This is a Re-Post complete with link to original post.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/01/18/the-one-month-coupon-strategy-a-really-clever-way-to-make-coupons-worthwhile/
The One Month Coupon Strategy: A Really Clever Way to Make Coupons Worthwhile
January 18, 2008 @ 2:00 pm – Written by Trent
Categories: Food,Frugality,Groceries Bookmarks: del.icio.us, reddit
Many people don’t bother to clip coupons for various reasons, mostly revolving around the belief that a fifty cent coupon doesn’t make it worth the effort. On the surface, I agree – without a very clever coupon strategy, it’s probably not worth the effort.
About two months ago, I was talking about this very fact with a friend of mine who works for Hy-Vee, the large grocery store chain here in Iowa. He gave me a tip: he said to take the coupon section out of the Sunday paper and put it aside for four weeks – don’t even bother to look at it. Four weeks later, open it up and clip everything that’s even remotely of interest, whether you’d buy it normally or not.
At that point, take the wad of coupons to the store and just look at the shelves. Magically, most of those coupons you have will sync up very well with stuff that’s already on sale on the shelves. When you combine the sale price and the coupon, you’ll usually be able to get items for next to nothing.
I tried this myself, actually. I saved the flyers from mid-December and then just cut them up earlier this week to take them to the store. What did I find? About 40% of the coupons I cut out matched up with items on sale. I wound up getting T. Marzetti salad dressing for less than a dollar, a package of diapers at the cheapest rate I believe I’ve ever bought them for, and a container of quite good vanilla ice cream for $0.19 – and those are just the ones I remember.
Why does this work? Coupons in the newspaper are usually the first wave of a product push from large companies. They’ll put out coupons to start bumping up the sales, then they’ll move onto sale prices later on in the promotion. The reason for doing these in waves is so that the overall product sales trend looks solidly positive and not just a big spike with a fall-off. Plus, coupon users who use the product, like it, return to the store, and notice the item on sale are often willing to buy the item again. I’ll admit to noticing this working for me in the past with products like V-8 Fusion.
After discovering this nifty attribute, I’ve quickly moved to a big adjustment in my usual grocery shopping strategy. It no longer matters whether I “sync up” with the arrival of the Sunday paper – I just need to clip the coupons roughly a month after I receive the flyer and use them the next time I go to the grocery store.
So, as before, I make a shopping list each week. I just keep writing down staples that are getting low along with ingredients needed for any meals that I’m thinking about making. I usually use a notepad on the refrigerator for this, along with Remember the Milk.
Sometime shortly before I go, I get out a month-old coupon flyer and clip everything that might match something on my list. I’ll also clip anything that I know we can always use – like diapers – along with anything that’s a potentially reasonable purchase, like salad dressings because we often eat salad.
After that, I head out to the store when it’s convenient (often early on Saturday mornings) and use the coupons effectively. Whenever you see a sale item that you also have a coupon for, you’re usually doing quite well and can often get a pretty good item for just pennies – or at least far cheaper than the normal price and usually notably cheaper than the generic version.
This technique saved me about $20 during my last grocery store visit – compared to normal retail prices – for about thirty minutes of extra effort at the breakfast table, cutting coupons and putting together the grocery list. That $20 doesn’t include the fact that the grocery list kept me on task at the store, helping me find items I actually needed and ignore items I don’t. That’s a worthwhile frugal activity, in my opinion.
Where To Stay In Ocean City, Maryland
Which is the best route into Ocean City?
Ocean City is a peninsula; surrounded by the inlet at the southern tip, the bay on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. You can enter Ocean City by crossing the Route 50 Bridge, by crossing the Route 90 Bridge, or through Delaware via Route 1.
Coming across the Route 50 Bridge brings you into the heart of downtown via a 2 lane highway. Here you will find the typical hustle and bustle of a resort community, with bathers, boardwalk visitors and automobile traffic all vying for their turn at the road.
Crossing further north at the Route 90 will bring you into Ocean City at 62nd Street. Here you will find low to mid-rise hotels and condos on the Ocean side and a mixture of condos, low-rise hotels and commercial facilities on the bay side. There will be less traffic but keep in mind that Route 90 is a single lane highway with no option to pass.
For visitors from the north, entry into Ocean City is best accomplished via Route 1. Here you will enter Ocean City at the northern end, which has the least amount of traffic. You will find low-rise hotels and condos on the Ocean and along Coastal Highway and homes and low rise hotels and condos on the bay side, with commercial facilities lining both sides of Coastal Highway.
Where should I stay? (Click here for map)
This is a loaded question with no answer being the same for everyone. Let's start by breaking Ocean City into 4 areas.
Downtown; this for my purposes will include everything from the inlet north to 27th Street. This includes the entire length of the boardwalk. Choose this area if you like to be in the middle of the excitement. Boardwalk shops and entertainment are open until midnight or later during the summer season and is right at your door. Staying in this area is best for the young or the young at heart. It is also ideal for families with teens that feel their children can go off exploring on their own. The boardwalk is well lit and maintains fairly heavy foot traffic until late at night. My personal recommendation is the HOTEL MONTE CARLO located at 216 N Baltimore Ave.
South Center; this for my purposes will include everything from 28th Street to 84th Street. This area includes low to mid-rise hotels and condos on the ocean and bay with commercial facilities lining Coastal Highway. You will also find some good deals on hotels and condos on and around Coastal Highway. Keep in mind that Ocean City is not that wide in most areas so walking to the beach is not a major ordeal. I consider this area to be the best mixture of convenience and quiet for most families. The QUALITY INN OCEANFRONT hotel located on 54th Street is well suited for families and couples alike and is only 1/2 mile from the convention center.
North Center; this for my purposes will include everything from 85th Street to 118th Street. This area is the same as South Center except hi-rise hotels begin lining the ocean. From 100th Street to 118th Street the ocean is virtually lined with hi-rises. For those singles, couples and families that like to be pampered with room service, saunas, etc., this is your area. On the bay side you will find townhouses for larger families, many with your own boat dock. Large families, families sharing a vacation, and boaters will find the largest selection of rentals in this area. The CAROUSEL RESORT HOTEL & CONDOMINIUMS is located ocean front on 117th street. A little history for those new to the area: the Carousel was the first hotel built on the north end of Ocean City, it was built by Bobby Baker (a reputed member of the ("mob"). Needless to say everything is here, including an indoor ice skating rink, a deli, an ice cream shop, indoor and outdoor pools, jetted tubs, room service and much more. Other than a trip to the boardwalk there's not much reason to leave the complex. This is probably my favorite hotel in Ocean City and worth a visit even if you don't stay here.
North; this for my purposes will include everything from 119th Street to the State line at 146th Street. This area resembles South Center except it is less congested with several homes on the bay side. Walking to a restaurant or store is less likely in this area. For those guests that like to be in a quiet area yet close to the "action" this is the best choice for you. Hotels in this area are not as plentiful but a good choice is the FENWICK INN.
Special recommendation; just before entering Ocean City from Route 50 you will see the Francis Scott Key Motel on your right. This hotel is located on 14 acres and has plenty of room for children (of all ages) to play. The indoor pool is used by many local families in the off season for birthday parties. There is plenty of shopping nearby and even has it's own restaurant and bar. No need to drive into Ocean City, a free shuttle is available during the season that runs every hour from 10:00am to 10:00pm.
As you can see there is something for almost everyone in Ocean City. I don't believe you will be unhappy with any of the areas, but offer this guide as a general outline of what each area offers for those guests not familiar with Ocean City.
We hope you enjoy your visit and encourage you to contact us with your personal recommendations on hotels, restaurants, and any other things you would like us to post to help other visitors plan their vacation.
About the Author
Ocean City, Maryland - I’ve been traveling to Ocean City for over 40 years and now live here. My name is Frank Keller and I’d like to share my knowledge of the area with everyone interested in visiting or living here. Come visit our site for more articles and a vast variety of interesting things to do and see.
Snow at Wildewood Shopping Center in southern Maryland
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