Coupon parties becoming a staple in Portland

There is no surprise that coupons are becoming a needed staple in many families’ grocery-shopping habits. With so many unemployed, low-income families in the area, it is necessary to save money in any way possible. Coupon parties are being hosted all over the Portland and Vancouver area to teach families how to coupon in a way that will either help families receive free items or leave the grocery store with money in their pockets.

These parties give a packet that families can take with them, for a small charge, as well as letting people get together to exchange coupons with others so that everyone is getting something that they want. There are many coupon blogs such as Freebies and Cheapies, which hosts daily coupons that can be printed off from your home computer to use at stores.

Many families say that these coupon parties and coupon clipping has saved them a lot of money. When living on a fixed income or food stamps, stretching your money out until the end of the month is vital. Many families purchase multiple Sunday papers so that they can have the most coupons possible for the items that regularly use. 

I know that my family has strongly benefited from coupons, especially on those items that I always seem to be purchasing. I have attended a few coupon parties, and learning to efficiently coupon as opposed to using an occasional coupon here and there has changed many of my grocery shopping purchases. While I will never be able to coupon like some of those on Extreme Couponing, the popular TLC show, I have been actively saving myself some money to help push me toward the end of the month.