Today is the day our featured column is in the Tampa Bay Times! You will find it in today's, Wednesday 7/24, Tampa Bay Times Newspaper inside the front cover of the Taste Section. Today's topic is how much you could really be saving annually using coupons!
Couponing by the numbers…learn what couponing really saves you from a different perspective. How much money can couponing really save you over the course of a year? Let's take a look:
First – Spending for an Average Family of Four – Just looking at 3 Spending Categories
Food/Groceries: $585 monthly on groceries = $7,000 annually
Entertainment/Recreation: $200 monthly on entertainment/recreation = $2,400 annually
Christmas/Holidays: $700 annually
Second – Family Who Shops the Sales – Essentially saves an average of 20% by shopping sales and using discount codes…not really utilizing coupons to their full advantage.
Food/Groceries: $470 monthly on groceries = $5,600 annually
Entertainment/Recreation: $150 monthly on entertainment/recreation = $1,800 annually
Christmas/Holidays: $550 annually
Third – Couponer's Saving – Most people do not make a budget and therefore do not see where they are spending their money. When people do stop to take a look (by just taking their bank statement and putting the charges into categories) it is surprising to see how much potential there is for saving! With just a little more effort you can save between 30% and 50%:
Food/Groceries: $300 monthly on groceries = $3,500 annually
Entertainment/Recreation: $100 monthly on entertainment/recreation = $1,200 annually
Christmas/Holidays: $400 annually
Last – Shop with Strategy – How is this possible? What's the catch? Diligence! People who try to buy things when they are on sale will save between 10% and 20% but they are doing as much work as a couponer who is saving 50%. Couponers will spend 2 hours per week to have an arsenal of tools, honing skills and shopping. When the numbers ring in, it amounts to a savings of over $5,000 per year! That means every hour of work you put into saving money is essentially putting $50 back into your pocket. Get that keen couponer eye for deals!
These are only 3 categories of spending. There is even more potential savings in other living expenses!
Basically, with a little time and strategy, you can save your family a ton of money over the course of a year and have extra to be a blessing to others.
Hey, want to help us out? Can you think of a topic we can approach in the newspaper? Email your questions to Save(at)TrueCouponing.com and we will answer them in the Tampa Bay Times next month!
Do you get the daily paper? I love my subscription. On Wednesdays…not only do I get a copy of the article to mail my Grandmother, but I get the upcoming Publix Weekly Ad. It's only $26 for the whole year (for Hillsborough county)! Go HERE to check out rates for your area too!
~Happy Reading!
