How Coupons Work: Behind the Scenes

I absolutely *love* this post by Jenny at Southern Savers about the "Life Cycle" of a coupon. Because she worded it so well and knows the details better than I do, I think it'd be best for you to read it directly from her: http://www.southernsavers.com/2009/01/extreme-couponer-101-coupon-redemption/

One of the "take home" messages I particularly liked is that coupons, when used properly, are a win-win-win situation.

• First, the manufacturer wins by getting you to buy their product. 
• Second, the store wins because they not only get your business, but they are also reimbursed for the full value of the coupon plus $.08 for handling fees (you'll even noticed this mentioned in the fine print on most coupons). 
• Third (and probably the one you care about most), WE win because we can get great deals on products and save some money. 

So, don't feel bad for using coupons! Some people might give you a hard time about it, but they probably don't understand that coupons are mutually beneficial to everyone involved. If you need further proof, the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) even states on their site:

"The Coupon Information Corporation (CIC), manufacturers, retailers, and the more than 10,000 people employed by the coupon industry want you to use coupons.
Coupons save you money. They help manufacturers and retailers introduce you to new products and reacquaint you with your favorite brands. If used properly, everyone benefits from coupons.
The CIC also encourages smart shoppers to take advantage of every available, legitimate tool to maximize their savings. It’s a win-win situation for everyone when a consumer can purchase a product on sale, use a coupon and obtain even more savings by participating in a rebate/refund program."

One important thing to note is that coupons are beneficial if used properly. In my next post I'll discuss the rules and general etiquette of using coupons, so you can feel confident you're getting good deals the right way!

(FYI: The CIC has also made a list of rules and suggested coupon etiquette. If you'd like to read what they have to say, go here: http://www.couponinformationcenter.com/consideratecouponswebsite.php)

Introducing My Two Cents!

Hey, everyone!

I decided to start a couponing blog for my own personal benefits (to keep track of my couponing progress and some of my favorite deals), but mainly because I thought my friends and family could benefit from the things that I've learned and the deals I find. Now, to be honest, I'm still relatively new to couponing, but I've done a lot of research and I feel like I'm learning the ropes pretty quickly.

I first dipped my toe into couponing (and by “couponing,” I mean deal-finding in general) several years ago, but it was usually just for the occasional restaurant trip or just things I happened to stumble upon. I started more seriously looking for deals this past August (after I graduated), particularly in preparation for Christmas. In the last few months, though, I've really been getting into it. It's been a lot of fun for me, and I've saved quite a bit of money already!

My hope is to introduce you to the world of couponing/deal-finding and walk you through it step-by-step. This will include going through the terminology, different store policies, etiquette, etc. Additionally, I'll share some of my personal experiences with coupon shopping. This doesn't seem to be very common in couponing blogs (at least, not in most of the ones I've seen), but I think it would be helpful to give you an idea of what a real coupon shopping trip looks like and to illustrate some of the bumps that can come along the way. I'll also post some of my favorite deals or ones I think you'd be most interested in. Please leave me comments or send me e-mails telling me which products you'd like to know about! When I'm looking through deals, I tend to skip over items I don't or wouldn't use, but if there's something you'd like to see, I'd be glad to include it, so let me know.

Most of the deals I post will come from other (much more experienced) bloggers – as I said before, I'm just picking and choosing the ones that I like best or the ones I think you'd be most interested in. So, I definitely want to give credit to all of the bloggers that find and post such awesome deals and who have helped me get started. Currently, my favorite blogs are Freebies 2 Deals, My Dallas Mommy, and My City Mommy. There are other blogs I look at occasionally, but these 3 have been particularly great for me. If you become more interested in couponing and finding great deals, I highly recommend you check out these blogs (I will often post links from them/refer you to them). Also, if you happen to have a favorite couponing blog, please feel free to share it!

Well, I guess that's enough of an intro from me. I'm ready to get digging into the good stuff!

P.S. There's a somewhat funny story behind my blog name. I actually created this blog back in 2009, but rather than being a couponing blog, I wanted it to be a cool "advice and tips" blog filled with "my two cents." Needless to say, it was a huge flop, so I stopped writing. When I came up with the idea to start this couponing blog, I remembered that I already had this domain and thought it'd work perfectly (now instead of giving my two cents, I'm saving it!)

I'm just crossing my fingers that this doesn't also turn into a huge flop... Please help me by giving me your feedback!