Couponing usually conjures up images of older women hunched over the ads section of the newspaper with a pair of dull scissors. However, couponing, much like shopping sales, can accumulate to a large about of savings. Local stores, especially, will send out coupons to all mail addresses within a certain distance of the store as a way of drawing in customers. Without sounding repetitive, keeping tabs on coupons for your local stores can lower costs, from anywhere between 15% and 80% if you do it right. Spending a few minutes checking for deals can really save you money.
If you do most of your shopping on your phone or computer, you can also check out online services like Honey, Groupon, Retail Me Not, and Capital One Shopping, among others. These website services tend to offer extensions for your web browser that automatically find deals for you when you’re shopping online, making saving easier with each click of your mouse.
One pitfall to avoid is spending money unnecessarily on items you wouldn’t normally buy if a coupon wasn’t available. While it may appear that you’re losing money by not chasing every deal you find, not spending money is the best way to save money, ultimately. In a sense, don’t purchase anything you don’t need, even if you have a coupon.