When it comes to saving money, there are several different types of savers. Some might be a tad extreme and others may even be unconventional. Do you know what type of saver you might be? Here are some ways to know:
THE EXTREMIST
This saver is as the title says, extreme. They are up at 5 am on Sunday morning waiting for the newspaper to be dropped off in the driveaway so they can start clipping. They hit up their local Dollar Store searching for more newspapers, so they can get more coupons. They might even be spotted doing a little dumpster diving to the the coupons. No matter how they are collecting them, they don’t enter a store without their boxes or binders of coupons in tow.
They also hit the store on the first day of every sales period. They might even get to the store and wait for it to open, just to make certain that they get the deal before anyone else. Of course, before they shop, they have a map or game plan laid out so that they know which aisles to hit first. They even know how they will run each and every transaction to get the most from their coupons, Register Rewards and/or Extra Care Bucks to make sure they pay as little a possible.
These savers also tend to shop only when they have a coupon — whether it be on clothes or dining out. For them, they never pay full price on anything. If they can’t get a deal, then they pass it up and wait until they can.
These shoppers don’t always have a huge stockpile, but they might. They may buy 40 bottles of ketchup at once or they may not. They just truly seek the deal and get a rush from the savings. They are really extreme in every single way (but hopefully they are still respectful, honest and don’t clear every single shelf they see).
THE MODEST SAVER
These shoppers use coupons, but sparingly. They might use 20 coupons one week and 5 the next. They usually receive one newspaper at home and occasionally may purchase an extra one if the coupons were exceptionally good that week. They keep their coupons in order so that they can find them. They may have binders in their shopping cart or they may carry a small organizer in their purse.
These shoppers still love the deal. They will look for it if they are already planning a trip to the store – but usually don’t go to the store simply because of a deal. If they miss out, they don’t care. If they don’t save as much as they could would have liked to for the week, they don’t sweat it because they are just thrilled that they saved something.
These shoppers usually don’t look for coupons to use on clothes or dining out. However, if they came across one, they would use it. Coupons do not dictate when they spend money. They get what they need or dine out when they need to do and just roll with the flow.
These shoppers usually have little to no stockpile at home. They are happy to just save on the items they need for that week and that works for them.
THE MIDWAY SAVER
This type of saver is actually a combination of the Modest and the Extremist. They might clip more than 2 inserts each week, but they probably don’t do more than 5 or 6 newspapers. They too carry a binder or a box with them, but they might also just leave it in the car and run out if they need it. Some of them will walk into the store carrying boxes or binder “just in case” they stumble onto a deal.
These shoppers will hit the stores early each week to get the deals. However, if the store is sold out, they just go with the flow and hope they are quicker the following week. They may even arrive at the store as soon as it opens for that week’s hot deal. These shoppers love a great deal and work hard to get them, but realize that you can’t win them all.
Midway shoppers try to use coupons to save when dining out, but not always. They might take an extra minute to check for a coupon before they go out to dinner or head to the mall to shop….but if they can’t find one, they will go anyhow.
Midway savers may or may not have a stockpile. Their stockpiles are little less extreme in nature and might consist of fewer items like 4 tubes of toothpaste on or an extra 20 rolls of toilet paper in the basement. They plan ahead and work their deals when items are on sale so that they can get the best deal on the things they need, whether they need them today or 6 months from now.
THE NEVER COUPONER
Just because someone doesn’t use coupons does not mean that they don’t save money. For some people, couponing is just something that they don’t have time to do or they are not interested in all. These people love the Sunday paper so that they can scope out the ads and see what is on sale this week and toss the coupon inserts into the recycling bin.
These shoppers rely upon an in-store deal to help them save rather than little slips of paper. They look for ways to save money in other areas of spending like dining out, clothing or electronics. For them, they are more interested in getting what they need/want and if they save a few bucks then that is just a bonus for them.
Are you any of these types of savers? If so, which are you most like? Perhaps you are a bit of more than one of them. Which one do you want think you should strive to be?That honestly doesn’t matter. What matters is that all of these savers do the same thing — save money.
Saving money is good no matter how you do it. Just like none of us drive the same car, listen to the same music nor wear the same style of clothes, the same holds true with regards to spending. We all spend and save differently and as long as we are spending LESS than we make and keeping our money for ourselves, then we are all truly SAVERS!!!
*This article includes a little sattire and is not directed at any one individual, store nor event.