The Coupon Craze: No excuse to overspend

As high school students, everyone is always struggling to save money. Whether it be for new clothes, the hottest concert tickets, or a day in Boston, our part time jobs simply never seem to fill our wallets and bank accounts. One thing that students should consider to save a few extra bucks is couponing. It may seem like a daunting task, or something saved for moms, but couponing is beneficial to everyone.
Couponing has been given a bad name due to TLC’s show Extreme Couponing. It has given others the notion that in order to be a couponer, you must make it a full time job and spend hours a day searching, cutting, and organizing, but this doesn’t have to be the case. An hour a week can make a big difference.
Another couponing myth is that coupons are only for groceries, but this is absolutely not true. Coupons are out there for everything, from clothing stores to online shopping and restaurants. They aren’t difficult to find either; one of the easiest ways to get coupons is through the internet. Many stores offer deals through their email services, and give out huge deals simply for signing up. These coupons can include, 20% off your purchase, a free dinner, $5 off your purchase, or buy one get one free deals.
There are many ways of obtaining coupons, and it doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Coupons.com is the best resource for food coupons. When you’re headed to CVS or Walgreens, check out Coupons.com and in five minutes, you could save yourself five dollars. Retailmenot.com is the place to go for online shopping sales. Simply type in the website you want a coupon for, find the code, and enter it on the website. Often one of the biggest costs from online shopping is shipping, and free shipping is a very common coupon to find on retailmenot.com. There is rarely a time when there are no coupons available from the site you buy your products.
For most, birthdays signify getting gifts from family and friends, but stores are often big birthday gift givers. We all know that you can head to Wilbur’s for a free cone on your birthday, but there are many more deals to find. When you sign up for a store’s email service, they will typically ask for your birthday so they can send you something. Vera Bradley, for example, sends a $20 gift card with no additional purchase required. Victoria’s Secret will send a coupon for $10 off a purchase as well as a free pair of underwear. Restaurants such as Not Your Average Joes, Starbucks, Panera Bread, The Ninety Nine, and Dunkin Donuts all offer birthday rewards from free coffee, pastries, or even a full meal.
Think facebook is old and uncool? Often companies offer coupons for “liking” their pages or will provide links once a month for their products. For example, Nabisco gives out coupons on the first day of every month for a different type of cookie in their expansive brand. Similar ideas can also be found on Twitter and Pinterest. Social networking doesn’t have to be just for connecting with your friends, but it can save you money too.
Going out with your friends or heading to the South Shore Plaza doesn’t have to break the bank. By planning ahead and doing some simple research, you can find coupons that will allow you to get way more than you ever thought your minimum wage job could get you. Couponing isn’t just for your mom, you can do it too.