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KANSAS CITY, MO. -
Coupons have been around for more than a hundred years. But it wasn't until the 1930's coupons finally become an American household staple because of the Depression.
Coupons have changed over the years, especially the last decade. If you haven't clipped a coupon in a while you may not believe all the places you'll find them.
Thanks to high gasoline and grocery prices, as well record number layoffs, more consumers are looking at anything to save money. And stretching your dollar at the grocery store is a good place to start. For some families, it's the second biggest monthly expense next to their mortgage.
Adrianne Miller, mother of three says, "I didn't used to clip coupons. It's probably within the last year that it's become somewhat of an addiction."
Adrianne miller has taken care of foster children over the years and has adopted three, so holding costs down has been a challenge. Miller says, "But you know buying diapers for two or three kids at a time got really expensive. So I had to realize there's got to be a way out there to cut down on that cost."
Miller keeps her coupons organized in a file. And she doesn't just turn to the newspaper for her coupons. Miller says, "I get them out of the paper. I get them off the internet, from whatever is thrown in the front yard on Tuesdays."
The internet is a great resource for coupons. It's growing in popularity with websites such as Couponmom.com, Retailmenot.com and smartsource.com. All you do is print them out. Miller says, "I like websites that I can get things for free."
But navigating some websites can be frustrating. Often you have to provide personal information or sign up for a newsletter before getting the coupon.
Retailers offer reward cards like CVS Pharmacy that give you money off future purchases through it's Extra Care Bucks program.
Jodi Sailor shops there often so she finds the rewards card very useful. Sailor says, "I also use my coupons because you can use your coupons there so you use your coupons and get your cash back."
Here's one example of how it works. Spend $15 on selected products and get $5 back to use toward your next purchase. This body wash is two for $7. Use two of these coupons for each bottle for 75 cents off and it's only $5.50 for both. Once you get the five bucks cash back, it's like you paid 25-cents for each bottle of bodywash.
There are other places to look for coupons and discounts. Check the back of your register receipt, some retailers print coupons there. Also hang onto offers in the mail, more retailers are using this as a marketing tool to get you to spend money. And read over all receipts carefully. Some retailers offer a discount on future purchases if you take a phone survey.
But having all of these coupons and discount offers can be overwhelming. That's why these two Kansas City based women developed a website called BeCentsAble.net.
Through workshops and online blogs, they teach people all the strategies for using coupons to maximize their savings. BeCentsAble.net Founder, Kristin McKee says, "It's all about timing your purchase right and make sure you're timing the purchases with a sale and coupon together so you can get the most bang for your buck."
And they teach you how to organize your coupons without having to clip them. McKee says, "this is what we do. It comes to us like this in the Sunday paper, slip it in, date it the date that it came out and you're done."
With the use of the grocery databases found on the BeCentsAble.net website, they alert you to what's on sale and where to find the coupon based on the date in your file system. BeCentsAble.net is just one of several websites designed to teach you the ins and outs of saving money with coupons.
More Sites:
Coupons have changed over the years, especially the last decade. If you haven't clipped a coupon in a while you may not believe all the places you'll find them.
Thanks to high gasoline and grocery prices, as well record number layoffs, more consumers are looking at anything to save money. And stretching your dollar at the grocery store is a good place to start. For some families, it's the second biggest monthly expense next to their mortgage.
Adrianne Miller, mother of three says, "I didn't used to clip coupons. It's probably within the last year that it's become somewhat of an addiction."
Adrianne miller has taken care of foster children over the years and has adopted three, so holding costs down has been a challenge. Miller says, "But you know buying diapers for two or three kids at a time got really expensive. So I had to realize there's got to be a way out there to cut down on that cost."
Miller keeps her coupons organized in a file. And she doesn't just turn to the newspaper for her coupons. Miller says, "I get them out of the paper. I get them off the internet, from whatever is thrown in the front yard on Tuesdays."
The internet is a great resource for coupons. It's growing in popularity with websites such as Couponmom.com, Retailmenot.com and smartsource.com. All you do is print them out. Miller says, "I like websites that I can get things for free."
But navigating some websites can be frustrating. Often you have to provide personal information or sign up for a newsletter before getting the coupon.
Retailers offer reward cards like CVS Pharmacy that give you money off future purchases through it's Extra Care Bucks program.
Jodi Sailor shops there often so she finds the rewards card very useful. Sailor says, "I also use my coupons because you can use your coupons there so you use your coupons and get your cash back."
Here's one example of how it works. Spend $15 on selected products and get $5 back to use toward your next purchase. This body wash is two for $7. Use two of these coupons for each bottle for 75 cents off and it's only $5.50 for both. Once you get the five bucks cash back, it's like you paid 25-cents for each bottle of bodywash.
There are other places to look for coupons and discounts. Check the back of your register receipt, some retailers print coupons there. Also hang onto offers in the mail, more retailers are using this as a marketing tool to get you to spend money. And read over all receipts carefully. Some retailers offer a discount on future purchases if you take a phone survey.
But having all of these coupons and discount offers can be overwhelming. That's why these two Kansas City based women developed a website called BeCentsAble.net.
Through workshops and online blogs, they teach people all the strategies for using coupons to maximize their savings. BeCentsAble.net Founder, Kristin McKee says, "It's all about timing your purchase right and make sure you're timing the purchases with a sale and coupon together so you can get the most bang for your buck."
And they teach you how to organize your coupons without having to clip them. McKee says, "this is what we do. It comes to us like this in the Sunday paper, slip it in, date it the date that it came out and you're done."
With the use of the grocery databases found on the BeCentsAble.net website, they alert you to what's on sale and where to find the coupon based on the date in your file system. BeCentsAble.net is just one of several websites designed to teach you the ins and outs of saving money with coupons.
More Sites:
- coupons.com offers the latest coupons and daily deals
- shortcuts.com is a free service from AOL and offers clipped and printable coupons
