Save on Shopping. The Coupon Book and Much Much More

By Mark Cholowski

This economy is bad. Very bad. Everyone needs to save as much money as possible on every shopping trip. Everyone needs to get the most out of every dollar spent. $ave On $hopping will help every shopper realize that goal.

This book will help every shopper understand the basics necessary to save real money on every trip to the grocery store. And it will be helpful whether you are a novice just starting out, perhaps with a new family to take care of, or if you are an experienced shopper, looking to get an additional edge.

The techniques are explained clearly and directly, with real life examples for illustration. We also show that these techniques are not simply concocted ideas that help sell a book; rather they are based on tried and true fundamental economic principles used by successful businesses everywhere. And when we say “real life” we mean “real life”. Every example, every illustration, every situation was real. It was experienced in real time, with real people, and real results, by your humble author.

$ave On $hopping begins with a discussion of the basics. Discount cards (what they are, how and why to use them), couponing (where to get them, how to file and use them, “stacking”), and the Unit Price Point (the cornerstone and single most important concept in this book).

After that, we drill deeper into savings and talk about things like rebates, inventory management, special offers, and even gas promotions. We talk about how to get the maximum savings using these programs, and how to avoid pitfalls that may erode your final results.

Finally, we finish with a discussion of recent developments (including group coupon and rebate sites) and what the future may have in store for us. And we warn you about certain dangers, including extreme couponing, the “Clubs” and schemers.

But the bottom line is that if you read this book and follow the techniques we have laid out for you, you won’t have to worry about recent developments or dangers.

You will save as much money as you can, on as many items as you can, every time you shop. This is real money.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Cholowski
• Release date: Oct 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301919093

Mark Cholowski

I'm a wonderful husband (at least my wife tells me so). I am now a recovering attorney and municipal court judge who enjoys cooking, shopping and never paying more than he has to for anything.

Book preview

$ A V E

O N

$ H O P P I N G

The Coupon Book, and Much, Much More.

By Mark S. Cholowski

Answering the call of distressed shoppers, everywhere, at every income level.

In this book you will find:

Simple shopping techniques,

Based on fundamental economic principles,

Used for years by successful entrepreneurs and businesses everywhere;

Written in a reader friendly style

With real life examples that illustrate how you too can

Save real money, on real products, at real stores

Every shopping trip, every day, every year!

Mark S. Cholowskit

Copyright 2012 by Mark s. Cholowski

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: An Overview Preview

1. THE BASICS: GROCER DISCOUNT CARDS.

The Easiest Way To Save Big Bucks, Even For The Most Relaxed Shoppers

2. THE UNIT PRICE POINT a/k/a THE UPP.

The Universal Economic Principle Explained in Human Terms and Always, Always, Always Used. (even if you don’t realize it.)

3. COUPONING.

The Art of Gathering, Organizing and Using Those Little Cash Nuggets

4. CASH BACK, DISCOUNT RACKS & INVENTORY MANAGEMENT, OH MY.

No particular reason for this grouping, other than they were relatively short and easy to explain so why waste the space?

5. NEED A LITTLE GAS? USE YOUR DISCOUNT CARDS!

Gas Promotions, Holiday Offers, Register Rewards & 10 FOR 10

Deals

6. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS…

Don’t Matter, the UPP Still Rules

7.. THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS AND FALSE PROPHETS

(I mean, PROFITS)

Extreme Couponing, the Warehouse / Club Craze & Schemers

CONCLUSION

Section 1 WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE

(Get it store? Sorry, couldn’t resist)

Section 2 M&Ms: Miscellany & Musings, NOT the candy

PROLOGUE

Why I Wrote This Book

Why This Book Costs What It Does

INTRODUCTION: An Overview Preview

The date was Wednesday, June 22, 2005. My wife, Robin, and I were returning from a fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The guest of honor that night was my wife’s childhood baseball hero, Don Mattingly. I was the winning bidder on a hand painted portrait of Mr. Mattingly, which he signed and dedicated to Robin, who also got to meet him, take pictures with him, and hug her childhood hero for what seemed like an inordinately long time.

The evening was not cheap. The tickets were a few hundred dollars apiece, the portrait was a couple of thousand of dollars, plus transportation in and out of NYC, refreshments, etc. and you are talking real money. On the trip home from this once in a lifetime, stuff that dreams are made of evening, reality crept back in and my wife asked, How did you afford this?

Now please understand that we were not a struggling couple by any means. We both had successful businesses, sound investments, income producing property and no children. But by the same token, we were not rich by any stretch of the imagination or by any definition you choose to use. An evening like this was the exception not the rule and it certainly would strain our budget.

The answer I gave to my wife was one word coupons. Of course, this was only the quick answer that I gave at that moment, not wanting to get into a lengthy dissertation while walking the streets of mid-town Manhattan. But it was a fact that I already had been clipping, organizing and using coupons for many years by that time.

But that was only the quick answer and this book will explain the rest of the story. You see, coupons are only one technique in an effective, overall shopping strategy. This book will explain those shopping strategies and simple techniques in a straightforward manner, with details and examples wherever possible.

These strategies and techniques are not slick gimmicks or one-time tricks. They are rooted in the basic, traditional laws of economics. Likewise, this is not a get rich quick scheme. In actuality, you will not get rich in the sense that you are making or accumulating wealth. You are getting rich in the sense that you are actually preserving the wealth that you have. You will be making the best, most efficient use of the financial resources that you have. In the end, you will have more disposable income, you will accumulate more wealth, and you will become richer, because you became a better shopper. Plain and simple.

After you read this book, you will become a more efficient shopper, and you will save money. Money that you can put in the bank, pay down debt, or buy that big screen TV you wanted. I don’t know if you’ll get the chance to take your spouse or anyone else to meet their childhood sports hero, but if the situation arises and you’ve followed the suggestions in this book, you will be able to afford it.

Let me state 2 things before we get started. First, the philosophy of this book can best be summed up as follows:

I WILL NEVER TELL YOU WHAT TO BUY,

I WILL NEVER TELL YOU WHERE TO BUY,

I WILL ONLY TELL YOU HOW TO BUY.

This philosophy stems from my days as a college professor. I would always tell my bright eyed, eager students on their first day of class that I (unlike probably all other teachers they had had up to that point) would never tell them what to think. Rather, my goal was to teach them how to think.

Likewise, in this book, I’m only trying to explain the basic tools that will allow my readers to shop in the most efficient and cost effective way that will ultimately result in significant money savings. It does not matter if you are buying canned beans or Lear jets, the concepts are the same (granted, you probably won’t find many coupons for Lear jets, but you get my drift).

And while I hope this book will appeal to a wide cross section of the public, the concepts and tips will be just as useful to Joe the Plumber as they are to Warren Buffett. Perhaps even more so to the likes of Buffett; I’ve always heard it’s easy to make money, but a lot harder to hold on to it. Regardless, no matter how much money you have, I guarantee you won’t have it for long if you spend it foolishly.

Second, the examples in this book are true, real life examples of shopping experiences I have had. Nothing has been materially changed or altered or exaggerated. I may slightly adjust some of the specific price points just to make the math a little easier and to avoid cumbersome fractions. And I want to try to equally mention the grocers I use so as not to show partiality to any one, even though I do have my own preferences. Finally, the specific deals or promotions offered by various grocers may change, or may no longer be available if you should try them, but I have no control over that. I wish I did, but I don’t.

However, let me state again, every example