Hustle Hoarding: Coupons…and Dating?

Hustling is more than just making money, it’s also knowing when and how to save money and time — two commodities that you can never have enough of. Hustle Hoarding is a new feature that details several ways to save money, time, or both. Next to water, they are the most sought after resources on the planet.

Stop acting like you have one.

This week, the topic of hoarding is the use of coupons. Some use them religiously, while others think it’s a foreign word. Whatever the case, this has to be one of the easiest and most overlooked ways to hoard your cash. Taking 5-10 minutes to clip coupons out of a Sunday paper can yield you hundreds of savings per year, and more when you count the number of retailers who will automatically double the value at the checkout (usually up to $0.50).

You don’t necessarily have to subscribe to the paper to get the deals, but a subscription sure beats paying out of pocket each time you want a paper. To give an example, my Sunday papers cost $2. Multiply that times 4, and that’s $8/month. Not bad considering you can save over $100 every week if you used all the coupons. I once saw my grocery bill go from $165 to $75 strictly by using the coupons that I had (needless to say, the people in the lone behind me were amazed! Don’t tell them but I was too!)

A subscription to the paper costs me $11.88 (tax included), and I get the paper every single day so to not miss out on any and all of the mid-week deals! I often get coupons for free movie screenings; last week I saw the Bourne Ultimatum for free (EXCELLENT movie, by the way), and had tickets to see J Lo’s new movie as well (but I didn’t go to that one. Hey, after the whole Gigli fiasco, I I don’t even see her movies even if someone else pays!). With the average price of a ticket hovering near $10, I’ve already made back the price of my subscription plus more! Plus the coupons usually admit two people in for free, AND before the movie officially premieres, so you can score points by inviting someone you’ve had your eye on and pay only for transportation.

Tight.

People wonder how I go to the movies for free all the time. I just tell them it’s because I’m a hustler.

Still on the subject of dating, don’t be shy about using coupons there too! People think it’s cheap to pull out a coupon when it’s time to pay, but those are usually the people who aren’t paying! I will whip out one faster than the time it takes to set the bill down on the table. If the woman doesn’t like it, she can pay her half, and then I know she wasn’t for me anyway! Paying full price doesn’t make you cool or elevate your lot in life, you just look like another fool that doesn’t know any better. Like Mr. T says, I Pity the Fool who doesn’t know the value of a coupon!