20 Cheap and Free Ways to Get Happy When You’re Stressed

We’ve all been there…whether the kids are driving you crazy, an unexpected bill arrives in the mail, or the car breaks down at the worst possible moment, stress happens.

The environment here at Couponlab is one where we work hard and play hard. Some people think we play all the time (and judging from the videos like segway skiing, rocket day, bean bag diving, and spaghetti eating contests on our YouTube channel, it’s no wonder. It’s the opposite, especially when you mix in monthly game days, exercise equipment, a massage chair, pool tables, etc.

But we do work hard! Very Hard.

We are committed to making Couponlab the best place online to find coupons, deals, and cash back and making our customers the most loyal raving fans. We’re always one-upping ourselves, setting bigger goals, and scouting new frontiers to conquer. And with that comes stress.

So, I asked our readers, employees, Twitter followers, and Facebook fans how they get happy when stressed.

“You Said It!” Couponlab Readers Share Their Tips for Reducing Stress

• CLEAN! Then have a drink =)
• Take a nap
• Eat (Chocolate is among the top responses, not surprising.)
• Exercise
• Listen to music
• Take a drive with the widows or convertible top-down
• Have some alone time
• Go shopping
• Pray
• Find something to laugh about
• Play with the kids
• Call a loved one
• Take a walk
• Read a book
• Watch a movie
• Go for a bike ride
• Go for a run
• Drink (Coffee, beer, wine, and alcohol among the top responses.)
• Write
• Play with a pet

Well, aren’t you all a brilliant bunch!

So, what do you do when you feel stress is getting the best of you?

You’re saving hundreds a month on groceries by couponing, but you are doing it wrong!

No money-saving method has been tried and withstood so much scrutiny as coupons. You can get all your groceries for almost nothing by strategically using coupons.

If you are a coupon clipper who has already mastered the art of finding discounts online or in print, you may have faced such problems as staying organized with online and cut-out coupons. And if you have, then chances are you already know that the offers will pass you by if your vouchers are poorly organized.

Three tricks will help you become more organized, save money with coupon managing, and snap a discount each time.

Online coupon extensions for discounts

You’ve probably seen Amazon’s clip-out coupons for your favorite products; you know what you like and are happy to go with it, but there are other extensions available, including Couponlab’s shopping extension that can find the latest deals across numerous retailers doing so in a millisecond on items that you’re looking at.

The solution entails a smartphone application in software installed on all iPhones and Android phones to post, save, and clip coupons from sources such as social media.

Today, nearly everyone has a smartphone. The phone is an excellent cross between the binder method and shopping extension, where you may save coupons using your phone. It’s not just that everything is online; you can have everything in one place and at arm’s reach.

There are several ways of tracking your coupons. You can use notes if you have them to track, but it is better if you have an app installed; it will automatically track and save all the coupons for you.

For instance, the use of apps like Ibotta may work. It allows you to immediately sign up using email to gain access to all the retailers you’re familiar with and love. Also, by being able to clip offers to your shopping list, you get cash back on groceries.

There are also popular extensions online where you can always get apps that will give away more than a grocery by offering coupons so you can shop for clothing, home essentials, and many others.

In-store deals
Diversity and inclusive brands
Seasonal clearance deals
Feature deals
Best cash-back deals

At the very least, shopping extensions dig up discounts or the lowest prices on items you want to buy immediately. But when you use the extension, you can also put that item on price alerts to track its pricing without even being there manually.

That is why this is only a game for savings, which is short-term and long-term.

How Does Couponing Work?

Like Grandma Great Aunt Betty, perhaps you plan just a little bit. Maybe you base your meals on advertisements with weekly sales quotes or what your favorite store offers at a low price. For all I know, you buy meat when it’s the Manager’s Special.

However, if you are extreme to the core, then more likely than not, you can be found regularly rummaging through dustbins, hoping desperately to find those little golden tickets (i. Some others could steal their neighbors’ Penny Saver and openly beg for unwanted newspapers. Others may waste their time searching for loopholes in grocery store’s coupon policies. How many times can this coupon be used in the same transaction? Asking for a friend.

Why People Use Coupons

Couponing is, for some people, a lifestyle. That’s a simple way to save money on your grocery bill and put that hard-earned cash to use elsewhere, like saving up for the next family vacation. Some people use couponing for cathartic reasons, while others do it to save a buck or two on something they were already going out to buy.

Coupons are an effective method to help one save on what they would spend the money anyway. So, when you need some home décor but can’t afford to pay a lot of money for it, you may go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels since, with a probability bordering on certainty, they have the already famous weekly coupons. You’re going to buy the picture frame anyway; . . So why not have it at a cheaper cost? Score!

Why Stores Use Coupons

But guess what? Retailers are much brighter and more straightforward than you think and still sneakier. For example—did that Welcome to the Neighborhood 20% off coupon you just got in your mailbox feel like a nice enough gesture?

Stores understand that the deeper they discount their products or the more they “give,” the more probable you are to leave some of your money with them. Think about it: If someone is going to get a new pair of shoes, they would most likely not be looking for the most expensive one. You just received another of those coupons for “$20 off your purchase of $100 or more” in the mail.

However, one thing that stores would rather have you not know about how they do business is the fact that, in some cases, they go ahead and discount their products to an extent where selling them at such a price means that the store will lose money on each unit of a particular item sold for nothing more than merely pulling in customers through the éédoor.