Family Circle Magazine
Saving over 50 percent on my grocery bill every time I shop has become routine for me. What's my secret? Taking advantage of refund offers, using coupons and watching for sales. I call this strategy the super-shopping system, and it helped my husband, Steve, and me afford our first home 23 years ago.
Smart shopping, as any diligent saver knows, takes time—but only an extra IS or 20 minutes per week. And with today's electronically dis¬tributed coupons, frequent-shopper programs and "clipless" (also known as paperless) coupons, saving money is easier than ever.
But how many times have you tossed a $1-off coupon from the inside of a cereal box or ignored the savings in your local market's weekly flyer? Maybe you didn't want to be bothered keeping trade of all the little pieces of paper, or you didn't think the savings were worth the trouble of removing labels for cash. They are! Couponing helps me slash my grocery bill, and refunding provides my family (I have four sons, ages 10 to 19) with enough extra income to pay for a Florida vacation every winter.
Coupons provide instant savings. That's why committed couponers never leave home without a scissors in tow. I keep a small pair enclosed in my purse at all times. But to really turn those clippings into savings, your coupons must be accessible. I store mine in a large envelope — my "couponphile." Every time I clip a coupon, I pull out the envelope from its storage space in a kitchen drawer and file the coupon alphabetically ac¬cording to the type of product, not the brand name. For example, baby food coupons are filed in the “baby products” category.
Coupons have expiration dates (ED) — the average is 90 days. I highlight the date to make it easy to see, and before heading to the store, I pull out the “oldest” coupons to redeem for dis-counts first.
Money in the Mail
What family couldn't use a little extra income for emergencies or to make a dream — like January without icicles — a reality? Each year, manufacturers actually pay me $1,800 in cash, and believe it or not, the money is tax free! The IRS doesn't consider cash from refunds as income (it's defined as a discount), so you don't owe taxes on it.
To receive a refund, manufacturers usually require you to send a label, Universal Product Code (UPC) (the series of lines over a code number that the cash register "reads" electronically) or other "proof of purchase" (POP) to a clearinghouse. Some refunds are "form required" (FR). In this case, you simply fill out a form, which is usually available in the supermarket, and send it to the clearinghouse. Six to eight weeks later, you'll receive a check or freebie. The typical refund is worth $2, but it's not uncommon to see refunds of up to $5.
Like couponing, effective refunding relies on daily clipping, using national brands exclusively and occasionally buying in bulk. To really profit from refunding, save UPC codes on everything. Bottle labels containing the UPC portion should be soaked off in hot water. With some boxes — detergent and cereal, for example — manufacturers often require the UPC from the packaging.
Identify the product (and its weight or size) on the back of the UPC codes you remove. I file mine alphabetically in envelopes and store them in shoe boxes. Companies re¬ward continued use of a product, and generally speaking, the more you buy, the larger the refund.
If you've never tried refunding, here are 17 offers, from free chicken to cash back from cappuccino, to get you started. (Editor’s Note: Two offers have early expiration dates and are denoted by the * symbol.)
|
