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Coupons: They aren’t lame anymore

In my first writeup on the money experiment, I had talked about two things that had made deep cuts into my financial life. One was buying way more stuff than was needed a.k.a overextending that I have already talked about here. The other one was buying stuff by paying more. Honestly, this was one of the most overlooked areas of my finances. For the most part, I’m an avid researcher when it comes to buying my stuff but never was price a part of the research. In fact, I used to ridicule coupon-hunters and rebate-chasers. Only after the experiment did I realize how much money could I have saved over the years had I been a little smart with my shopping sprees. Almost 40pc of the $1018 that I have scraped from the experiment has come from coupons and rebates. $400 in 50 days, that’s a whopping $3000 for the entire year! You might not believe me, but just keep a tab of how much money you saved by using your coupons and you will be amazed at the final number.

These days, before I shop, I use sites like www.deals2buy.com, www.slickdeals.net and www.cheapstingybargains.com. Now I know most of you already know about most ‘deal’ sites. What I also know is that you have been using those sites for the wrong purpose. Yes, you have been buying stuff just because they are on a deal or selling for cheap. That is not our mantra. Before you forget, let me reiterate our mantra. It is “do we need it?” The idea is to buy stuff, stuff you have been wanting to buy or you can put to good use, for cheap. Not buying any stuff that is cheap.

There are a few good sites dealing with coupons and cashbacks that can save you some dough. I particularly like www.retailmenot.com and www.ebates.com. I also use www.workingadvantage.com, an employer-subscribed deal site; talk to your HR department if they would be willing to enroll. And don’t forget the good old newspaper coupons. Or the ones that show up in your mail every day. We’ve saved quite a bit on Dash’s supplies using those Petsmart and Petco coupons. And last but not the least, the grocery store coupons that are printed on the back of the receipts. I just love them. I cut a coupon from my grocery receipts every month and use it towards my haircut. $5 coupons for a good $60 saving every year.

And the most important thing to do before pulling the trigger on a buy would be to compare prices through different vendors. You can use any of the popular sites like www.pricegrabber.com or www.bizrate.com. Do not forget to add up any shipping and handling fees before you buy. Many vendors have a lower retail price but shipping and handling charges can jack up the final price quite a bit.

What I have learned by now is, it’s OK to use coupons. It’s OK to save money. Every dollar that you save is essentially a dollar that you’ve made. I know it sounds cheesy but wouldn’t you like a $3000 raise this year?