I recently read an article that stated that the poor do not use coupons, the rich do. At first this seemed crazy to me, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense.
I began to remember back to when we first needed to cut our spending. My husband was out of work after a stroke and I just had my daughter. Back then I would shop at discount stores like Aldi’s. I purchased store name products and prepackaged or frozen meals. A lot of items I just did without. I believed that I could not afford brand names or fresh meats and vegetables. We did save some money but it just was not enough.
Once I started to get into using coupons more and deal shopping I started going to the major grocery stores and drug stores. I began buying brand name items and purchasing fresh vegetables and the best from the meat department. We began eating a lot healthier but I also was spending a lot less money.
How is that possible?
Simply put, sales plus coupons equals huge savings!
I have completely changed the way I shop. The biggest impact has been on household items like cleaning supplies, paper products, beauty & personal products. I get these items at the drug stores now when they are free or close to it. I stock up when ever possible to make sure I do not run out and have to pay full price. This has really taken a huge chunk out of my monthly budget.
When at the grocery store, I only shop the perimeter of the store. I purchase fruits that are in season and at lower prices. When I find a good sale on meats I will stock up and freeze it. Usually anything under $1.99 a pound is good. I also look for value packs. By purchasing larger portions you can get a price break.
When ever I go down an aisle it is with a purpose. That is when I am purchasing items that are on sale and with coupons. Once again I am usually getting these items free or close to it and stocking up. The goal is to never run out of these items before they are on sale again.
The largest savings I find is on Catalina Promotions or instant savings when purchasing multiple items. When these deals are done properly you can save a whole lot and even at times make money.
I wish I had these skills when we were hurting financially. Even though we may be doing better now I will never go back to shopping full price. By saving on our monthly expenses it allows us to indulge a bit in other areas. It is nice not to have such a tight budget.
It is really amazing how much savings are out there if you take the time to look. Manufactures are always offering promotions to get people to try their products and stores are offering sales to get you to shop. By combining these two together you can really save a lot of money. It is just crazy not to take advantage of this.
Thinking back to the article about the rich using coupons it makes me wonder if they are rich because of it. People who are rich are rich because they are good with their money. There is a lot of money that can be saved by shopping smarter. Not paying full price for items and using coupons is a good start.
