I discovered a new way to use coupons that only brings in money and doesn't require me to spend money first (other than buying the paper or using ink to print them).
I wander the grocery store parking lot periodically. People leave receipts and coupons (and lots of other junk) in the carts and around the parking lot all of the time. Well, as I wander, I pick up receipts and coupons that are left behind. Some of the coupons are expired. (I send those to the military overseas.) Some of the receipts are for things I can't do anything with, like bananas. Many though, are for things I have coupons for that the person checking out didn't (in fact most of them don't use any coupons at all.)
Most grocery stores will give you cash back or money back on your credit or food card if you bring the coupon and receipt back to the store after your purchase is made. So, I take the found receipts and my coupons to the store and get money back for the coupons the person who checked out didn't use! My last trip yielded me $8 with 3 receipts. I won't get rich that way, but it's basically free money.
Some people find this "wrong" to do, but think of it this way... If I walked the side of the road and picked up scrap metal and cans that I didn't buy and took them to the scrap metal yard, I'd receive cash for something I didn't buy and someone else would get the metal. (Plus, it's an environmental plus.) This way, I pick up trash and turn it in. The store gets reimbursed for the coupon from the manufacturer, the manufacturer got the sale they wanted, the paying customer got the product he or she wanted, and I got the cash from my own legwork I need.
Plus, most of the cash I got back this last trip went to buy milk and eggs from the store that I needed and didn't have coupons for anyway. Sounds like everyone wins to me.
So, next time you see me wandering grocery store parking lots, you'll know why.
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