I have been and always will be, I think, a coupon fanatic. In addition to the Sunday paper option, I appreciate high value coupons that I can print at home. But what I don’t like is the expense of the ink and paper I have to use for printable coupons. So I try to cut costs and conserve natural resources in several ways:
1. I select my printable coupons carefully.
If there’s less than a 50% chance I will use the coupon, I avoid printing it. I can always print it out later if I find a killer deal. Moneysavingmom.com is a great resource for discovering amazing deals with coupons. As an example, that website showed me how to get a box Kashi waffles for 29 cents.
2. I use my paper twice.
That is, I print on the back side of single-sided printed pages. If I am careful, I can turn the page around and get a third print, but this can backfire if one or more of the coupons get printed over on the next run. I then lose the coupons where I have reached the print limit, which is a shame.
3. I print in black and white when possible.
My husband’s home office has a black and white laser printer. The cost-per-page to print off such a printer is almost always cheaper than using my Canon color inkjet. I have not been able to switch my printer to black and white mode when printing coupons, so I opt for the laser printer if it is available.
4. I have my printer cartridges refilled.
For my Canon printer, Cartridge World is the best place for local ink refills that I have found. Other people like to have their cartridges cheaply refilled by online vendors or at office supply stores.
Using these four printing strategies, I am able to save much more money using printable coupons, while cutting the printing costs. It irks me when I can’t use a coupon that I’ve spent the time and ink to print. So I also have to limit how much time I spend scouting and printing out coupons. That is why I have found the tips at money saving websites so useful. The coupon tips help save me time and money!
My favorite money saving website:
MoneySavingMom
Additional perspectives on cutting coupon printing costs can be found here.
2 comments:
I love MoneySavingMom too! Have you checked out www.chicksdigdeals.blogspot.com? They are local and do the same thing!
Thanks, Erin! You reminded me about MoneySavingMom. Until your recommendation a few weeks ago, I had only happened across the site a time or two. I'll definitely check out your local recommendation!
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