I laughed when I watched the new show Two Broke Girls last week. The show is about a woman whose family was once rich but is now broke. She is now a waitress trying to make ends meet. In this episode, she discovers coupons. At first she is ashamed to be seen using coupons but when she sees how much money she can save she is hooked.
When I was growing up there was a stigma that if you used coupons you were poor. Now you will see many people shopping with their coupon binders or folders. Many of us have concluded that not using coupons is the same as throwing money away.
My favorite place to find coupons is the Sunday newspaper but there are other avenues to get coupons. Different stores have electronic coupons you can load onto the store’s loyalty card and mobile coupons that load on your smartphone.
To load digital coupons on your Kroger Plus Card, just go to Kroger.com, click on the link for “digital coupons” and register your card. Then you will be able to click on a coupon on the site; it will automatically be deducted from your total at the register when you purchase the qualifying product.
There are two more sites that also let you load e-coupons onto your Kroger Plus Card: Shortcuts.com and Cellfire.com. I do want you to remember that you cannot use a paper coupon with an electronic coupon and the electronic coupon will be deducted first. One other downfall is an electronic coupon will not double.
RiteAid just introduced its new program called load2card. This allows Rite Aid Wellness Plus members to load, manage and redeem digital coupons via their loyalty card. Go to Riteaid.com to register your card and load coupons.
One of my favorite stores to use digital coupons is Target. The store will send deals to your smartphone twice a month, and you redeem them at the register just by showing your phone’s screen. Go to Target.com/mobile to sign up or learn more.
The Internet has given us the opportunity to print coupons right from home. If you look at your Sunday paper’s inserts you will see that each insert has a web site where you can also print additional coupons. The inserts usually in the Herald-Leader are from Redplum and Smartsouce. A couple of other websites for printable coupons are Coupons.com and Couponnetwork.com.
These sites are reputable and you will not get a fraudulent coupon, a concern recently among bargain hunters. When printing an online coupon, make sure it has a barcode, expiration date and says “manufacturer coupon.”
These sites will allow you to print only two copies of a coupon. But if there is a product that you like, go to the brand’s web site because most of the time, a coupon will be available there. For example, Kelloggs.com has many printable coupons available.
The next generation of couponing might be from SavingStar.com. The site allows you to load e-coupons onto the loyalty cards of participating stores (which include Kroger, CVS and Rite Aid). Use your loyalty card at checkout (your bill will stay the same). Your savings are added to your SavingStar account, which can be linked to a PayPal account, Amazon.com gift card, your bank account, or AmericanForests.org charity account.
The appeal is that you will be able to use a paper coupon and a SavingStar ecoupon.
Freebies
■ The National Park Service is offering five sets of fee-free days this year; the first is Jan. 14-16.
■ Visit the Newport Aquarium and its PenguinPalooza exhibit during Winter Family Days, through Feb. 29. As many as two kids get in for $2 each with every adult who pays full price.
