Host a Coupon Trading Party
Exchange Grocery Store Discounts while Entertaining Friends/Family
Jun 15, 2009
Planning on hosting a party this summer? Instead of the usual neighborhood barbecue, why not try focusing on coupons instead of burgers and brats? Guests can still eat those things, but the main event won't be the food. Instead, the party will center around saving money!
How to Host a Coupon Trading Party:
When sending out invitations, ask everyone to bring at least one coupon. It shouldn't be just any old coupon, because the best one will receive a prize! Ask guests to get creative. Don't just pick up the Sunday paper. Search the internet. Visit coupon trading web sites. Peruse supermarket web sites for sales flyers.
What Prize to Give the Winner:
A discount of course! One idea might be a restaurant gift certificate. At Restaurants.com one can buy $25 restaurant gift cards for $10, or $10 certificates for $3. The idea is not to spend a lot of money, but to get guests into the habit of spending less. Once they get excited about clipping coupons, they'll get used to the idea and begin saving money regularly.
Make the Coupon Trading Party a Monthly or Quarterly Event:
That way folks can look forward to getting together to share ideas about saving money and socialize at the same time. If one person saw a special that another guest missed, the two can swap ideas as well as discounts! And every month, people will likely bring more and more coupons as they get used to collecting them. At that point, the host might want to draw coupons from a hat. As people get better at this game, award a prize to the person who has the best money-saving idea. Alternate houses so that no one is the host every time. If the party gets big enough, consider throwing it at a local community center or church.
What to Serve at a Coupon Trading Party:
Make it a potluck dinner of course! Everyone should bring a different dish and possibly even share the recipe or the place where they bought it for a discount! This kind of party could catch on so fast that nobody will want to attend a traditional "party" anymore. In fact, it would be a great idea to get the kids involved and have them learn how to save money and spend frugally.
And for dessert? Cupcakes from a warehouse club or bakery outlet store. Unless someone at the party can make them from scratch for less!
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