How to Save Money Even When You Spend It

This post is part of the CCC Personal Finance Guest Blogging Contest. If you like it, please help the author by tweeting it, liking it, leaving a comment and voting for it using the social buttons at the end of the post.

---

Are you always looking for new ways to save money?  Do you find yourself studying your bank statement trying to figure out where your paycheck went? Does it seem like there’s no budge in your budget?  Perhaps, despite your best efforts to save money, you still find that you are a day late and several hundred dollars short.

Although there are more ways to spend money thanks to specialty stores, warehouse stores like Sam’s or Costco and online shopping, there are also more ways to save money.  Today, the well-informed consumer can take advantage of a myriad of coupon websites such as Redplum, Retail Me Not or Coupon Claim, get local savings through weekly mail fliers, enjoy unadvertised store specials and, with minimal effort, start saving money on everyday purchases.  In fact, shoppers everywhere are spending less and getting more.

So how can you take advantage of the many savings opportunities available through coupon use? Perhaps you have seen those people at the store who have notebooks and files full of coupons and all you see is “one more job” to add to your already burgeoning To Do list.  Don’t let the notebooks and boxes scare you! Once you get organized, you will be amazed and motivated by how much money you can save.

Beginning Steps to Saving Money

To begin, make it a point to subscribe to your area Sunday paper.  Many experts suggest that you get at least one paper, so you can take advantage of coupons that are especially valuable.  If you are concerned that the cost of the paper may lower your savings, then talk to friends who get the paper but will not use the coupons and ask for their coupon section.  In addition, many coupon sites sell newspaper subscriptions at a reduced rate. Once you have accumulated some coupon sections, you will need to do the following:

1. Choose your filing method.  Some people choose a shoebox with section dividers or using an expandable file, while others prefer a 3-ring notebook with photo sleeves or sports card pockets that are in tabbed sections.
2. Make tabs that will help you locate your coupons easily. Some websites give a long list of sections ranging from baby items to packaged foods or beauty products. You can choose from a predesigned list or create one of your own.
3. As you go through the coupon section, only cut out the coupons you will use, but don’t be a “brand snob”. You will often find that the difference in flavor is not discernable, while the variance in price may be quite significant.
4. Keep your coupon file current! Take a few minutes-perhaps at the first of each month- to weed out any coupons that have expired.

Tried and True Ways Guaranteed to Lower Your Grocery Bill

Once you have your coupons organized, it is time to start saving money. The following tips will help you save more money than you can imagine. With practice, it is not uncommon for couponers to save  $50 to $75 a week on groceries alone--some save even more!

1. Use the coupons to your advantage by combining a printed coupon with a store sale. This is referred to as stacking. Remember those extra Sunday papers? Many stores such as Harris Teeter, Lowes or Kroger’s will have double and even triple coupon days. The more coupons you have the greater your potential savings.
2. Pay attention to unadvertised specials and BOGOs (Buy One Get One) sales that allow you to purchase in quantity.
3. Study store ads and know where the best prices are. If you miss the weekly ad, you can go to sites such as Redplum, Coupons.com and follow the steps to printing out the savings you need for your weekly list. However, the savvy coupon user knows that the week a great coupon is released is not the best time to use the coupon. Rather, wait a week or two for a store to put the item on sale and then use the coupon.
4. Make sure that you always use your store loyalty card to add to your savings. In fact, stores such as Kroger and Harris Teeter allow you to go to their website and load the coupons directly to your card. At Food Lion, you can go to a special kiosk where you can print out additional coupons on the items you frequently purchase.
5. Make sure you know your prices and take the time to compare unit costs; unfortunately,  some stores that double coupons also raise the price to make up for the “savings”.
6. Go to the websites for the stores you frequent and print out their coupon policy. Store the policies in your notebook or coupon file. Quite often, store employees have no idea what coupons their store accepts and you could be missing out savings because they are unsure of how to ring up your coupons.
7. Always get a rain check-especially if it is for seasonal items!
8. Buy items you usually use even when you don’t need them then store for later use. Many avid coupon users have mini-stores in their homes.

Saving Money on Non-Grocery Items

While saving on groceries is certainly nice, saving on household goods and appliances is great. Here are a five ways to cut overall household spending.

1. Subscribe to coupon sites through e-mail so you can get the latest in money saving coupons.
2. “Like” your favorite stores, manufacturers, products, etc. on Facebook or follow them on Twitter as the companies will usually send you notices of sales, coupons and special events.
3. Take advantage of sites such as TheFind.com, which helps you locate the best price on an item within your zip code.
4. When travelling on vacation, be sure to check mykidseatfree.com and find out where the best deals for your meals will be. You can also add to your dining out budget by purchasing gift certificates at a discount from restaurant.com-just be sure to read the fine print.
5. Check eBay for coupon vendors and order surplus coupons.

Saving money on all your household expenses is a lesson that can benefit the whole family. With couponing, you will soon have more budge in your budget and your paycheck will suddenly seem larger! Others will see you at the store and wonder how it is that you are saving money even when you spend it. No, you may not save $100 every time you shop, but every little bit you save will make a difference.  Happy Couponing!

Janet Slagell is the Content Editor for Coupon Claim.com as well as the writer for numerous SEO web design companies. You can also follow her on Twitter @JMSlagell.