I started teaching the coupon class in late September. I only had a couple of classes in December because we were awaiting the birth of my first grandson, Bryce, and because of the busy Christmas holiday season.
Two Hundred people have taken the class so far, and I thank you for all of the referrals of friends, co-workers, etc. I hope all of you are saving TONS of money!
Friday, February 12, 2010
DOING THE MATH ON COUPONS, THEY'RE BACK IN FASHION, WITH GOOD REASON: A HOUR SPENT CUTTING AND CLIPPING CAN YIELD ABOUT $100 IN SAVINGS!
I found this article that was in the Wall Street Journal that I found very interesting. I thought I would share it with you.
Clipping coupons hardly sounds like the subject of high finance–or even medium finance.
Save a dollar on cat food, some detergent or a couple of boxes of cereal. Who can be bothered? Who has the time?
A growing number of people, it turns out. And they're shrewder than it may at first appear.
The Great American Coupon is making a big comeback–thanks to the Great American Recession.
We redeemed some 3.3 billion coupons last year–a remarkable 27 percent leap from 2008, and the first year-on-year increase in 17 years, according to a report issued at the end of January by Inmar, a coupon-processing agent. (Online coupon use skyrocketed–companies issued twice as many as in 2008, but redemptions rose 360 percent.) The big upturn took off in October 2008, just after Lehman went belly up.
At first blush you can see why coupons fell out of fashion for so long–and why so many consumers still ignore them.
You have to make time to visit a coupon Web site or collect the flyers from your mailbox, the supermarket or newspaper inserts. You need to sort through to find the ones you want, cut them out, stick them in your purse or wallet–and remember to use them when you are at the cash register and you are trying to remember whether you bought everything on your shopping list and where you parked the car.
Average saving per coupon: Just $1.44, according to the Inmar report.
But let's treat this low finance topic for a moment the way we treat high finance. Let's subject it to the same math.
How long does it actually take to clip and use a coupon? Certainly the more you use, the less overall time you will spend per coupon, because so many of the costs–getting flyers, sorting coupons and so on–are generalized. Let's assume you spend a minute per coupon.
Saving $1.44 for a minute's effort is the equivalent of saving $14.40 for 10 minutes'.
Hourly rate: $86.40.
Associated Press
.Maybe this would be as good a time as any to point out that the typical American working stiff–those lucky enough to have jobs right now–climbs out of bed each morning, goes through the miseries of commuting and endures the daily grind at the workplace for about $20 an hour.
Furthermore, money saved comes with an additional benefit. Unlike the money you earn at work, it is tax free. No payroll taxes. No federal or state income tax.
If your marginal tax rate were, say, 20 percent, you would have to earn $108 before tax to take home $86.40. If your marginal tax rate were 30 percent, you'd have to earn $123.
Very few of us ever do this kind of math, because we tend to treat low finance differently from high finance, and small sums differently from big ones. No wonder, even today, 99 percent of coupons are thrown away unused.
Yet finance isn't a separate topic from the rest of our personal lives. For all of us, our scarcest resource is time. Putting the right value on it, and putting it to the most productive use, is a financial challenge, as well as a personal one.
And the individual amounts of money may seem small, but they prove the old adage about tiny acorns and mighty oaks. Someone who saves $25 a week will save $100 a month, and $1,200 a year. Over a lifetime that can easily grow to $100,000 or more–even after accounting for inflation.
If motivation is an issue, the next time you find yourself facing a stack of coupon booklets and flyers don't ask yourself if you can be bothered. Try asking yourself if you'd like to earn more than $100 an hour for a job you can do, at home, while sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Clipping coupons hardly sounds like the subject of high finance–or even medium finance.
Save a dollar on cat food, some detergent or a couple of boxes of cereal. Who can be bothered? Who has the time?
A growing number of people, it turns out. And they're shrewder than it may at first appear.
The Great American Coupon is making a big comeback–thanks to the Great American Recession.
We redeemed some 3.3 billion coupons last year–a remarkable 27 percent leap from 2008, and the first year-on-year increase in 17 years, according to a report issued at the end of January by Inmar, a coupon-processing agent. (Online coupon use skyrocketed–companies issued twice as many as in 2008, but redemptions rose 360 percent.) The big upturn took off in October 2008, just after Lehman went belly up.
At first blush you can see why coupons fell out of fashion for so long–and why so many consumers still ignore them.
You have to make time to visit a coupon Web site or collect the flyers from your mailbox, the supermarket or newspaper inserts. You need to sort through to find the ones you want, cut them out, stick them in your purse or wallet–and remember to use them when you are at the cash register and you are trying to remember whether you bought everything on your shopping list and where you parked the car.
Average saving per coupon: Just $1.44, according to the Inmar report.
But let's treat this low finance topic for a moment the way we treat high finance. Let's subject it to the same math.
How long does it actually take to clip and use a coupon? Certainly the more you use, the less overall time you will spend per coupon, because so many of the costs–getting flyers, sorting coupons and so on–are generalized. Let's assume you spend a minute per coupon.
Saving $1.44 for a minute's effort is the equivalent of saving $14.40 for 10 minutes'.
Hourly rate: $86.40.
Associated Press
.Maybe this would be as good a time as any to point out that the typical American working stiff–those lucky enough to have jobs right now–climbs out of bed each morning, goes through the miseries of commuting and endures the daily grind at the workplace for about $20 an hour.
Furthermore, money saved comes with an additional benefit. Unlike the money you earn at work, it is tax free. No payroll taxes. No federal or state income tax.
If your marginal tax rate were, say, 20 percent, you would have to earn $108 before tax to take home $86.40. If your marginal tax rate were 30 percent, you'd have to earn $123.
Very few of us ever do this kind of math, because we tend to treat low finance differently from high finance, and small sums differently from big ones. No wonder, even today, 99 percent of coupons are thrown away unused.
Yet finance isn't a separate topic from the rest of our personal lives. For all of us, our scarcest resource is time. Putting the right value on it, and putting it to the most productive use, is a financial challenge, as well as a personal one.
And the individual amounts of money may seem small, but they prove the old adage about tiny acorns and mighty oaks. Someone who saves $25 a week will save $100 a month, and $1,200 a year. Over a lifetime that can easily grow to $100,000 or more–even after accounting for inflation.
If motivation is an issue, the next time you find yourself facing a stack of coupon booklets and flyers don't ask yourself if you can be bothered. Try asking yourself if you'd like to earn more than $100 an hour for a job you can do, at home, while sitting on the sofa watching TV.
PUBLIX TRIP 2/12 - SPENT $15.30, SAVED 85%
Another successful Publix trip! I spent $13.47 plus tax for a total of $15.30. This included fresh vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, strawberries), 4-6 pk. of yogurt (paid $.25), 3 pkgs frozen vegetables, 2 loaves Arnold bread, 5 Covergirl Eyeshadow (all FREE), 2 pkgs 97% FF Hot Dogs ($1 each), 2 boxes Kotex Tampons ($.25 each), 2 boxes Kotex Liners ($.25 each), 6 boxes Special K Fruit Crisps, 200 Calorie Pizza (FREE), 1 lb. Boars Head Deli Turkey, 4 Valentine Cards (FREE), 2 Breakstone Cottege Cheese Doubles (FREE), orange, and 2 Knox.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
CONGRATULATIONS TO KIM - A RECENT GRADUATE OF THE COUPON CLASS!
I just received an e-mail from Kim who just attended a coupon class. On her very FIRST trip to the store she spent $19.00 and saved $60.00!! She also mentioned that she bought only the things she needed. Way to go Kim! This will only get better!
Monday, February 8, 2010
BREAKSTONE COTTEGE CHEESE DOUBLES ON SALE STARTING 2/11 - FREE
Breakstone Cottege Cheese Doubles are going to be on sale at Publix starting Thurs, 2/11/10 for 10 for $10. If you have the Healthy Wallet, Happier You Coupon booklet, it has a $1.00 coupon in it...that means your Cottege Cheese Doubles will be FREE!
I love them...my favorite is pineapple!
I love them...my favorite is pineapple!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
TARGET DEAL 2/7 - PAID $10.58 AND STILL HAVE A $5 TARGET GIFT CARD!
I purchased these in two separate transactions:
Transaction 1:
Buy 1 Gillette Fusion Razor @ $6.99
Buy 1 Venus Razor @ $6.99
Buy 1 Olay Body Wash FREE
Use $4/1 from 2/17 PG
Use FREE Olay Body Wash wyb Venus Razor
Use $2/1 from 2/17 PG for Venus
Use $2 Mobil Q
TOTAL OOP including tax $6.73
RECEIVE $5 TARGET GIFT CARD
Transaction 2:
Buy 1 Gillette Fusion Razor @ $6.99
Buy 1 Venus Razor @ $6.99
Buy 1 Olay Body Wash
Use $4/1 from 2/17 PG
Use FREE Olay Body Wash wyb Venus Razor
Use $2/1 from 2/17 PG for Venus
Use $5 Target Gift Card from above transaction
TOTAL OOP including tax $3.85
RECEIVE ANOTHER $5 GIFT CARD
You have just saved $43.80 and paid $10.58 OOP and received 2 Gillette Fusion Razors including 2 refill cartridges each, 2 Venus Embrace Razors including 2 refill cartridges each, 2 Olay Body Wash including sample of body wash. PLUS YOU STILL HAVE A $5 TARGET GIFT CARD FOR YOUR NEXT PURCHASE!
WALGREENS SCENERIO 2/7
Here is a scenerio for Walgreens using their Register Rewards:
Transaction #1
Buy 1 Super Poligrip Original (.75oz) @ $2
Use: $1.50/1 Q
Price: $.50
Receive: $2 Register Reward
Transaction #2
Buy 1 Dove Mens Body Wash @ $5.99
Use: $1.50/1 Q
Price: $4.49
Use: $2 Register Reward from transaction #1
Pay $2.49 OOP
Receive: $5.99 Register Reward
Transaction #3
Buy 2 Nabisco Cookies @ $.99 each
Buy 1 Huggies Pullups @ $8.99
Buy 2 John Freida Root Awakening Shampoo and/or Condition @ $5 each ($10)
Buy 1 John Freida Luxuorious Shampoo or Condition @ $5
Price: $24.98
Use: $2/2 Nabisco Cookies Q
Use: $2/1 Pullup coupon from the 1/3 RP insert
Use: $5/2 John Freida Coupon Q
Use: $2.50/1 John Freida Luxurious Coupon Q
Price: $7.49 plus tax
Receive:
$5 Register Reward for purchasing $15 in John Freida
$3 Register Reward for purchasing Pull Ups
You just purchased $32.97 worth of items...paid $10.48 OOP (plus tax) and still have $8 in Register Rewards to roll over for next weeks sales! (If you look at it this way you bought all of the items for $2.48 after coupons and Register Rewards! Not too bad with the diapers included!
So you might ask, "Why do I have to buy Super Poligrip"? Even though you may not use this product, you paid $.50 OOP and received $2 RR to roll into your next transaction...And then the rolling begins!!
Transaction #1
Buy 1 Super Poligrip Original (.75oz) @ $2
Use: $1.50/1 Q
Price: $.50
Receive: $2 Register Reward
Transaction #2
Buy 1 Dove Mens Body Wash @ $5.99
Use: $1.50/1 Q
Price: $4.49
Use: $2 Register Reward from transaction #1
Pay $2.49 OOP
Receive: $5.99 Register Reward
Transaction #3
Buy 2 Nabisco Cookies @ $.99 each
Buy 1 Huggies Pullups @ $8.99
Buy 2 John Freida Root Awakening Shampoo and/or Condition @ $5 each ($10)
Buy 1 John Freida Luxuorious Shampoo or Condition @ $5
Price: $24.98
Use: $2/2 Nabisco Cookies Q
Use: $2/1 Pullup coupon from the 1/3 RP insert
Use: $5/2 John Freida Coupon Q
Use: $2.50/1 John Freida Luxurious Coupon Q
Price: $7.49 plus tax
Receive:
$5 Register Reward for purchasing $15 in John Freida
$3 Register Reward for purchasing Pull Ups
You just purchased $32.97 worth of items...paid $10.48 OOP (plus tax) and still have $8 in Register Rewards to roll over for next weeks sales! (If you look at it this way you bought all of the items for $2.48 after coupons and Register Rewards! Not too bad with the diapers included!
So you might ask, "Why do I have to buy Super Poligrip"? Even though you may not use this product, you paid $.50 OOP and received $2 RR to roll into your next transaction...And then the rolling begins!!
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