Mobile Couponing
If you are anything like me, you never seem to have the right coupons for the right items at the right store. I have never been good at using coupons. I do, however, love all things techy, gadgets and apps. Please enjoy this guest blog by Liz Licorish about Mobile Couponing and some cool apps to try!
Mobile Couponing 101
Liz Licorish
I dug through my first stack of mailer coupons when I was in grade school. I must have been about nine-years-old and I was really into drug store nail polish. I’d been saving all the money I made from losing teeth and earning As in school to buy new shades of polish every few weeks from the drug store up the street. For a third grader, buying one-dollar nail polish is a big deal; that’s the equivalent of one whole tooth or an entire marking period’s worth of math! When I discovered my first coupon for buy-one-get-one-free nail polish, it seemed too good to be true: two nail polishes for one tooth! I fell in love with couponing on the spot.
Fast-forward twenty years: life is a lot busier and, well, I have a lot more money (and teeth!). I used to clip coupons just like I did when I was a kid, but I’d always forget to bring them to the store with me. I let a lot of great deals expire because it took too much effort to organize and keep track of them. I knew I was wasting free money, but I figured the time it took to stay on top of things wasn’t worth the savings.
When I discovered the SnipSnap app, my life totally took a turn for the frugal. SnipSnap is the first smart phone app that lets you create mobile offers out of your print coupons, so you never forget them at home again. With SnipSnap, your coupons are always perfectly organized and redeemable from your smart phone. Better yet, SnipSnap actually reminds you when your coupons are about to expire, so you never forget to use a great deal again. The SnipSnap app is filled with thousands of coupons, redeemable at hundreds of restaurants and retailers across the country, so I no longer have to pay full price for food or fashion finds - no matter where I shop.
The more I used SnipSnap store coupons, the more I got excited about stacking the savings with discounts from other mobile apps. Some of my favorites are: shopkick, which rewards you just for walking into your favorite stores with “kicks” you can trade for free stuff, Wrapp which allows you to exchange free mobile gift cards with your Facebook friends, and Endorse, which reimburses you for every day groceries when you scan your receipts into the app.
I’ve been able to achieve some pretty incredible savings with my iPhone this past year. Last fall, I saved 50% on my Thanksgiving grocery haul. Just recently, I scored a completely free summer bikini. I’m not (really, I’m not!) an extreme couponer. I don’t spend hours a week clipping coupons and I’ve never scored 68 bottles of mustard for 19 cents total. But, with mobile technology, I have worked couponing into my lifestyle. I’ve saved hundreds – and I haven’t sacrificed any significant time or effort.
Want to join me? I blog about mobile couponing every day on the Mo’ Money blog. I’m constantly curating mobile coupon “bundles” and stacking offers from different mobile applications to help you discover the best deals possible, no paper waste and no scissors required. “Like” SnipSnap on Facebook and follow the app on Twitter to receive frequent featured coupon updates for every day savings – and never pay full price at checkout again.