What is couponing? It is the act of searching and saving coupons or promo codes to achieve discounts at local stores. It can help you stretch your budget just that much further to make it feel a little less constraining. People use coupons at all different capacities. Ever seen the show Extreme Couponing? That’s an example of how far you could go.
How to get started
There are many ways to go about couponing. In the past, people have had to search through Pennysavers and newspapers to find coupons. Now we have the internet at our fingertips! Most of the time, newspapers only have coupons for local stores, but what if you want to go to Michael’s Crafts in the town over and couldn’t find any coupons. The internet has made couponing easier by way of a website. You can search any a coupon for Michael’s on the internet. Sites like RetailMeNot can help you save on each purchase that you make online.
It’s easiest to start small. Maybe just find coupons for one store every time you go. There are two ways to go about it: you can either base meals around coupons, which saves more money, or look specifically for coupons for what you want to buy, which gets you what you want to eat. I recommend a combination of both. This way you can save and still eat what you want!
Does couponing help you save money?
Couponing can be dangerous. Lower prices can urge you to buy something you don’t need, wasting your budget. As long as you only buy what you need, though, coupons are a great way to save a couple of dollars. For instance, if you have a $250 budget for food and spend it all on baking products because you had a coupon; that isn’t saving money. On the other hand, if you look for coupons for Doritos– you love Doritos– and get a buy one get one Doritos coupon on Doritos you were going to end up buying regardless, there! You just saved money with couponing!.
Conclusion
Couponing can be overwhelming and difficult. They can also urge you to spend more money! But if you think rationally about each purchase, you should be able to use coupons wisely and save money more often than not.
