Coupon guru explains the art of free shopping

When budgeting for the monthly basics, the idea that you could get some of the essentials for free sounds too good to be true. This isn’t just a possibility, insists coupon guru Kathy Spencer of Boxford, MA, but a lifestyle she’s maintained for years.

“I started at CVS six years ago with $8 out of pocket and since then I haven’t spent any real dollar bills in the store,’’ Spencer tells the Boston Globe. Through planning, attentiveness and, at times in the checkout line, a strong backbone she has saved her family thousands of dollars.

Spencer keeps an eye on circulars for supermarkets and pharmacies. Frequently coupons can be applied the same time as sales, making many everyday products free or earning the shopper rebates or credit. In these instances you can stock up on an item, cross it off the list and move on to other necessities.

An extension of this Spencer employs is called a “roll,” in which store credit is combined with in-store rewards. Credit used on items will often still earn dollar rewards, and if broken up over multiple purchases on low cost items, this can allow you to walk in with $10 in credit and walk out with $20 worth of household goods.

Ultimately “free,” requires the vigilance of keeping tabs on different stores and their discounts, the organization of knowing what household staples you’ll need over extended periods of time, and the restraint to know the difference between stocking up and hoarding an attic full of toilet paper.

Not everyone has the time or interest in this type of Rubix-cube style of shopping, however Spencer’s successes are based on basic ideas that will help you save regardless of your interest in following her step for step.

Click here for the complete article.

Paper coupons make a clip-and-save comeback

Are paper coupons making a comeback? In response to the economic downturn, consumers from an array of socio-economic groups ranging from the penny-pinching upper crust to the young, tech-savvy masses are whipping out their scissors and doing it the old-fashioned way.

“Coupons were not in vogue during our period of gluttonous consumption,” says San Francisco-based Kit Yarrow, author of “Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail.” “But now that it’s once again cool to be cheap, they’re back.”

The clip-and-save renaissance is a throwback to 1992 when coupon redemption reached an all-time of 7.9 billion. By 2006, the number had dropped to 2.6 billion and continued to stagnate until 2008. According to the report in the New York Times, coupon clipping climbed 23 percent last year and is expected to hit the three billion mark by the end of 2009.

While the old-school paper coupons continue to account for the bulk of the deals redeemed, the onslaught of digital coupons pulled from the Web and cellphones coupled with retailers offering more appealing deals have reignited interest from consumers who have long avoided the penny-pinching practice.

Click here for the lowdown.

Free sub coupon giveaway from Quiznos

Like free stuff? You're in luck.

For their million sub giveaway, Quiznos is handing out free sub coupons here. All you have to do is give your first name, last name, zip, birthday and e-mail address and tell them what your favorite sub is (our pick? The five-meat stack) to spotlight their 20 Quinznos subs under $5 promotion.

The micro-site here has a rotating ticker giving real-time numbers of free subs given away so far ... last count was 336,000.

Click here to snag a free sub.

CU Advocate's Deals of the Day

Autogeek.net: Best auto detailing supplies

Lonely Planet: 30% off on Loney Planet Guidebooks

On Sale: Free UPS ground shipping on most orders

Vista Print: Fall clearance. Save up to 90%

PetSmart : $10 off $40 w/ coupon code: OCTSAVE

Circuit City: Acer 16-inch Core 2 Duo Notebook $700 Shipped