TEXAS, USA — If you haven’t noticed already, prices for clothing, food and gasoline have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But shoppers are now doing their best to avoid spending more money and using coupons to knock down a few prices.
Many people assume couponing still consists of having to cut paper coupons from the local newspaper and have a personal binder dedicated to couponing, but these days that's not the case.
By 2022, 80% of all coupon redemptions are projected to happen on a mobile device, according to couponfollow.com.
For expert couponer Jennifer King, using technology to coupon is nothing new.
She claims to have saved more than $11,000 over the span of 10 years because of couponing. She also runs a website dedicated to finding coupons for popular retailers and helps her community save money.
"It is never too late to start and any savings that you're not paying full price is a win. I think a lot of people think of couponing is like it was back in the day on the extreme couponing show. They see a successful couponer who works 40 hours a week and dumpster dives to save money, but that is the old scenario,” King said.
Couponing may seem time consuming and stressful. But thanks to apps such as Honey and Ibotta, shoppers are able to take photos of products in their grocery store and the app searches online to see if there are any deals on the product.
“Couponing is not what it used to be. While you may only save $25 on a grocery run, that $25 can add up and you'll save so much money over time,” King said.
Here are some tips from King for anyone looking to save money by using coupons:
- Start couponing at one store at a time
- Look for free coupons initially
- Grow relationships with store employees
- Find an app that works best for you
- Check for store coupon updates often
- Always check to make sure your coupon is legitimate
- Use your cell phone as a money saving tool and not just a smartphone
- Take that small step and don’t be afraid to save