I don’t know about you, but hunting for coupons is actually very fun to do! Prior to writing for JoeShopping.com I admit I wasn’t very coupon savvy.
My mom always would tear out coupons from an ad or she would give me coupons to hand to a sales clerk, but other than that I didn’t really take the time to use coupons. However later I started to grow up and in college I started being a little bit more coupon smart. Especially when it came to stores like Victoria Secret and Juicy Couture, I always used coupons when I wanted to buy an expensive item.
Through the years I’ve been a lot better about using my coupons, but I think I could still be better. Here are a few tips that I have learned and I thought I would share them with you:
Look on the Inside of BoxesĀ
Before you’re quick to throw away an empty box after you are done making muffins or done with all of the cereal from within the box, look on the inside first! Usually cereal and other boxes have hidden coupons inside of them. Side note: this is funny, but even tampon boxes have coupons inside of the boxes as well! Sometimes the actual coupons are a part of the box, so just retrieve a pair of scissors and cut the coupon out of the box. Finding coupons in boxes are an easy way to save and plus, the coupons are usually for the actual products that you just got done using and that you also buy on a consistent basis!
Shop at a Sale, Leave with a Coupon!
If you go to the mall to shop the sale’s rack, that’s a great thing! In fact, I do that all of the time and just a few days ago I left the store with a six dollar top that was originally thirty dollars! What I also love about stores that are having sales, however, is that after you’ve made your purchase, many times they will also include a coupon inside of your shopping bag. So don’t be so quick to throw your shopping bag away because their might be a valuable coupon inside! Of course if you don’t shop at the store that often that’s one thing, but if you happen to go there a lot and need fall clothing or would like to buy an item of clothing but were waiting for a final twenty percent off the price, a coupon will certainly help you out with your purchase!
Paid Store Memberships and Punch Cards
If you happen to shop at a store enough, it isĀ definitelyĀ valuable to spend the extra twenty dollars for a ten percent shopping membership card (I do this for Wet Seal) that you can use every time you go shopping at that particular brand store. No, it is not a credit card, but a card that you purchase one time and use it to get the percentage off your apparel every time you shop. If you can’t afford to spend the money but would still like to get some occasional perks for shopping at the store, ask for a punch card instead. Many stores have them (especially beauty stores) and they are more than happy to punch your card for every purchase that you make. You’ll be surprised how quickly the punches will add up and soon you will have up to ten dollars off of your next purchase!
Of course there are other places to find coupons, such as from ads that you receive in the mail, magazines that you subscribe to (look at the ads in the magazine!), coupon apps on your phone, and the list goes on and on! My advice is to start being coupon savvy because once you get the hang of it, you will save a lot of money. Once you save more money, you’ll be so proud of your coupon saving capabilities! So it’s time to…Keep Calm and Coupon On!