Tales from the Coupon Slayer 

 

This is the first of many conversations regarding what drives a professionally degreed, six-figured wage earner to spend time with coupons and coupon applications.  Is it the sense of getting over on corporate giants who overprice everyday necessities, the financial drive to save nickels and dimes to pay for necessary utilities and living expenses, or is it simply a game of math to come out a winner?  Over the past thirty years, I have witnessed the transformation of clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, usually a housewife, in the hopes that they would have a savings on something that my family used, and perhaps find a merchant that doubled and/or tripled coupons for the added savings.  The next generation was slow with many rebates requiring you to fill out extensive forms, mail in proof of purchase and UPC codes, and wait sometimes six to eight weeks for a rebate check to come in the mail.  Oftentimes, the receipt was mislaid and the boxes thrown out, and heavens forbid, lost in the mail. Then came the advent of the internet and applications with our smart phones which ushered in a new era of downloading and printing coupons, cash back or money rewards to spend in the store again, or downloading to a shopping card that gives you your savings at the register.  In addition, many shopping applications allow your savings to download to tools such as PayPal, Amazon, merchant gift cards, and some directly into your checking account. There is an application that gives you points that convert into money just for visiting their product and scanning it in the store.  We all know that savvy, usually female, customer that holds the line up for her savings, often requiring the manager to educate the cashier that the customer is right.  They seem to have a game plan, and to know the rules and regulations of the game, and with a game face hold out for the extra savings.  Lately, I have noticed that they are usually very sharp in math, and seem to not fit in the stereotypical housewife category, whatever that is to your mind.  Have you ever wondered what that customer is driving, what they do with all the extra shampoos and body washes, and what drives them to save, save, save? One woman I know supports a homeless pregnant woman’s shelter with her “haul”, as it is affectionately called, when she leaves the store with a basket full after paying a few cents on the dollar. Another such woman showed me a receipt where she saved over $2,000 in one quarter at a local pharmacy, and she gives the items away in gift baskets for special occasions.  Lastly, another woman working a nonprofessional job, and being a single parent uses coupons to stretch her dollar, and to add income to her family by way of savings.  Couponing in my experience is part of the new wealth, SMART MONEY, and in the next issue we will explore some basics.  Until then, let’s slay some retail.

 

 

IT'S YOUR MONEY !

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Part 2 of series

 

Tales from The Coupon Slayer

 

So, it is my off day today from a busy four 10 hour days of busy patient care, and I decide that I now need some paper towels.  Never being a slave to retail, I quickly look up my paper towel coupons, scroll on my smart phone applications to see who is offering a rebate back from which site, and check my local department store and pharmacy applications to see who has what paper towels on sale.  This my friend is called “Stacking”, because you see I am going to stack deal on top of deal on top of deal to slay that money.  Big retail is not going to get me on a necessity such as a quick picker upper, knowing that we are at some time going to make a spill.  I pull my hair back, put on my Victoria Secret best yoga pants, and get ready for the deal of a deal.  You see, there is a sale on paper towels at XYZ (not their real name yet), and I can use a paper coupon, for the old schoolers known as a “manufacturer’s coupon” to save a whole two quarters, 2 more and I have a dollar saved.  It adds up, you must have a relationship with your pennies, that don’t really count, so I relate to the quarters now.  I also have this smart phone application Ibotta, available on Android and Apple, where I can get $1.00 back if I buy two rolls, and on top of that, I can get Extrabucks of $1.00 from XYZ store on these two rolls. The Extrabucks is for spending on a future purchase, just hold on to your other purchases, split them up, and only buy what you need.  Discipline is key!  You see the paper towels are on sale for 2 for $3.00, then my coupon is for .50 (fifty) cents off, I get $1.00 back on the Ibotta application on my smart phone because yes, I am getting in my Red Lexi to go botta some paper towels today!!!  Then they give me $1.00 Extrabucks, so I am going to walk out with two rolls of paper towels that I NEED for a net cost of .50 (fifty) cents, or .25 cents each!!!! Did you understand that, FIDDY cents?  This is the slay, and it is simply on one product.  So, I get to the register with my plan, of course after I let everyone else go before me so I am not “that coupon lady that held up the line”, and Cashier Ratchet rolls her eyes because she can smell me about to save some real money that she thinks is coming out of her check.  The truth of the matter is that stores are reimbursed back by the manufacturer coupons, and they are going to anticipate that they will make more money off the other crap that you buy, that you really don’t need (yep, let me put this back, stay focused).  In addition, the retail pharmacies hope that you will drop off that little prescription or two, for that is where the big bucks are for them.  So, why are you counting my FIDDY cents savings lady?  I smile, because I am not going to have her distract me from the bigger purpose, my paper towels for .25 cents each, and that is just the breakdown on one product!  The key is to have a plan, work your plan, stay on course, do not let Cashier Ratchet deter you, and make sure you understand that you are the revenue, she is the expense, and the stores rely on you to come save and spend.  Until next time, no worries, we will talk about what else I had in my cart.  Away I go, zipping off in Red Lexi about to save some money on gas now, we will get to that.