I hear this question frequently….. When is the right time to buy? I was talking with an crony a few months back and she asked me to call her every now and again with pointers on couponing and tell her about hot deals. I called her one Monday morning to tell her about a “hot” bargain on Advil for just 50¢ (with coupon of course). Her response was “Oh, well I don’t need any Advil right now. We just went shopping at Sam’s Club over the weekend and purchased a bottle of 500 – that should last for a while” she said.
The couponer in me was screaming (ok not really but I wanted to!). You can’t coupon just when you “need” something. The seasonal sales and product releases and coupons just don’t always work out that way. You need to coupon in anticipation of what you’ll need. If you wait until you “need” a product or ingredient then you’ll be willing to pay full price. Take sick kids for instance. If your child develops an unexpected fever and you have no Tylenol or Motrin then you’ll send someone out to the store and chances are there won’t be time to look for a coupon. Even if you were able to send your spouse out the door with coupon in hand, chances are the product wouldn’t be on sale at that time. Couponing take a little advance planning and a small change in habits and in exchange you’ll have a big pay off – really! Here are some tips:
Shop for items in anticipation of future need.
Build up a 6 month supply of that item or product.
Plan beyond the season you are in.
If you find an end of the year clearance on a seasonal item that will last until next year then buy it and tuck it away for next season.
When you’re in a large store like Target or Walmart walk down the aisles facing walls and scan the end caps for clearance bargains.
Keep couponing! It really will change your life!
I am having the same problem with my MIL. She doesn’t need it, so she doesn’t buy it. She asked me to teach her how to get the deals (which I am only learning myself), but when I see a good deal and tell her she usually doesn’t need it then or she just bought some without a sale. I guess I can say that I tried. I haven’t given up on her yet though.