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Coupon clipping making a comeback

By Becky Malkovich, The Southern

Saturday, January 3, 2009 4:08 PM CST

Six boxes of nutritious cereal per week minus $3 worth of coupons equal breakfast savings for the Sissom family of Herrin.

"When you have five children and go through six boxes of cereal a week, you look for savings wherever you can find them," Lisa Sissom said with a laugh. "The money I save by using coupons can really add up."

In fact, Sissom, an avid coupon clipper, saves an average of $10 to $15 a week by using the money-saving coupons.

"It can really make a difference to your budget," she said.

And during rough economic times, coupon usage may experience a comeback, according to a recent survey by ICOM Information & Communications.

Of the 1,529 US consumers participating in the survey, 45 percent said they were much more likely to use coupons during a recession.

That's a turnaround from the previous 10 years, when the average coupon redemption rate has declined to less than 1.0 percent, from a level of 1.6 percent, across all US coupons distributed, ICOM said.

According to the survey:

lBroken down by age, 71 percent of consumers in the 18 to 34 year-old age bracket said they are much more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons in a recession

lGeographically, 70 percent of Midwesterners said they are much more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons in a recession

Income didn't make a significant difference, with 68 percent of those earning less than $50,000 a year saying they are much more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons in a recession, compared with 67 percent for those earning more than $50,000.

Sissom and others at Second Baptist Church of Herrin have a clipper club and stock a box at the front of the church with coupons for use by anyone, she said, adding the coupons are used frequently.

"I save a significant amount of money, and I know a handful of people who use them consistently and do the same," she said.

Clipping the coupons is not as much a hassle as some people might think, she said.

"I spend about two hours a month clipping, filing and throwing out the old ones," she said. "I do it when I am just sitting in front of the TV, so it doesn't cut into anything important, and it's absolutely worth it."

A spokesman for Tom's Mad Pricer in West Frankfort said he has seen some increase in coupon usage since the economy has faltered, but not as many people use coupons as they once did.

beckymalk@gmail.com

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