| Welcome to the Savings Report! This report will
show you simple, easy, effective methods of stretching your dollar
without trying your patience or sacrificing free time. We will cover:
If all this is new to you,
try just one method at a time - you will soon get used to utilizing
all the tools that will help you save!
COUPONS
Grocery Coupons: What
many people don’t realize is that companies spend lots of money
on advertising each year, and part of that goes into producing coupons.
These companies want you to use these coupons to buy their
products! Here are some sources of grocery coupons:
- The newspaper: includes a wide variety of coupons (mostly
on Sundays, except during some holiday weeks).
- It takes time to go through and clip what you want, but
it can be well worth the effort (especially if you have a
store near you that offers double and/or triple coupons).
- If you have two (or more) stores near you that double coupons
and occasionally offer triple coupons in their weekly flyers,
check to see if any of the stores will accept the competitors’
triple coupons. It is often more advantageous to use the
triple coupons at the store that will accept them, but is
not currently offering them (many times you can get more products
for free this way).
- It may be worth it to obtain additional copies of the paper
so that you have more than one set of coupons and flyers.
Notice when the supermarkets run their flyers in the local
paper. You may want to pick up an extra copy of the paper
to get any triple coupon offers that are available.
- Check with friends and neighbors to see if they use their
coupons and flyers. If they don’t, ask if they will set them
aside for you to pick up.
- Speaking of friends and neighbors, you may want to start
a coupon swap. Get together on a regular basis to trade coupons.
Make it a potluck event, get in some socializing, and have
a great time!
- Magazines: many contain at least their cover price
in coupon savings (if you use the products that are advertised).
Get your magazines at a discount! Please refer to our Magazine Price Comparison
Chart and get the best prices available on your
subscriptions and renewals. Bonus: many magazines offer free samples!
- Inside or outside packages of purchased items: don’t throw
these out! The manufacturer wants you to be a repeat buyer and
possibly buy other items that they produce. Be on the lookout
for coupons that are printed inside the packaging (e.g.,
the inside of a box of cake mix).
- In-store displays: manufacturers often send large quantities
of coupons directly to the store. Watch for those displays!
- The mail: once you get on the right mailing lists (generally
through participating in rebate offers),
you may receive coupons directly from the manufacturer when they
have special offers. You may also get on mailing lists (or receive
a one-time allotment of coupons) by writing to the manufacturer
and asking for them. Look for the manufacturer's address on the
packages or on the Internet. If you visit a company on the web,
you may find that they offer coupons that you can print out right
away!
- ShoppersResource.com:
check the coupons page
for printable in-store coupons and downloadable coupons!
- The Internet: in addition to saving money at the grocery store
with coupons, you can receive money off your next grocery shopping
order (at a wide variety of supermarkets) by using the offers
available at ValuPage.com.
The service is easy to use:
- At the ValuPage.com
home page, enter your zip code
- Choose the store where you shop
- Select the offers you want
- Print the page
- Bring the page to the supermarket when you shop and have
the cashier scan the UPC on the page before you check out.
Coupons for money toward your next shopping order will print
when you purchase the appropriate items.
- Use the coupons on your next purchase.
Using ValuPage.com is a great way to receive products at a substantial
discount (or even free) because you receive savings in addition
to regular coupons (which can be doubled or even tripled at many
stores).
Other Types of Coupons:
You may be surprised to discover how many businesses (large and
small) offer coupons. Here are some sources of non-grocery coupons:
- ShoppersResource.com:
look here first before placing an order to see if there are any
available discounts or special offers!
- The newspaper (any day of the week): if you read the paper
on a daily basis, be on the lookout for coupons and inserts for
savings at local businesses.
- Memberships: many discounts are available through various clubs
and organizations (AAA,
AARP, frequent
flier programs, professional associations, savings clubs). Check
your membership benefits for details, and watch for advertisements
in any publications you receive.
- The mail: look for flyers, coupon books and group mailings.
One of the most popular places for small businesses to advertise
is ValPak.
You may receive mailings from them, but you don’t have to wait!
Check out ValPak.com,
where you can enter your zip code and look at available discounts
in your area. You can use this web site when planning a vacation
or taking a business trip…just enter the zip code of your destination,
and look through the discounts!
- The Yellow Pages: most books contain a coupon section with
an index by classification. This resource is also very helpful
for vacationers and business travelers (be sure to look through
the phone book at your place of lodging).
- Entertainment.com
 :
incredibly versatile savings resource. These books
are often available through fundraising events, and can be purchased
online. There are over 150 local Entertainment editions, covering
every major city throughout North America. Save on hotels, restaurants,
local attractions, travel and more! Not only is each book stuffed
with savings (which offset the cost of the book many times over),
it also entitles its owner to expanded online benefits featuring
additional nationwide discounts. Highly recommended for:
- Everyday discounts (purchase the edition that covers your
hometown).
- Vacation and business travel discounts (purchase the edition
that covers your destination).
- Gift-giving!
Visit the web site for the Entertainment
Book to see if there are any free printable coupons for your
area!
SALES
It takes a little time to go
through the flyers each week, but the savings can be tremendous
- especially if you buy 3-6 months worth of nonperishable product
when it's on sale and store it. It makes sense to put some
space aside in your home (if you haven't already!) to store these
bulk items.
This example is based on a
test household of 4 people using conservative sale prices (found
in stores at least four times per year), and does not take into
account any additional savings you may get from using coupons and
rebates:
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COMPETITIVE
PRICING
You may think, “How can I
do all this? It sounds so time consuming and I have to go to all
these different stores to get the sales.” Not necessarily so!
Many stores offer “competitive pricing,” which means if you bring
in a competitor’s flyer, they will honor the sale prices (on the
exact same items) at the register. This makes it possible
to get all your sale items in one place. In addition, you
may find a store that has competitive pricing and double
coupons. You may get an even better deal than you would have at
the original store!
REBATES
Many people find rebates tedious,
and we realize that it takes some organization to make them work.
One of our team members received over $4,500 back through rebates
in 2001 - no kidding! Wouldn’t you rather have the money you
are spending anyway to use toward something fun - like a vacation?!
Where to find rebate slips,
forms and booklets:
- In stores: look for rebate booklets and forms near the weekly
flyers, on a designated "rebate board," or on the shelves
and displays.
- In weekly flyers: we've seen Free after Rebate forms printed
right in the flyers of CVS and Brooks Drug (to name a few).
- Also check the flyers for products that are free after the
rebate, where you get the rebate slip when you go in to make
the purchase. It's a good idea to get to the store as early
as possible when these offers come out. We've seen mobs of people
in line at stores that run huge rebate specials, like Staples.
- If you can't get to the store early, give them a call before
venturing out to make sure the product(s) you want are still
in stock
- When you participate in rebate offers that are advertised
by the stores, be sure that you have the rebate slip before
leaving the store and that you keep a copy of the flyer advertising
the rebate with your copy of the submission (we'll tell you
why in the next section!).
- Among the coupons from the local Sunday paper.
- On product packaging or inside the box: these can be found in
any store. Be on the lookout for stickers on the products that
read "Try Me Free" (or any rebate offer) and be sure
to check the rebate details before purchasing the item (make sure
that the expiration date hasn't passed). We find that new products
often have hefty coupons and great rebates available.
- Online: Some manufacturers will have rebate offers posted on
their web site. If you have a specific product that you want to
purchase, it can be well worth your while to check and see if
a rebate is available. One of our team members wanted a pair of
Motorola TalkAbout radios. They were on sale at the local Radio
Shack, and he got them for free after checking the Motorola web
site and printing out a rebate form for $40 off the pair!
Recommendations for submitting
rebates:
- Make a copy of the entire rebate submission (a scanner makes
this easy, and we have seen several that are free after a rebate!).
- Keep a list of what rebates you send (including the item, amount,
rebate address, date mailed and store where purchased). Be sure
you have the contact information in case you need to follow-up
on a missing rebate.
- Check the items off when the refund comes in.
- If you don’t get the rebate within the specified amount of
time: call the rebate fulfillment company. If no phone number
was provided with the rebate form, get in touch with the store
where you made the purchase (they should have contact information).
If that does not produce results, contact the manufacturer.
- If you have followed all the steps outlined in #4 and still
do not have your rebate, contact the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC). Most merchants are aware that by
advertising and offering a rebate, they are ultimately responsible
for its fulfillment (this is why we recommend that you file a
copy of the flyer where the rebate was advertised with your submission). We
have had vendors supply us with everything from gift certificates
to free coupons to checks for unfulfilled rebates on items that
were advertised and sold at their store or through their web site.
- Use your rebate submission list as a cross-reference so that
you don’t send for the same rebate more than once (some rebates
run for a year or more at a time).
There are now stores that
even have “rebate clubs” (Walgreens and Rite
Aid retail stores) where you can send in more than one rebate
at a time. What a great way to save resources! You can send in for
more than one rebate with just one stamp (Walgreens), or save the
cost of a stamp altogether and submit your monthly rebates online
(Rite Aid).
Keep current rebate slips stored along with coupons that you may
want to use. That way, if you are out shopping and find a good
deal on something, you can check to see if you have any coupons,
and also to see if you can save additional money by using a rebate.
Many people get lots of merchandise for free! Use as much storage
space as you can in your home (and make some, if necessary). We
know people who have enough deodorant soap, laundry detergent, pasta,
sauce, dryer sheets, household cleaners, dental floss, shaving cream
and razors (to name a few) to last for at least a year. This is
from using the techniques described above. If you want to be an
avid rebater, it's a good idea to save all UPC codes from brand
name products in case a rebate becomes available. This can easily
be done by using a small portable file with sections for each type
of product. If possible, write the company and product name on
the UPC.
FREQUENT BUYER CLUBS/REWARDS
Many stores have clubs or reward programs for loyal customers.
These clubs typically require that you show a member card at checkout
or a frequent buyers card (which, based on your purchase, gets punched
or stamped). Here are several examples:
- Staples
(online and retail): offers a free Dividend$ Rewards Program where
you can earn up to $60 (2.5% on purchases) per year as a basic
member, or $120 (5% on purchases) per year as a Gold member.
A Gold member upgrade is automatically rewarded to those members
who spend $1,000 or more per year (which is very easy to do if
you own a business and/or participate in their numerous “free
after rebate” offers). The program very easy to use for online
shoppers: just enter your Dividend$ reward number into your profile
and every purchase is automatically credited to your account.
If you shop in their retail stores, just show them the rewards
card upon checkout. You can sign
up online.
- CVS
(online and retail): offers a free ExtraCare
Card where you can earn cash back on purchases, free extras,
personalized mailings, and sweepstakes entries. You can sign
up online.
- Stop
& Shop (retail): Scan your card or key tag at the
register each time you shop, and you'll automatically get discounts
on store specials. There are also in-store promotions and giveaways.
You can sign
up and manage your account online.
- Shaws/Star
Market (retail): Scan your card or key tag at the
register each time you shop and receive special discounts (as
noted in their flyers). They also have Reward Partners, where
you can receive free offers, upgrades and discounts just by showing
your rewards card.
- Other: wherever you shop for goods or services, ask if they
have a frequent buyers program or some type of loyalty club.
Many small businesses offer frequent buyer savings cards (e.g.,
buy 10, get one free). Ask about perks at your local coffee shop,
pizza parlor, hairdresser, movie rental store, photo developer
or mechanic.
MISCELLANEOUS
Here is a very important point
regarding saving money: no matter how good the coupon or sale is,
if you don’t normally use the product (it’s an “extra”), don't
buy it! The exception to this rule is if you will get it
for free (through the use of coupons and/or rebates) and you really
want to try it, or you plan to give it away (either to a friend,
family member or charity). Clip coupons for any item that you normally
use, or would find useful if you could get it for free through
a sale and/or rebate.
Make full use of rain checks!
If you show up at a store expecting to stock up on an item that
is on sale and they have run out, by all means get a rain check.
That way, you can “make your own sale” and purchase the item at
a later date when it’s convenient for you. Be sure to get a rain
check for the maximum quantity, and file it with your coupons and
rebates. A big plus for receiving a rain check is that there may
be coupons and/or rebates on the item at a later date, making the
deal even sweeter!
Always watch the dollar
amounts when your purchases are being rung up at the register!
We live in an age of electronics, and sometimes sale or special
prices have not been programmed correctly. There are stores that
will give you one unit of the item for free if it rings up at a
higher price than advertised. Make sure you are getting the right
price (and any free items you are entitled to), and that you know
the store's policy on price errors.
These tips are designed to
assist you in making the most out of your budget. We wish you many
happy, fulfilling hours of shopping and saving - be proud of the
work you are doing!
The Savings Team at ShoppersResource.com
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