You can save a lot of money with coupons by being a smart shopper.
Discount coupons are money savers. That’s a fact.
Whether you clip coupons from the paper, check your app when shopping in person or score online discounts, you can save thousands of dollars a year on purchases.
If you are a late starter to retirement planning, you need your money working for you. So why waste money?
Word of warning: If you get a discount on an item you are already purchasing, you’ll pay less. This is a money-saving action.
However, if you buy something just because it’s on sale, and end up not using it, you’ll end up paying more! Be careful about chasing a discount for a discount’s sake. That said, if a deal is offered, and you need the item, take the discount.
Here are three ways to save money on purchases:
1. Sign up for discounts at your favorite store
Get on your retailer’s email list. Retailers often reward you with a discount coupon as a gift for signing up for their email list.
For example, I need new dress boots for work this winter. With successful bunion surgeries this summer, the shape of my feet have changed for the better. I need a little bit wider boot with a square toe. Since I work near a Macy’s with an extensive shoe department, I signed up for their email list and scored a 25% coupon for a single item.
If I end up buying $200 boots, that one simple action just saved me $50!
Tip – Set up a separate email address designated specifically for coupons so these ads don’t overtake your email inbox.
2. Run a discount coupon search online
To save hundreds of dollars, search for coupon codes before you purchase. Enter the words Coupon Codes (and your item) in your search bar and see what comes up. You can also go to Retailmenot.com or Coupons.com and search for your retail outlet.
For example, we bought a smoker online at Kohls. Right before I was ready to click PURCHASE, I:
- opened a new browser window
- searched for KOHL COUPON CODES
- scored on a 20% off code!
A one minute action saved me $40. That’s well worth your time.
Tip – Score freebies with a coupon code, too.
Last year, we gave spices from Penzey.com for Christmas gifts. Before I hit purchase on my order, I searched for a coupon code. While there was no discount code, I did find an extra.
When I added the code, a jar of spices was added to my shopping cart at no cost.
This strategy doesn’t always work but sometimes it does so I think its worth the 30 seconds it takes to double check.
Related content – Simple Budgeting Tools and Costco Budget Hacks
3. Download your store’s app for the most current deals
If you have capacity on your phone, download your favorite retailer’s app. They often have coupons and deals ready for you to use. For example, I love to knit and crochet so I frequent Michael’s craft stores. I’ll stock up on more expensive items such as bamboo knitting needles or more elegant yarn when there is a 50% off coupon.
Carrying coupons in my wallet, they were often expired by the time I tried to use them. I felt embarrassed handing the clerk a crumpled up expired coupon. Now I just head to the app on my phone and open it up for scanning.
Check to see if your favorite retailer has an app with readily available coupons.
Tip: Move all the retail apps to the very far reaches of your phone so it takes some effort to get to them. I also put my (time wasting) game apps in a hard to reach location, too. I have to swipe over 5 pages of apps to find it.
The benefits of discounts are cumulative.
Saving a few bucks is nice, but if you always check for a discount when making a purchase, you can save thousands of dollars a year. Don’t forget to invest the difference for your future goals.
And if you have any great savings tips to share, send them my way and I’ll add them to a future post.
Happy saving.