I do a quick “skim” with the coupons from the weekend newspaper. When I do it is another story! 😉 Whenever I do it, I try to skim through the coupon sections.
To save time, I dive into this process thinking —- if I need something within the upcoming next few weeks or months, I put the specific coupon aside. Otherwise, I discard the rest of the coupon sections.
I’m not telling hard core couponers to not be hard core couponers are to even change anything if it works for them. I’m also not telling people to do anything different IF they are comfortable with their couponing processes and experiences. I am offering a tip that might help people change the way they think about couponing when they view their weekend coupon section of their newspaper.
My thinking is this — if you were not considering purchasing a certain product or food item within the next few weeks prior to you viewing the coupon section, then why waste your time spending money on something you don’t need to begin with.
Trust me, there are exceptions such as:
- If you have a large family and almost any product or food item can be used by someone within the near future
- There is a store sale which you can match up with a manufacturer coupon
- Trying out a new product to save money and because you like new products and food items in your life
- The item you have might be out of stock and it’s good to go with a “Plan B” option
My suggestion overall would be if you plan on purchasing the product or food item soon anyway, then absolutely use the coupon. Otherwise, it’s not necessary to take too much time to go through large sections of coupons other than a quick skim. If you see a coupon worth $1 off x item and you know x item is worth $3 retail value, you just paid an extra $2 you weren’t going to spend for a product you weren’t going to buy. Some people would think that’s saving 33% off. Some other people would think you are spending $2 you could have kept in your wallet or purse!
If you think this couponing tip will help you approach viewing coupons and save you money, I invite you to use this thinking tip and mental technique.
