So how does a college improv performer that got a degree in psychology and worked for years in the mental health system become a coupon blogger? An undying love for finding a deal … that’s how!
Couponingfor4.net founder Alli Doubek is a proud Chicago native who thoroughly enjoys couponing and keeping her blog up to date. She writes about the best in-store and online bargains she can find, while throwing in a few recipes here and there.
Below is our Q&A with Alli in which she details how to win at the game of couponing:
A: 9 years.
A: I was on a budget and looking for a way to stretch our money, but also – it just looked like a great game!
A: 6.5 years.
A: I wanted to share these deals with my family and friends, so I started emailing them a lot. I got a few responses of “That’s great! Stop emailing me :)” before I realized that I could just throw all of the information onto a free site!
A: The rush of saving money, getting the products that I need for my family and doing it all in a way that completely stays within the confines of store policy.
A: CVS.
A: Have fun!! Start small and do one deal at a time. Do not do every single deal or you will not be saving money! Plan a trip to your favorite drug stores once per week and buy only the things that you need or any freebie that may come in handy. Make it part of your routine and you’ll soon find yourself being someone that your friends approach for advice!
A: The biggest challenge that couponers face is often the lack of training of cashiers at stores. It’s very difficult to tell your cashier that you know more about the policy than they do and no one should have to do that. Unfortunately, we couponers need to know policies in order to do our “jobs” correctly and sometimes we have studied more than the cashier has been asked to. Hang in there! Bring the policy with you and/or ask to speak to a manager. If all else fails, try a different store or contact customer service.
A: I think that couponing will eventually become primarily digital. I think that ultimately most stores will phase out coupon doubles (as we’ve already seen happen) and may start them occasionally as special promos (like at Kmart) or not at all. The biggest concern in the industry is the amount of coupon fraud that goes on, so my advice is to play by the rules and do the best deal that you can! You can’t play the game at all if they remove it altogether!
A: Have the best time! Couponing is a game and it should be treated like a game! Play by the rules, play the game frequently and you will soon find yourself with a stockpile that you only dreamed of!
