The economy is making it difficult for many us to do everyday shopping for necessities, let alone having the ability to splurge on luxuries. An amazing way to save money is using coupons. I know exactly what you’re thinking. I also was one of those people that grunted and groaned every time I had to wait for someone to sift through their enormous stack of coupons. But that was before I had an eye opening experience at the grocery store one day. A lady if front me handed the cashier her stack of coupons and waited for her total. Being behind her I could hear the cashier tell her that her savings for the day were seventy dollars. After picking my jaw up I asked her how she did it. She simply smiled and said “buy one get one free coupon.”

Finally it was my turn at the register. Having no coupons to present for my purchases my total came to much more than the coupon ladies and I had a severely smaller amount of items than her. I grumbled all the way home and swore I would find out about the coupon gold mine.

I can remember as a child wanting to go somewhere but having to wait until my mom was done cutting out her Sunday newspaper coupons. I grumbled then as well. Now on a mission I figured what better way to start looking into the coupon hype than with the Sunday paper. I found a coupon for almost every item I normally purchased as well as coupons for getting my oil changed and one to try the restaurant down the street.

There was one for the spa close to my house. I have always wanted to spend the day there being pampered but reality would set in and I knew money would prevent from it. The coupon stated bring a friend and receive a free massage with a manicure and pedicure purchase. The heavens opened up and I called my sister. We spent three luxurious hours being pampered for thirty dollars each. I am now a believer in coupons.

For those of you who eat out a lot, there are coupons available to save you tons of money. There is a coupon available for any type of food you prefer. A word of advice though is read the coupon completely as some may require you to purchase one item in order to get another free or a price limit on the meals available for get one free discounts.

Some coupons may appear great when you first notice them; however, it is important to read the requirements of some. If you have found a coupon for fifty cents off of your favorite muffin, but have to buy a five dollar package of tofu with the muffins and you do not eat tofu, the fifty cents will not be a savings when you throw away the tofu. In other words, do not buy unnecessary items you will not use to save on items you will use.

When cutting out coupons for the week you should put aside a couple of hours to make sure you read them and cut out all of the ones you intend to use. Sunday is a great day to spend a few hours sifting through the newspaper for coupons or you can go to an online site and request specific coupons to be sent through your email.

Shopping can be frustrating when trying to save money but using coupons will cut your bill down tremendously. Cut out and take with you only the coupons you know you will use. The most glorious coupon is the buy one get one free coupon. When you find these, use them. Many times you can get items that will make it possible for you to stock up. Paper and non perishable items are great coupon buys because even if you do not currently need the item, you can keep it in stock.

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