Era of Frugality

We are living in an interesting time.  The opportunities to save money on everything are pretty amazing.  Ever since we all got smacked in the face with this recession we’ve decided to get back to some of the basics.  In 2009 coupons saw an increase in use up 27% from 2008 and Americans cashed in $3.3 billion dollars worth of coupons.

With the growth of the Internet it’s become increasingly easier to stay on top of deals and in fact some websites do all of the work for you.  The only thing you have to do is to purchase the Sunday paper and keep and date the various books of coupons.  It really is amazing the deals that are available out there for items you really use.  Recently,  my wife purchased $90 worth of groceries for $21.  She saved $69, seriously!

It takes a minimal amount of work to keep up with some of the deals, you need to leverage the power of the Internet to help you take care of some of the labor.  Use Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and various RSS feeds to stay on top of products that you use.  Becoming a “Fan” of a particular product on Facebook can yield free samples or highly discounted products.  Within the last week we became friends of Sun Chips and Wheat Thins and received a free bag of chips and a $2.00 coupon off Wheat Thins.  The bottom line is you need to tweak your lifestyle slightly to benefit from this and the benefit is almost noticeable within the first 45 – 60 days.  Make it your new hobby, and see the benefit in your wallet.

Here are a couple of sites to get you started:

• Coupon Mom – Free site, great info for grocery and drug stores (CVS, Walgreens)
• The Grocery Game – $80 per quarter tons of great info, and a full product database with estimated sale dates
• Help With Coupons – Great aggregate coupon site, features grocery, social media, and manufacturer deals
• Coupon Surfer – Super deals with local and national coupons
• Coupons.com – Name says it all, tons of manufacturer coupons, the gold standard of coupon sites

Add your own comments.  Share your experiences and resources with the rest of us.