Every penny counts: Coupon swap allows students to save their money

Published in the Utah Statesman February 16, 2009

With the state of the economy, many students are doing everything they can to save a few bucks. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is helping out with the development of a coupon swap service, available for free to all students; male and female, traditional and re-entry.

Patricia Stevens, director of the Women’s and Reentry Student Center, said the program, which was actually her husband’s idea, was recently created to help students who may be tight on money.

“Given the state of the economy we’ve had a lot of students who are in more dire straights than they’ve been in the past,” she said. “This is a way to help them with not only groceries, but with other supplies.”

Stevens said all they ask is that students bring newspaper and mailer ads to the Women’s and Reentry Student Office (TSC 315). Their student workers then clip and categorize the ads in folders for any student to look through and take.

“We have made it very easy,” she said. “They’re divided into categories. We have coupons for restaurants, pets, portraits, health, cleaning products, non-edibles and business, baby, paper and storage products. You name it, we got it.”

Stevens said she hopes more students will begin taking advantage of the valuable service.

“It adds up,” she said, “it really does.”

Nicole Brown, junior in public relations, said she tries to use coupons whenever she can.

“I think it’s a great chance to save money, and in the economy we have anytime I can save money is good,” Brown said.

Brown said she usually looks through the supermarket ads that come in the mail and then uses them at places like Smith’s Marketplace, which rewards their shoppers with extra coupons if they use the coupons at their store.

“Sometimes it seems trivial to cut coupons out, but if you think about the money you’re saving it’s totally worth it,” she said.

Melanie Burr, junior in elementary education, said she was always taught to use coupons and find the best deal.

“When I was younger, my mom always told us if we wanted the good sugar cereal we had to find a coupon for it,” she said.

Burr said besides using ads in the Sunday paper, she often visits www.grocerysmart.com, a Web site that shows the best deals in local grocery store ads. Burr said she can often find lots of things for free just by paying close attention to the ads.

“I use coupons because it’s important to be wise with your money and it’s just an easy way to save money,” she said.

Stevens said she encourages all students to utilize the coupon swap service. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Stevens said she also strongly suggests students apply for the Women’s and Reentry scholarships, all due March 31. For more information visit the center’s Web site at www.usu.edu/womencenter/.

–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu