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Shopping has become a blood sport in the wake of shortages, ever-mounting debt and money shortages. For African Americans, it is of the utmost importance to find ways to stretch every dollar, and there is one tried-and-true formula for lowering your stress level at your local grocery or department store.
Coupons.
The Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council states that the average American family can save $1,000 (approximately 20 percent) on groceries monthly. And that’s if they only took 20 minutes per week to find coupons. The Council also reported that shoppers redeemed coupons worth 16.7 percent more at the end of 2008 than at the end of 2007. A recession usually forces people to find new ways to save money, and coupons are always readily available. An extra $13 to $20 a month can go a long way when you’re struggling to make ends meet.
And grocery stores like Kroger are offering discounts that can be sent directly to your mobile service.The users of Cellfire service can add a feature that sends coupons to their cell phone to view. Simply enter the number from your Kroger loyalty card into your cell phone and the coupon information is downloaded to the card. Once you checkout and scan your card, any discounts will be deducted immediately.
But even if you’re not looking for something so high-tech, there is always good old-fashioned coupon clipping. Be sure to check your local paper and any retail discount coupons that come to you in the mail. –todd Williams
