Not Made Of Money

Few can argue that clipping coupons can lead to significant savings at the grocery store. Devoted coupon users scour their local newspapers and grocery store ads to find coupons for their favorite grocery items. Coupled with discounts offered during in-store sales, coupon clipping can really make a dent in a family’s grocery expenses.

The only downfall with coupon clipping is the time required to find and manage your coupons. Gathering all of the available coupons can require a great deal of time. In addition you must develop a method of organizing your coupons to make sure that they are available when you need them. Talk about a time commitment.

There might be a way to get some able-bodied volunteers in your campaign to cut grocery costs. Try enlisting the aid of your children in your coupon clipping. Here a few ways to encourage their participation:

1. Make coupon clipping a contest. Many Sunday papers have two or three coupon circulars within its pages. Give a circular to each of your kids and let them peruse its pages. Set a goal, maybe the goal will be to find three coupons for products you regularly use, and reward the first of your helpers to reach it. A frugal reward might be an extra hour of television or video game time for each week’s winner.

2. Reward special coupon finds. If one of your kids finds a particularly valuable coupon like a free item, allow your helper to get that item on your next shopping trip. It won’t cost you anything (except the sales tax) and you’ll keep your little coupon hunters enthusiastic.

3. Plan meals around coupons. Maybe your little one loves those little frozen pizzas. If he finds a coupon for it one week, consider allowing him to plan one evening’s dinner around that coupon. Not only will you get help with your coupon clipping, but you’ll also get helping with your meal planning. For one night you won’t have to wonder what’s for dinner.

4. When grocery shopping, put one of your children in charge of the coupon book. Make him your partner in grocery savings as you make your way through the grocery store aisles. He’ll love being your special helper and you’ll have less to juggle.

Coupon clipping, although a worthwhile investment of your time, can take up more of your day than you’d like. Use ideas like these to turn this thankless task into one more opportunity to spend time with your family. You’ll get a chance to teach your children the importance of budgeting and have fun with them, too.

• Grocery Shopping: 3 Tips You Need to Know to Save Money
• Spending Less on Groceries: Three Ways to Find Success

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