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The Coupon Treasure Trove
I know the “slowlane” is tossed around here like a rotten potato but habits created in the slowlane can merge into a fastlane, or at least, a fastlane opportunity.
The slowlane is not all that evil, and its habits often transcend into the Fastlane.
One “slowlane” habit that I haven’t kicked is the use of coupons under the assumption that it doesn’t take any of my time to get them, or use them. The internet represents a vast treasure trove of usable, money saving coupons.
One strategy I use is simple: When I anticipate an expenditure at any particular store, I hit the internet and type in “[enter store here] coupon“. More often than not, a coupon is out there that I can use.
For example, a few weeks back a had to renew several domains at GoDaddy.com. I typed in “GoDaddy Coupons” and some popped up in the search results. I used them and saved about $20. The coupon search took 30 seconds. $20 in 30 seconds = $2,400 for an hourly rate. That is more than respectable.
Return on Your Time Investment Calculation
Time to find and print coupon: 30 seconds.
Money saved: $20
Hourly Return on Your Time: $2,400/hour. ([30 secs / 3600 secs per hr] X $20)
I’ve been remodeling my house and have ordered many items on the internet. Again, I did the coupon search string and found coupons on things I was already buying. Tile, bathroom fixtures, books,art …
$20 there, $90 there, $50 there, 10% there, free interest, free shipping over there… all this starts to add up. For me, I like that it takes no time to do a cursory search; I can pay less for higher dollar items that I already needed to buy.
Some search queries that yield results:
* [enter store here] coupons
* [enter store here] coupon codes
* [enter store here] promo codes
* [enter store here] discount
So given the same product, why pay $150 when you can pay $110 with the only expense being 30 seconds of your time? Its a time ROI that I can live with.
Coupons quickly found represent a phenomenal ROTI … Return on Time Investment.
Peace,
MJ
When I was in my 20's, they laughed and said I was nuts. "MJ! You're dreaming!" Then, I got the last laugh. I retired in my 30's and now live a dream. Those same people now whore their life away for a paycheck only to reclaim their salvation on the weekend. With a correctly executed Fastlane plan, everyday of your life can be your weekend.
