Ways to make sure that you get the maximum savings from Entertainment Books.
Entertainment Discount Books
Discount Coupon Books
Every year, my son's school sells Entertainment Books for a fundraiser, and every year, we buy one. And every year, we forget to use it and thus don't get our money's worth from it. The same thing happens with non-grocery coupons. Does anyone have tips on how to use these better?
Annie
Organization Goes a Long Way
I get a lot of use out of Entertainment Books. Here's my way of organizing them:
- I go through the books and tear out any coupons that I will use.
- I sort the coupons into categories including breakfast, lunch, dinner, pizza, chicken, ice cream, misc. food, non-food products, and places to go.
- Within each category, I alphabetize the coupons by restaurant or establishment names.
- I use 4x6 inch index cards as dividers in a small plastic box. I cut out a tab at the top of the card and write the name of each category on the tab.
- I put the coupons for each category within each section.
When we want to eat out, get pizza, etc., I just look in the section and see which coupons I have on hand.
This system takes a little time to set up initially, but it's well worth it.
Amey
Keep in Car
We buy one every year and keep it in the side door of our car. If we are looking for a place to eat, the first place we look is in the book. Also since we like to try new things all of the time, we look in the book on Friday evening to see if there are any new places we have never been. One other thing is that when we use our coupons, we make sure to note how much we saved over all. It makes me feel better when I see that we have actually saved more than we spent.
Here's one other idea with these books. When we go on vacation, I go online and order a book for that area. We choose our restaurants and a lot of our attractions this way. It's even better if you are visiting a friend or family member and then able to leave the remainder for their use as a thank you for their hospitality when you leave. I have done this a few times and the friends and family members have been very appreciative. I feel better knowing that all those extra coupons aren't going to waste.
Ann
High Tech Reminders
I used to have problems with the Entertainment Coupon Books because so many coupons were date restricted, seasonal or not with me when I wanted to use them.
So, I took a few minutes to go into the calendar section of my free email account. There I set up a reminder message to be sent to my own email address on the first of every month reminding me to check the Entertainment Book for coupons that had become valid (or ones that were seasonal).
Then, I got a big zippered plastic bag, slipped the Entertainment Book into it and parked it the glove compartment of my van.
Every time I saved something, I record the amount on the stub. This past year, I saved $236 using the coupons with the assistance of these two tricks.
B
Share the Wealth
The book I buy costs $20.I also don't use many of the coupons before they expire so the first thing I do is go through the book for all those coupons that I will never use and give them to someone else who can use them. For example, I don't golf, but there are usually four different golf courses with coupons. These I pass on to our minister who loves the savings. I only get my oil changed at one place, but there are many different oil change coupons for other business. These I pass on to the senior citizens in our congregation who benefit from the savings. Florists coupons I have passed onto my nephew who has gotten flowers for his date for Homecoming instead of the normal corsage. By the time I have passed on the many coupons that I won't use to others who need and enjoy the savings, I feel as if I have already gotten my money's worth and I haven't even touched the ones that I will use. From there, I keep the book in my van where I always have it handy if I need it.
Beckie
Divide and Conquer
As far as purchasing an Entertainment Book goes, my friend and I split one last year. Her husband only uses the golf coupons and my family mainly uses the food coupons. We sat down over lunch and took turns picking what coupons we wanted. We both got what we wanted, and we didn't spend a fortune. It worked out great!
Dawn
Make an Event of Them
We ran into the same problem. This year, rather than stick it on a shelf and not use it, I've started date night! Once a month, my husband and I have my parents watch the kids and we visit a new restaurant. We also do this with the kids where appropriate. I also cut out some of the coupons in the back, which didn't require the card, and sent them along with an card to my friends. They loved it.
Mary in CT
Track Your Savings
- Don't bury the book. The first year I got one, I kept it on the computer desk. It got pushed back on the shelf and I couldn't find it for six months. Keep it in a place where you will see it, like where you keep your car keys or purse.
- When you get it, sit down and go through it. Tear out the coupons you want to use and paperclip them to your calendar pages, choosing which month you want to use them. You can also attach them to your day planner or whatever system you use regularly. If you get to one and aren't in the mood for it, you can swap it with another one.
- In the front cover of the book, write down exactly how much you save every time you use a coupon or the card and track your savings. At the end of the year, you may find that it wasn't worth the money you paid for it. If this is the case, you may decide the next year not to buy the book, but give the purchase price to the child selling it as a donation to the school (or cub scouts or whomever is selling it). This will remove the guilt of "wasting money." We always feel better about making a $20 donation than we do wasting that same $20.
- The year my husband was deployed, I kept the book in the glove compartment in the car. We were eating out more than usual during that period, and there were many times if we were out doing something else, we'd decide to grab something to eat on the way home. I would pull into a random parking lot, get the book out and give the kids a few choices based on the coupons. I think that was the year we used the book the most.
Keep Them Sorted and Handy
Upon receiving the Entertainment Book, I take an eight-column spreadsheet and write down the name and page number of every restaurant and activity I want to use and sort them by location. This way, when we want to go out to eat, I just look in the column of the town I might be in or want to go to and pick out one of the restaurants that I wanted to go to. This saves time looking through the book every time I want to use it. The restaurant/activity coupons that I don't wish to use I often give to friends who might use them.
At the same time, I take the shopping coupons and sort them into small folders (old checkbook or photo holder covers) by town or activity. For example, supermarket coupons are placed in the index box of coupons I take to the grocery store every week. I put mini-golf, bowling, roller skating coupons into a fun/sports folder. Car wash coupons go into my driver's license folder I keep in my wallet. Store coupons are sorted by town and placed in the appropriate town folder, all of which I keep in my handbag. One folder is just for coupons received in the mail (such as craft stores or bed and bath stores) that expire within a month that I might want to use when I go shopping (filed under "Coupons to Use This Week") and is weeded out every two weeks.
I also keep a 12" x 12" canvas bag in my car filled with other coupon books that I get in the mail. When those books are received, I go through them and take out the coupons I am likely to use and file them in a large book with plastic holders sorted by town or activity. I still keep each coupon book until it expires just in case. Spending a few hours when the book is received and updating each folder a few minutes each week saves a lot of time and money when looking for coupons. I usually go through the coupon bag when my husband is driving or when we are stuck in traffic to remove the expired coupons and replace with new ones.
N
Use It to Teach Life Lessons
First, keep the book handy. We have only one car in our family, so we keep the book in the car and it's with us when we run errands.
If you're going out to eat, especially for a special occasion, choose a restaurant that has a coupon in the book for a buy one/get one deal. Even if the restaurant is more expensive, the coupon will usually even that out. It's also a nice way to go to a fancier than normal restaurant or to try out a new place.
Let the kid(s) look for the coupons when you plan to go someplace. It's a good way to train a child about eight years old or older on how to use an index and how to see what the limitations of a coupon are (limited to certain locations or hours, for instance). If you put a blank piece of paper in the book, they can also keep a running tally of how much you saved using the book, which is another useful lesson.
If it's a boring day (rotten weather, for instance), try using the book to find something new to do. Our book has coupons for some college and professional sports teams, pottery painting, museums, etc. The coupons let you try something new for a bit less.
Thoroughly go through the book one evening and figure out which coupons you are most likely to use because they are for places you already frequent. Make a list and keep it in the book. Consult the list when you are going out and cross off each place as you use the coupon.
Finally, remember that you are supporting the school, and even if you save only the cost of the book, the school did get some money. The sale of one book at our school provides money for school field trips and helps defray my costs in the future.
Marilyn
Make Sure You Justify the Cost
If you purchase a coupon book, you may feel that you never save enough to justify buying it. This time, I saved far more money in coupons than the cost of the book.
First, I went through the book and removed any coupons that I knew I would never use. These were for stores that are too far from home or work. I gave away those to family, friends, and coworkers. One person then gave me a few that I wanted from her book, giving me a little bonus.
Next, I removed any coupons that I thought we would use in the next month. Places that my husband would frequent went directly into his wallet. Places I shop went into my purse. The rest went into the car along with the book.
Then, I removed those for places where I go seasonally, like around Christmas, and clipped them to the family calendar.
When planning a dinner out, we picked a place from the book. I also put a reminder on my calendar to check the book each month.
Lastly, I signed up for the email list for electronic coupons. That way, I get period reminders and new offers for local stores, plus online shopping. Also, check company websites. You can buy books at half price later in the year for even bigger savings.
Annmarie
Take the Next Step
- See how much you can save with a coupon book
- Get Organized! Read more ideas from our readers on Organizing Coupons.
- Trade, trade, trade! Read here how you can Trade Your Way to Savings!
- Plan a date & use those coupons! Read this - An Evening to Remember
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