Coupon parties are the ultimate form of frugal entertainment.
About Coupon Parties
What are coupon parties? Essentially, this is a social event at which frugal people come together to help each other save money on the items they need for their homes. It's like a Mary Kay party or a Tupperware party -only you're encouraging your friends to save money instead of spend money!
Clipping coupons is one of the most basic ways to cut the cost of groceries, cleaning supplies, and other household necessities. However, many people end up with coupons they can't use. A single person doesn't need coupons for diapers and baby formula, for example. A diabetic probably doesn't have much use for coupons for cake mix and frosting. However, it's safe to assume they'd probably appreciate a chance to try swapping their unwanted coupons for savings on products they actually need.
Hosting a Coupon Party
One of the best things about a coupon party is that this type of event is appropriate for people of all ages and backgrounds. Who should you invite to your coupon party?
- Friends
- Family members
- Neighbors
- Coworkers
- Business associates
- People from your church
- Members of community organizations you may belong to
- Anyone who is interested in learning more about how to save money
It's easy to make your own invitations to a coupon party using free graphics and your favorite desktop publishing software. Ask guests to bring as many coupons as possible, including printable online coupons, coupons from their favorite magazines, store sale flyer coupons, and coupons from the Sunday newspaper. To make sure everyone has a chance to use the coupons they collect before they expire, you may want to make a note on your invitation that all coupons must be valid for at least two weeks after the date of the party.
Getting Organized
To prepare for your party, set up categories for various types of coupons so people can easily find what they need. The exact categories you'll use will depend upon who is coming to your party and what types of items they most often purchase. However, here are some general ideas for categories you can use:
- Cosmetics and personal care products
- Over the counter medications
- Household cleaning products
- Diapers, formula, and baby care items
- Cereal and breakfast food
- Desserts and snack foods
- Pasta and rice
- Baking supplies
- Convenient frozen dinners
It may also be a good idea to provide a basket with scissors, envelopes for sorting, and small notepads to facilitate the coupon trading process.
Food and Decorations
Since the theme of coupon parties is empowering people to save money, you will want to keep things fairly simple. It's perfectly appropriate to ask guests to bring a snack to share if you're worried about the cost of providing food for the party.
As for decorations, feel free to be creative. Consider using a child's shopping cart, play food, and play money to construct a fun table centerpiece. Decoupage expired coupons onto cardboard dollar signs to make banners to hang from the ceiling. Hang up a piece of poster board and invite guests to draw a picture of what they plan to buy with all the money they save using coupons.
Sharing Tips
If your coupon party will include people who are fairly new to the idea of using coupons to save money on their shopping bills, it might be helpful to have one or two of your more experienced guests give a short presentation on the basics of couponing. They might want to share tips on organizing coupons, links to their favorite sites for printable online coupons, or the coupon redemption policies for the major stores in your area.
For general couponing tips to share with your guests, consider reviewing the following articles from LoveToKnow Save
- Printable Manufacturer's Grocery Coupons
- Printable Online Coupons
- Frugal Coupon Living
- Coupon Organizer
Party Planning Tips from LoveToKnow
For tips on hosting a memorable event for your friends, visit LoveToKnow Party.
