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Cost-cutting Measures
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| Terrell resident Melodie Harris and her three children, 4-year-old Faith, center, and 8-year-old twins Austin, left, and Preston, right, enjoy the cost-saving process of clipping coupons, a skill that saves consumers nearly $3 billion a year. |
Clipping coupons could lead to significant savings
By Tricia Scruggs: reporter@terrelltribune.com
For as long as she can remember Melodie Harris’ family has been deliberate about shopping smart.
Growing up, her father, whom she says is the grocery buyer of the household, and her grandmother, often would compare sales and savings at local food and department stores.
“I’ve learned a lot from him and they both clipped coupons,” said the mother of three. “They were always looking for a sale.”
She and her sister frequently shop together, making use of discounts wherever they can be found.
“When Shelly and I go out, we’ll make a day of it,” Harris said. “We’ll split a meal together and bring lunches for the kids.”
According to the Promotion Marketing Association’s coupon council, an advocacy group that promotes coupon use, a typical family can cut costs up to almost $10 per week by capitalizing on the more than $350 billion worth of packaged goods coupons offered annually.
Nowadays serious coupon clippers can find the cost-cutters online or even have them sent via text message, and talk of coupon etiquette fills online forums.
“Coupon use is acceptable, even laudable, except where the person is disorganized and inconveniences the other people in line,” one consumer wrote in response to a post titled “Why I am not the Least Bit Embarrassed to Use Coupons,” at savingadvice.com.
“I’m never embarrassed to use coupons, especially when I get to watch as money comes off my total bill at the grocery store or in a department store,” wrote another. “It’s the next best thing to money in the bank.”
Right now Brookshire’s on West Moore Avenue is tripling coupons valued up to 39 cents and doubling others up to 50 cents, which means a lot of customers are heading into the store.
“That’s driving the use up for us, so that’s great,” said Store Director Steve Gilpin, a grocery industry professional who has been in the business for 30 years. “They can certainly buy products at a pretty low price, if they combine a sale on an item with the right coupon.”
Harris said she and her husband, John, model good stewardship choices and make saving fun and educational for their children, including their daughter, who at 4 years old has learned to ask whether or not a product is on sale. The boys help clip coupons and at the store are given “missions” to locate items on the shopping list.
Coupons aren’t just limited to grocery shoppers. Restaurants and major department stores issue coupons via weekly newspaper ads, on their Web sites and, of course, by mail.
Last week, as her 8-year-old twin boys prepared for basketball season, Harris walked into Beall’s Department Store with a 20 percent off coupon she received in the mail, tacking it on to a 50 percent off in-store discount on two pair of athletic shoes that already were on sale.
“We ended up getting Nike’s for $15,” she said.
The PMA council says each year consumers save about $2.6 billion by using manufacturer’s coupons for packaged products.
Growing up, her father, whom she says is the grocery buyer of the household, and her grandmother, often would compare sales and savings at local food and department stores.
“I’ve learned a lot from him and they both clipped coupons,” said the mother of three. “They were always looking for a sale.”
She and her sister frequently shop together, making use of discounts wherever they can be found.
“When Shelly and I go out, we’ll make a day of it,” Harris said. “We’ll split a meal together and bring lunches for the kids.”
According to the Promotion Marketing Association’s coupon council, an advocacy group that promotes coupon use, a typical family can cut costs up to almost $10 per week by capitalizing on the more than $350 billion worth of packaged goods coupons offered annually.
Nowadays serious coupon clippers can find the cost-cutters online or even have them sent via text message, and talk of coupon etiquette fills online forums.
“Coupon use is acceptable, even laudable, except where the person is disorganized and inconveniences the other people in line,” one consumer wrote in response to a post titled “Why I am not the Least Bit Embarrassed to Use Coupons,” at savingadvice.com.
“I’m never embarrassed to use coupons, especially when I get to watch as money comes off my total bill at the grocery store or in a department store,” wrote another. “It’s the next best thing to money in the bank.”
Right now Brookshire’s on West Moore Avenue is tripling coupons valued up to 39 cents and doubling others up to 50 cents, which means a lot of customers are heading into the store.
“That’s driving the use up for us, so that’s great,” said Store Director Steve Gilpin, a grocery industry professional who has been in the business for 30 years. “They can certainly buy products at a pretty low price, if they combine a sale on an item with the right coupon.”
Harris said she and her husband, John, model good stewardship choices and make saving fun and educational for their children, including their daughter, who at 4 years old has learned to ask whether or not a product is on sale. The boys help clip coupons and at the store are given “missions” to locate items on the shopping list.
Coupons aren’t just limited to grocery shoppers. Restaurants and major department stores issue coupons via weekly newspaper ads, on their Web sites and, of course, by mail.
Last week, as her 8-year-old twin boys prepared for basketball season, Harris walked into Beall’s Department Store with a 20 percent off coupon she received in the mail, tacking it on to a 50 percent off in-store discount on two pair of athletic shoes that already were on sale.
“We ended up getting Nike’s for $15,” she said.
The PMA council says each year consumers save about $2.6 billion by using manufacturer’s coupons for packaged products.
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