Beat the crowds and collect coupons

When I was a lad, my mother used to collect Green Shield stamps. For every 2½ new pence spent at supermarkets and petrol stations, she’d get one of these stamps which she’d then redeem for gifts. I think the Green Shield catalogues eventually became Argos.

Green Shield stamps have long since departed, but the idea of thrift and money off is still very much alive, especially at the moment, which is why coupons have become big business for some shops and a means to cut the costs of shopping for consumers.

For some, coupons have become a way of life. Indeed the more serious practitioners call themselves ‘extreme couponers’. Like so many things in life, the practice has come to these shores from the US, where they even run courses on how to make you a better couponer.

Since the cost of flying to the States would probably outweigh any money saved on coupons, Your Money has come up with some hints on how to be better with coupons. (Oh, and don’t think this is a waste of time, there are hundreds of pounds to be saved out there.)

Firstly, get organised. You need to regularly set aside some time to do your clipping and searching. Get yourself some sort of folder and organiser and keep all the same type of coupons together.

Lots of coupons are for things you won’t need, so be careful you don’t buy something just because it comes with a money off voucher. It’s very easy to be seduced by a potential saving, but if you’re not going to use it, it’s a spend.

If you’re going to take couponing seriously – and if you have the time, you really should, you could savage your grocery bills – the world wide web will be your friend. There are numerous sites where you can find printable vouchers, and numerous forums where you can find out about the latest deals.

Moneysavingexpert.com and hotukdeals.com are good examples.

For household items, try places like Quidco.com.

Be quick! Some of these vouchers have a very limited shelf life, both in terms of how long they are available to be downloaded and how long they last for. If you can bear it, it’s worth checking sites three or four times a day.

And remember that vouchers can be for nice things too. Groupon.co.uk, a voucher site which is growing phenomenally quickly, has deals on everything from restaurants to days out.

Always read the small print. This will tell you dull stuff like expiry dates and exclusions, but can also work in your favour. I knew one man who collected a lot of vouchers from a well-known supermarket, discovered they were worth double if used for something other than groceries, and used them to pay for two weeks in Spain.

Facebook is another good place for discounts. Just join the groups of the stores you like and wait for them to post their latest deals.

Apps are getting in on the act, too. Smartphones enable you to find out pretty much any offer that’s going, so again, pick the retailers you like and make those savings.

In amongst all this hi-tech wizardry, don’t forget the newspapers. They still have their role to play and it’s not hard to cut out a coupon. Magazines, junk mail, even supermarkets and shops themselves are all a good source of discount vouchers.

Oh, and think about when you shop. Exchanging vouchers can be time consuming and if you have a lot to exchange, the weekend probably isn’t the best time to be handing them over.