Cheerful Frugality Finds Discounts
I keep my coupons in the car. I learned this the hard way.
How many times had we stopped for an impromptu meal, only to remember I had a Buy-One-Lunch-Get-One-Free coupon? Oh, yes, on the kitchen counter five miles away.
Maybe you're a garage-sale-buying, lunch-packin' mama (and I bow to your plan). You should STILL keep those free coupon books that come in the mail. There's nothing better than a date with your husband, except, perhaps, a date in which one of you eats free!
Entertainment Book or locally produced coupon fundraising books:
- We used to get 1 free book from my husband's work. Now I find them so valuable, I buy one of our own when they go half-price midyear.
- Check the list of participants inside. Sometimes using as little as 1 coupon pays for the cost of the entire book.
Smart Discount Card:
- Another fundraising tool, this little card is cheaper than an Entertainment Book ($6).
- Includes smaller offers (a free taco with each Taco Bell purchase, free apple pie with McDonald's combo)
- Retail discounts may be significant (10% off my huge car repair at Firestone)
Coupon Clipper Mailers:
- Free in your mailbox. Better zip codes get better coupons. Sad but true.
- Great if you like to try new restaurants at half price.
Member Organization Cards:
- Check your memberships to see which discounts they offer (AAA, Farm Bureau, unions).
Do you have a source for free discounts? What is your system for remembering what you have?
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6 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality Finds Discounts”
April 28th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I bought an Entertainment Book from a kid at church. At first it didn’t seem to be very useful, and I thought I’d wasted my money. I keep it in the car, which turned out to be a very smart move. My husband and I have recently been trying new restaurants on Saturday afternoons with the coupons from the book. We’ve discovered some great new places, and we’ve saved money in doing so.
I like the coupon clipper magazines that come in the mail every week or so. Some of our favorite restaurants always have coupons in there.
Sometimes a thing of coupons appears on our front door. Our Honda mechanic often has 10%-off coupons with that bunch. I always squirrel those away since our Hondas are older and need repairs here and there.
And of course, there’s the Sunday paper. Well, really, the everyday paper. The Dallas Morning News is my personal, daily indulgence. There are tons of coupons and money-saving offers in there, not just on Sundays. Now that my tutoring job is over, I’m looking forward to matching Sunday coupons to sales in the Wednesday grocery ads again.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:32 am
We purchase Subway cards from my daughter’s chorus for $10. I keep it in my car along with the coupon types you’ve mentioned. Though we don’t eat out regularly, I also have a little note card where I’ve made notations reminding me about which resturants offer kids eat free deals on different days of the week. I found that I can’t rely solely on my memory anymore, ha-ha.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I keep my small accordian file of coupons in my “bag” (not purse, LOL, but diaper/wipe/bandaid/snack bag) that stays in my car. I learned the hard way, LOL–missed out on a couple of opportunities!
April 28th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I clip those fast food coupons, etc…and keep them in an envelope in my purse. Never fails I am out and we have to stop for food. I used to never have my coupons with me, but now I just pull over and look through to find the best deal. That’s where we eat! It also helped us save money on a recent road trip as well.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[...] If your family is on the go a lot, and fast food and restaurant stops are part of the routine, then keep your restaurant coupons like the Entertainment Book, Monroe County’s Saving Sense, the AAA brochure that lists your membership discounts, the pizza coupon fliers that arrive with your newspaper and anything else that comes your way relevant to life on the go in your glove box or console. [...]
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
I just opened a blog on how to save money. The basis of the blog is the narrative and the humor that might get people to move through their homes, assess what they own and decide to give/trade/sell what they don’t want and to be very aware of what they spend and how to get the most for their dollars. I am writing to you to ask if I may post a link to this site. I think it’s great and have been enjoying reading it this morning.
Thanks for your consideration and thanks for all this hard, good work!
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