
Here's why I feel making a list is an important thing to do this time of the year:
If you have already started this list, then hooray for you! If you have not, then make time to sit down to record the shopping you have already done and what is left to finish. This process takes very little time and will give you a huge payoff. It will guide you towards success in giving the people in your life meaningful gifts while maintaining balance in your bank account.
In case you need a list...a spiral bound colorful Gift Giving list is included in the Giftionizer system along with a Gift Tracker pad which proves a place to record gifts received. These list pads can be used year round to record any gift giving event. A refill pack of these lists can be purchased separately for $3.95.
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