Friday, December 30, 2011

Stick to Your Food Budget by Shopping With Coupons

By Robbie Bainer


Many people follow a budget when it comes to shopping for food, therefore it is great to find ways to save money. One way to save money on food that has recently become extremely popular is couponing.

Retailers offer millions of different coupons on their products to encourage people to buy. By using these coupons wisely, you can stick to your food budget and many times save between 30 and 50% on your total purchases. The more time you spend cutting coupons, the more you will save.

Perhaps you are not the type of person that wants to spend a lot of time searching for coupons. In that case, why not allocate a few hours each week to do some coupon research? Even if you only find a few major coupons for things that you would normally buy, you will be ahead.

Of course coupons are used by retailers to encourage people to buy their product. However, many times you will come across coupons for food products that you wouldn't normally buy. Make sure you don't get caught up in the hype of buying food products just because you will receive a discount.

Where do people find so many coupons? There are many places to look, such as your local newspapers, tear pads at the grocery store, magazines, and lots of coupon websites. Coupon websites are great because they are typically updated every month with new items. You simply click on the coupons you want and they will mail them to you for free. They usually have an extended expiry date, but always double check before you head out.

Get organized before you head out to the store. Sort your coupons in a container you can take with you by type of food and pull out the coupons that match your shopping list. Make sure you follow through with rebate type coupons so you don't lose the money.

Check if your local grocery store has a loyalty reward program that you can sign up for if you haven't already. Typically these reward cards offer you bonus points that you can collect and possibly use for a discount on future food purchases.

Buying items that are on sale with coupons means you are using smart coupon strategies. If you have a coupon for something that you don't need right away, why not wait until it goes on sale so you can stay within your food budget?

Look at the ads from the stores near you. You may want to visit more than one store if other stores have sales for items you have coupons for and that you need. First, ask if your favorite store will honor coupons from the competition. A lot of stores will allow this because it keeps you at their store.

Beware of sales techniques that retailers use such as 3 for $9.99 but regular price if you only buy one. If you need all 3 and will use all 3 of whatever the product is, then go ahead and buy it. But if you won't use them, then don't buy them just because they are on sale. Save your money.

It used to be that shoppers were hesitant to use coupons because they thought stores would be less than pleased with them. No one wanted to be the one who takes forever to check out with their coupons.

Today, most cash registers are computerized and scanning coupons is quick and easy for the cashier. So start using all those valuable coupons and begin saving money on your food budget every week.




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