Valley News
When Susan Samtur found her budget too tight to maintain the style of living she and her husband Stephen had grown accustomed to, she found a way to turn her spare hours into spare dollars through her hobby of "supershopping." After being introduced to coupon-clipping by a friend visiting from California, the New York native took the methods a step further and devised her own system. With her system she has attracted a network of followers in her war against inflation at the check-out line. But her coupon-clipping days began while she was still working at a school near her Yonkers home. After boasting of her savings to several fellow teachers, she was bombarded with questions about her method. Soon, she began to circulate mimeographed sheets with her shopping tips among 13 colleagues at the school. But when she quit her job as an elementary-school teacher to take care of her first child, Mrs. Samtur was forced to get used to living on her husband's income which meant cutting back on expenses at the supermarket. Then, out of necessity, she revved up her refunding. When the news spread that shoppers could trim their grocery bills in half with a minimum of training, the response was overwhelming. She decided to expand her original mimeographed publication into a more formal booklet called "Refundle Bundle," which she distributed nationally. Now, "Refundle Bundle's" national readership has reached 100.000. Since then, Mrs. Samtur has also published a book and has appeared on several television programs. Though she admits her hobby is often time-consuming, sometimes involving five or six hours of clipping and paperwork per day, it is a moneymaking one that is beyond the realm of IRS control it's a form of non-taxable income. In an average month, the mother of three receives about $100 in refunds in addition to hundreds of letters from Refundle Bundle readers and consumers. In her book called "Cashing in at the Checkout." she offers a few tips to the beginning refunder. The first and most important step, she says, is to organize a file of coupons and proofs of purchases. Mrs. Samtur organizes her envelope of coupons alphabetically according to product instead of specific brand name. The first section is marked "baby products," the second "batteries," the third "breads" and so forth. The second step involves planning your shopping excursion in advance which means analyzing the supermarket's ads. Usually, they are divided into sections according to product. Then, Mrs. Samtur searches her file for coupons to match each supermarket offer. Besides this pairing, a refund is often offered, sometimes for cash back directly from the company, or in the form of a free gift. With the combined benefits of all three offers, sometimes Mrs. Samtur ends up being paid for purchasing the product in the form of cash or a gift. Throughout this seemingly simple process, there are a few rules to keep in mind. Mrs. Samtur emphasizes. For one, the largest size of a product is not always the least expensive. Often, smaller sizes are introduced at a reduced price. Another misconception she warned against was the belief that generic brands are less expensive than national brands, Generic products come from smaller, less established companies that are unable to launch the large-scale coupon campaigns that national brands do. Mrs. Samtur says. So, at face value the generic brand may be less expensive, but to a refunder it has no redeeming qualities. Another advantage to purchasing nationally-known brands is the competition generated between them, which encourage larger coupon and refund offers. "Often, when you're buying paper goods, there will be an offer from Kleenex and another from Scott Tissues. The companies keep track of one another and compete," she says. She also said bargains can be found beyond the food aisles, in the health and beauty aids and car products sections. Usually, special offers are seasonal in nature. Most coupon offers for hot dogs, mustarded, picnic items, pest repellent and other picnic-related items are offered during the summer months, while turkeys, dressings and holiday-related food items are more likely to be reduced during the corresponding season. Nevertheless, there is no prime time for coupon shopping since the key is persistence. She says that the effects of the supershopping system will not be dramatic until beginners establish a file of coupons and proofs of purchases from which to choose. With an adequate file and practice, the average consumer usually can save about 50 percent, she says. Also, by consulting publications like her "Refundle Bundle,'' shoppers can learn about potential offers and open lines of communication to form exchange groups. 'With more and more people taking advantage of coupons now that prices have gone crazy and inflation has hit everyone, there is finally a solution." Mrs. Samtur says.
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