How To Coupon: Should You Pay Someone to Clip Coupons for You?
1 Comment | Written on June 22, 2012 at 9:00 am, by Rachel Achmad
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Before I started couponing, I only knew about “clipping services” as a service politicians or corporations employed, paying someone else to “clip” (or today, download) copies of articles about them in the press. Turns out, though, such services exist for couponers — you can pay someone else to clip coupons for you! But are these services worth it?
First, how do clipping services work? Generally, you pay someone either a per-coupon rate or a flat fee to clip multiple copies of the same coupon. Why would you do this? So that when you encounter a great sale, you’ll have multiple coupons to use and you can build up your stockpile. The only other way to get multiple copies of a coupon is to buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper, and that can add up fast. A clipping service might charge you as little as five cents per coupon, plus administrative and shipping charges. If you can get ten copies of a valuable coupon for a few dollars, that’s much cheaper than buying ten copies of the paper.
Still, though, are these services worth it in the long run? It really depends. Where I live, I can buy a weekend paper for just $1. My local paper also distributes a free copy of the insert later in the week. For me, it’s probably not worth it unless I’m trying to build a stockpile of specific costly items (diapers, for example).
If you do decide to try a service, always keep an eye on the coupon expiration dates and estimated shipping time. If you’re buying coupons and planning to wait for a big sale, you don’t want them to expire before you can use them.
Living Richly on a Budget has compiled a short list of existing services, which, if you think a clipping service would be right for you, can help you get started.
Shop smart and save! Check out more tips on couponing and savvy shopping!
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How to Coupon | Tags: Beef, Dinner, Grilling, Healthy Cooking, Quick and Easy
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One Response to “How To Coupon: Should You Pay Someone to Clip Coupons for You?”
Anyone who is considering using coupon clipping services should do their homework to learn about the ethical issues associated with these services. The Coupon Information Corporation and other resources are valuable tools and provide more information. I am not affiliated with these organizations but I think anyone hoping to save money by using coupons should make sure they are playing by the rules.