Image by ralphhogaboom via Flickr
Does anyone remember when the grocery store would send out flyers full of coupons for you to clip out and bring with you to the store? I remember those times, when one would look through different flyers to find the best deals, and physically clipping them out with scissors to bring with them to give to the cashier at the store.
The Internet has changed coupons
These days, this sort of coupon clipping seems a lot less common. The flyers now advertise what’s on special, and there is no need to bring a coupon in order to get these discounts. Some stores don’t even run specials and just try to have the lowest average prices. However, coupons are still prevalent, if you know where to look for them. With the advent of the Internet and online shopping, the use of coupons has actually exploded in the form of promo codes entered on a website. These coupons are copied and pasted using the mouse instead of scissors.
With the thousands of different sites on the Internet, it would be a little difficult to find a coupon to use. Thankfully, there are sites such as Groupon and Dealtaker, and for Canadians there is also Red Flag Deals. My girlfriend personally loves to use these sites to search for the deals of the day, and often uses them to get free samples of products delivered to our door, or just to find discounts for things that we purchase all of the time.
Saving money with coupons and promo codes
I am not as much of a coupon addict as she is; for her, it is a lot of fun and she genuinely enjoys it. For me, coupon hunting can be a bit of a chore if it’s for everyday items. On the other hand, I am happy to get a deal when the item is more expensive and if a deal is easy to find. Many online shopping carts have a special field where you can enter a promo code (such as a Scan Café Promo Code), and sometimes, a quick search on one of these coupon websites will turn up a code for you to use and save some money with.
The advantages of doing this online are that you don’t have to waste time physically clipping coupons out and bringing them with you to different stores. With the extra gas and time, you could end up spending more money if you use coupons in this way. On the other hand, when you use coupons online to save money on goods that are delivered to your doorstep, or even to save money at places you would shop at anyways (thereby avoiding the need to drive to different stores), then the savings can add up.
So, reader, are you a coupon… addict? 😛 I don’t think I am, but I will use promo codes when buying stuff online. My girlfriend on the other hand genuinely enjoys searching out these free deals, and I think it’s been over a year since I had to buy a razor. 😛
Disclosure: I was compensated for the time it took to write this post.
You know, I had to stop at the supermarket this morning because I was out of milk and I also realized that I needed some baby wipes. They were on sale and I grabbed them, but then I almost put them back because I had $1 coupon for them at home.
Yes, I think I’m a little addicted. I avoid buying things when I don’t have the coupon, but I realize I have a problem, so I did just buy the stupid wipes.
😉 Sometimes my girlfriend does this but I just tell her that I’m not going to spend another hour of time and several dollars of gas to save a buck with a coupon. 😛
I habitually check for coupon codes online when I’m already making a purchase, but rarely mess around with any kind of paper coupon and usually avoid sites like Groupon. So I’d say I’m pretty solidly in the not addicted category.
I’ll look at them more for bigger purchases or if I come across them without going out of my way. Sometimes the specials do make a lot of sense if it’s for something bulky that doesn’t perish quickly so that can be worth looking out for from time to time.
Yep I am the same really, very rarely does a coupon make me order something. I am usually going to buy something and have a quick scout round for a coupon, then buy it anyway.
Yep buying things because you have a coupon can lead to spending more overall, since you think you’re saving money but actually you’re spending it if you weren’t going to buy the item otherwise.
I check Groupon (and even better: Scoutmob, a service in which you don’t need to pre-pay). Otherwise, though, I think searching for coupons is a waste of time compared to the effort I could put into making more money.
That’s an interesting way of looking at it! I think I agree especially if it comes to low-cost items that perish quickly.
Hey Kevin!
I’m not sure I’d call myself a coupon clipping addict, but will definitely take advantage of them (when I remember to) if they’re for something I want or need. Coupon codes are my real forte. It’s become routine for me to just automatically look for any promo code before I click that little “Checkout” button.
I was reluctant to sign up for Groupon, just because daily coupons for everything under the sun could get annoying, which it does… But then! One afternoon I was sent a coupon that seemed like it was meant just for me! Nearly 60% off mini-golfing party passes, which is perfect since I have family coming in two weeks and we have to entertain them! Needless to say, I’m a Groupon addict now. 🙂
Humbly Yours,
The Mayor
When it leads to good deals like that then it’s definitely worth it! So I think in certain circumstances it’s worth taking some time to save yourself a significant amount of money. It’s saving $1 on milk that I won’t take too much time to do unless I have a coupon right there.
Opportunistically using coupons is ok. By that I mean if you A) happen to stumble across one that would be useful for something you were already going to buy, or B) quickly search for a coupon online and invest very little time in doing so. The bottom line is that the more time one spends searching for a deal, the less of a “deal” it really is. For example, if you spend 20 minutes clipping coupons and end up saving $1.50, you’re making $4.50 per hour. Is that worth it?
Yep that’s a good way of looking at it. We can all definitely benefit from considering the opportunity costs of our time. Where it’s not directly evaluable in money we can just substitute enjoyment. 30 mins clipping coupons or 30 mins playing outside? 😉
I do what NoDebtMBA does; I’ll look for a coupon code online, but I won’t invest any serious amount of time scouring for coupons. It never ceases to amaze me how much time some people invest in coupons…it’s unreal.
I think for some people it’s a genuine source of enjoyment so they’d actually be happier doing that than whatever else they could be doing in that time, though on a pure monetary basis it might not make as much sense. 😉
The problem with online coupons is that they take a while to reach your home (to be mailed to you). I find that by the time the coupon gets to you, the sale that you want to use the coupon with is over 🙁
I think I am becoming a coupon addict. Today I actually felt adrenalin pumping through my veins as I was at the cashier having my stuff get rung up for the Shoppers 20x points event!
I actually haven’t used many of those, but I will sometimes look for the promo codes that you can just enter in on the checkout box, or something you can print out. 😉
Nice post. I’m no junkie, but I definitely love getting deals. I typically scout the net for coupon codes and discounts for most major purchases, electronics, heck, even oil changes from time to time 🙂 Every penny saved is another penny for my investments!
Yep I think the enjoyment of getting a deal is really what it’s about even if the money saved isn’t all that much. Overall I don’t use coupons all that much but if it comes to something expensive I’ll still feel good that I saved money.
I’m actually TRYING to become a coupon addict. However, they say that to really do it right, you need to use the coupons on things that are already on sale. That’s how all the extreme couponing happens. I’m beginning to think that the stores here in town wait for the coupon flyers to come out and then go through and take those items off of sale. LOL
Haha I haven’t had that happen too often but if you can buy something that will last a while, then it can be worth it. Dense and expensive stuff like olive oil…
oh man, the wife and I are hooked to Groupon, and are spending way more than we would have otherwise if Groupon didn’t exist. so it’s not like we are spending on necessities, but rather easily inclined to spend on desires because the deals are too good to pass on!