The recent recession has consumers rethinking past cavalier spending habits and changing behaviors. As a result, some people are ditching their daily latte habit. Others are more aggressively bargain-hunting. To kick off National Coupon Month (a.k.a. September), we'll look at which consumers are saving the most money using one savvy strategy.

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Survey says ...
Promotionalcodes.com recently released a study that unveils which demographic groups use online coupons most frequently. The survey, which polled more than 2,000 adults, examined the respondents' inclination toward searching for discounts when buying items online.

While hunting down online coupon codes can be tedious and time-consuming, the study found certain demographic groups more willingly up for the challenge.

  • 71% of married adults who shop online sometimes use promotional codes, versus 63% of single  shoppers.
  • 74% of online shoppers with kids who live at home sometimes use promo codes, as opposed to 67% of those without kids.
  • 76% of female online shoppers use promo codes, versus 63% of their male counterparts.
  • 32% of college graduates always or often use promotional codes when shopping online, as opposed to 27% of individuals with a high school education or less.
  • 33% of survey respondents with an annual household income of $75,000 or greater always or often use online shopping promo codes, versus 24% of those with incomes less than $35,000.

Because of their more frequent coupon use, it appears that educated, higher-wage-earning married adults with kids living at home are the most likely group to save money when shopping online. Perhaps since more demands compete for their dollars (funding back-to-school supplies, higher insurance premiums, family trips to Disneyland, college tuition, etc.), it creates more pressure for families to make every dollar stretch as far as possible.

On the flip side of that coin, it's long been argued that there exist embedded economies of scale for married couples. In fact, the study pointed to an interesting piece for The Atlantic stating that wedded couples get breaks on health insurance premiums, housing, and income taxes that single people don't. Further, the article tallied the "lifetime cost of being single" at as much as $1 million.

Means to an end
Married or single. Kids or none. College educated or not. Regardless of your status, saving money frees up dollars for funding your financial dreams. For example, let's say that not using coupons for your online purchases costs you $20 each month. If, instead, that $240 annually was socked away in an investment returning 8%, it'd grow to nearly $3,500 in 10 years, almost $11,000 in 20 years, and more than $27,000 in 30 years. While a small monthly savings might not seem like much, it could end up creating a nice little nest egg for your future goals.