When I was in college, I worked summers at Target as a cashier. As part of my job, I helped promote the saving deals that Target offered, like Pharmacy Rewards and RedCards, the store’s debit and credit cards. Because I was an employee, I took advantage of these shopping deals, too.
For me, the best deal from Target was their smart phone app called Cartwheel. The app had a list of coupons for hundreds of items in the store, and you could save the coupons you wanted to a barcode.
As an employee, I saw shoppers who had saved thousands of dollars by shopping with this app. Because I also had these great shopping deals, I kept better track of the kinds of coupons on the app, and used them when I could. I also spent less money overall because I saved so much with my coupons.
This might sound easy enough for me, but what if you don’t shop at Target as much as I did, or you don’t have time to look for deals and cut out coupons? It would be easy to overlook all of the other options out there for saving while shopping.
When you hear the word “coupons,” do you think of sitting down at a table with a pair of scissors and a newspaper full of ads? You may be surprised to find that there are a lot of people still using coupons to shop, including a number of celebrities. Yahoo Finance talks about several celebrities who take advantage of saving and shopping deals
Actress Kristen Bell shops with coupons at grocery stores.
Supermodel Tyra Banks always puts part of her income into savings. If they can do it, you can do it too.
Country singer Carrie Underwood eats more cheaply at Subway, and also uses coupons to shop.
Comedian Jay Leno saves the money he makes from shows, and only uses his stand-up comedy money as spending money.
Some people take couponing to the extreme. For example, Nathan Engels runs a website dedicated to smart couponing, and according to ABC News, he spent only $30 on groceries that had a retail value of over $500. When you shop like Nathan Engels, you have the potential to save this much money too.
However, not everyone starts this big, and many people don’t have the time to cut coupons. They want something that’s fast, easy to use, and will save them money.
Carrie Underwood is a very busy celebrity, but she still finds time to save, and if she can, so can you. Coupons are still a great way to save money, and companies have adapted to make coupons much more user friendly. When you don’t have the time to sit down and cut out coupons, here are a few techniques you can use to start saving like a celebrity.
Phone apps for saving coupons. Sites like Coupons.com and Savings.com let you “cut out” the coupons to save for later. US News outlines several savings apps that make searching for the coupons you want much easier. An app like Priceblink can be very useful when shopping online, because it will alert you if the item you’re shopping for is cheaper on another site.
Phone apps for budgeting. Daily Worth outlines several options in their article, “8 Free Apps That Help You Save Without Thinking.” One app they talk about is called Level, an app that keeps track of your weekly income and how much you usually spend in a week. The app lets you know if your income can support your spending habits.
Saving money when shopping is so easy that even celebrities take advantage of shopping deals. You might think that you don’t have time to look at all of the deals that are out there, but with easy online tools, you can take advantage of shopping deals and start saving like a celebrity.
Written by Stephanie Black, Journalist for Couples Finances