Paper coupons are on the decline as brands transition to digital.
Inside Edition went shopping with me yesterday at Jewel-Osco to see if we could still save at the supermarket!
Nationally-syndicated money-saving columnist
Blogger, workshop instructor & savings enthusiast
Read by more than 20 million people each week
Smart ways to save on shopping, home, travel and living well!
Jill’s shared her savings methods with:
I'm Jill Cataldo, founder of Super-Couponing® workshops and author of the nationally-syndicated newspaper column and video series "Super-Couponing Tips" enjoyed by over 20 million people each week.
Want to live well on less? Read full bio
JillCataldo.com contains affiliate marketing links and promotional offers. Read full Privacy and Disclosure Statement for details, blogger network affiliations and advertising/PR information.
MrCheap says
Good video for rookies. But when are you going to start updating your ‘Deals of the Week’? Seems like you dropped this from your program.
Coupon Maven says
I’ve taken a pause from writing matchups due to multiple factors:
Chicagoland has been dropped from the market for the Save (formerly Redplum/Valassis) coupon insert. We have half the coupons we used to be able to use. SmartSource has dropped down to 4-6 pages.
What remains of SmartSource is nearly always focused on non-food items. For the first time I can recall, ever since I started doing this, we saw a coupon insert in May without a single food item in it. (Look at this week’s SmartSource – all makeup, pharmacy products, and one coupon for a bottle of hot sauce.
All but one of the stores I cover that used to send ad previews 4-7 days ahead of ads becoming public have stopped doing so to all of their bloggers — I and others wrote impassioned responses to explain that the advanced previews helps us to have enough time to adequately go through the ads and have matchups live a day or two before the sales begin — but they’re moving in “new directions” promotion-wise.
This summer, Coupons.com and other electronic coupon sites stopped paying commissions to bloggers for coupons printed through their sites.
Multiple other advertising and affiliate networks reduced their commissions below 1%, which means I am also not earning what I previously was.
Brands ceased offering sponsored posts and ambassadorships during the pandemic, and that revenue stream simply hasn’t recovered either.
From a financial standpoint, it is difficult to justify spending 30 to 40 hours a week blogging the number of stores I used to cover when there is no longer financial return for doing so. At the end of the day, just like everyone else, I have to focus my work hours on areas that are financially viable to support my family.
Thomas Sullivan says
Totally understandable. Sad that the corporates went this way.
Coupon Maven says
I agree. I know it’s not the answer anyone wants to hear – and I hope things do turn around at some point, but there are so many unknowns right now.
Kathie says
Thank you so much for all that you taught us over the years! These changes that have happened explain very well why you’ve stopped writing matchups. Once again, thank you and all the best!
Paula says
Thank you for clarifying all the recent changes. We need coupons to save where we can more than ever and this makes it difficult for many to stretch grocery dollars. Can’t win these days