I don’t like to pay full sticker price for anything. It’s just not necessary. Any more there are discounts and coupons for anything you might need or want. It does take some awareness effort and research, but the savings can be substantial.

I used to be quite the couponer. I worked the rebates too. I actually had my trash filed alphabetically in boxes on shelves in the garage. I had several trash trading buddies. Two cake mix box UPC codes were always good for one razor package. I guess I was a bag lady of sorts. Maybe I was just accidentally into recycling long before it was mainstream hip.

My friend Debbie and I were once invited to be on a radio show to share our money saving system. As we left the studio I looked at Deb and said, “Do you realize we just shared with thousands of people that we swap cereal boxes and dig coupons out of trash cans? What’s wrong with us? Is this what happens when you’re at home with little kids all day? Maybe we should get out more often.”

One time we drove to another town to take advantage of a triple coupon day. Most of our trash trading friends were there as well. We had a hard time loading everything in the car. I think I bought enough toilet paper for a year for only pennies on the roll. It’s a total score when you have a coupon that is tripled on the Charmin the store is running a weekly special on.

I recently read a surprising coupon statistic. Coupons are used more often by those whose annual income is $100,000.00 or more. Saving money is obviously a popular idea no matter how much you have or don’t have.