How to save money in Spain

My friend Spanish friend Pepa recently returned from a holiday in the United States. She had a great time, and clearly enjoyed her holiday. Money, or rather saving money, is always a popular topic when I meet up with my Spanish friends over coffee. Pepa was amazed how easy it was to save money in the US. According to Pepa there are coupons everywhere, and all you need to do is to cut them out. Thank God, I brought my scissors with me she says.

Having lived in the US for a number of years, I know that the American are passionate about what they call “coupon cutting” and many of my American friends have turned it into an art form. They cut out all of the coupons they come across and put them in their “coupon book”. Needless to say their coupon books are well organized. My friend Stacey in Los Angeles loves her coupon book and keeps it will organized so that she can find the right coupon easily. Food coupons take up the biggest section in her coupon book, but household cleaning and stuff like hair shampoo coupons are also popular cut outs.

Now, it seems that my Spanish friends have caught onto the coupon craze. More and more retailers around Spain are beginning to publish coupons, and it could be worth your while to cut them out. If, you want to become a coupon cutter in Spain, it is a good idea to check out stores like Clarel (used to be known as Schleckers) and Eroski, but many other stores do regularly promote coupon shopping as well.

Clarel have their own little magazine which you can pick up in store. This month (June) it has vouchers for top brands like Nivea, Vasenol, Rexona and many others. If you are brand buyer, it is the perfect place to check out. Also take a look at Spanish magazines such as Mia – they often have coupons available. Daily papers in Spain also have coupons available from time to time.

As always remember that it is worth your while to sign up for club cards and save money that way as well. Generic products are pretty good in Spain, but we all know what it is like, sometimes you find that brands are better, and may actually last longer as well.