When someone says “coupon”, what do you think of? Grocery coupons? There are coupons for almost everything you purchase—clothing, books, gardening supplies, etc. Doing a bit of research before you buy can save you money. Sometimes LOTS of money.
1. When buying something online, always do a Google search for “(company name) coupon code” or “(company name) promo code”. Many sites will list any available codes you can apply to your order for a discount—sometimes free shipping, $10 off, 10% off your total, etc.
2. Visit www.entertainment.com to buy an Entertainment book for your metro area, if available. These books are good for up to a year, and include coupons for almost everything: Buy one get one free for nice restaurants, fast-food restaurants, and pizza; coupons for oil changes, hair salons, gasoline, discounted movie tickets, and gym memberships. There is a section of hotels that offer discounts up to half off for Entertainment Book members. We have often planned affordable mini-vacations by finding a half-off hotel a couple of hours from home and enjoying the local parks, museums and other cheap attractions. You can go to http://www.entertainment.com/ to print additional local coupons as well, but you must have a book registered to do so.
3. http://www.restaurant.com/ is a great resource for families on a budget. You are able to type in your zip code and see a listing of restaurants that offer discounted dining certificates, usually at either $10 or $25 face value, but that cost $4 or $10, respectively. Often, too, there is a “sale” and you can enter a promo code (see #1 above) for up to 80% off, making the certificates as low as $.80 for a $10 certificate. Good deal! A few things to know: there are only a certain number of certificates for each restaurant available each month (if there is a sale—buy a few for your favorite restaurant before they sell out). When they have all been purchased, you must wait until the supply is replenished at the beginning of the next month. When you purchase a certificate, you will immediately be emailed a link to the certificate, which you must print and bring to the restaurant. The certificates are good for a year. Read the fine print before you buy—there is a minimum purchase required to use the coupon, and you usually are allowed one per party. Some restaurants will not allow the discount to be applied to alcohol, so your food total alone exceed must exceed the minimum.
Example: We took our 4 kids to Johnny Buccelli’s after finding it on Restaurant.com and printing out 2 $10 certificates. Even though the certificate states one per party, the cashier graciously let us split our order into 2—one adult and 2 kids per order, and we were able to save $10 off each order (I’m sure the next cashier will be more strict with the one per party policy, but who knows). All together, our total was only $12 for SIX meals with drinks. Not bad!
4. Check if your local newspaper has a website. Local restaurants and merchants often advertise there and have printable coupons.
5. Check the post office or do a search for a moving packet (even if you are not moving). There are some great coupons in here for big companies like Lowe’s--helpful for big ticket items like appliances or home repair projects.
6. Sign up to receive emails from your favorite companies. You will often get welcome coupons and coupons emailed to you occasionally. I have a separate Email I use when I opt in for these emails so my primary Email address isn’t cluttered. Some companies with good welcome coupons are Kohl’s ($5 coupon), Chuck E. Cheese ($18.99 family package), Kmart ($5 off), Bath and Body Works (free item).
Helpful links:
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your input!