Extreme Couponing
I was sent the “Smart Mama” 2014 coupon book a little while back. If you’ve not heard of it before, the concept is really simple: it’s a hardcover book stuffed with more than 300 vouchers for family-friendly vendors throughout Hong Kong. All of the deals are valid for the whole of 2014 (with the exception of some fair-enough blackout dates—hope you weren’t hankering for a tennis lesson on Christmas Day), and offer either two-for-one or 50 percent off a particular product or service. You won’t find any bullshit “spend $1,000-get-$100-off” (aka a 10 percent discount) fake bargains here.
The book is divided roughly 50-50 into stuff for kids and stuff for mums. I technically don’t have a kid yet, and definitely I won’t have one that’s going to be old enough to take ice skating classes before the end of 2014. But if you do have older children—especially if you have more than one—you’ll probably find the many two-for-one classes and activities on offer something of a lifesaver on long afternoons that you need to fill up with an activity of some description.
So a quick rundown of the discounts you can expect:
Under Play, you’ve got bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, indoor play rooms, art camps, horse riding classes and birthday party entertainment to keep the young ones entertained. Weirdly, there’s also a deal for a Yangtze river cruise, which doesn’t really seem to fit with the rest of it. But hey, someone might find it useful. Smile is where you can get deals and discounts on family photography.
Flourishand Exercise is where you’ll find classes. The deals offer a great way to get a cheaper introduction to a certain activity before deciding whether you want to take the plunge and sign your kids up full time. Think ballet, phonics, scrapbooking, music, languages, science, art, basketball, boxing, kids’ yoga, rock-climbing, fencing and more.
The Shop section was always going to be a bit hit-or-miss—so much depends on your own personal tastes. And let’s face it—buy one pencil for $78 and get one free is not really a bargain whichever way you slice it. It also doesn’t have any photos of the products on offer, which is a shame.
Onto the mums section. You’ve got Pamper for hair and nail salons, spas, massage and other wellness vendors. 50 percent off a Brazilian blowout? Awesome. Under Eat there are deals on restaurants and cake shops (I already cut out the Sweet Secrets “buy one cupcake get one free” deal for safekeeping). It’s a little heavy on the Indian restaurants; a bit of variety wouldn’t go amiss for future editions—perhaps a few places that are known to be kid-friendly?
I also like how there’s an Imbibe section for mums on the razz—just because we’re (allegedly) responsible parents, it doesn’t mean we don’t like a night out once in a while—amirite? With that said, the “buy a round of shots and get another round free” at Chocolate bar, Ra and Zinc sounds like a recipe for trouble. One to save for the next hen night you’re invited on, perhaps?
Exercise is another worthy section, with yoga, dance classes (ballet, pole and everything in between) and more, from tennis to Thai boxing.
Same as in the kids’ half of the book, the Shop section isn’t quite so inspiring. There’s all this stuff on offer (Swarovski-studded pens, memo pads, men’s shirts) but we don’t know what any of it looks like! One coupon that does work is from an optical center, which has a voucher for a free eye test, plus 50 percent off if you spend $1,000 or more on glasses or frames—so you get the discount and a selection of products to choose from as well. For 2015, it’d be awesome to see more coupons like this, and perhaps more careful curation for this section in general. More homewares, kitchen shops and beauty products would definitely appeal to me.
Honestly, no one is ever going to able to use this entire book in a year, unless they have $250,000 going spare and a LOT of free time, but at $788 (or $488 if you buy it online using the coupon code “lovesmartmama”) it’s a nifty thing to have on your bookshelf, should you be stuck for inspiration when it comes to fun activities for your kids—or even yourself. Besides, any coupons you don’t find useful you can always share out among your friends. And if you’re looking for a gift, it comes in an attractive hot pink box, which is a nice touch.
Smart Mama 2014 is available at bookstores citywide, including Bookazine, Swindon and Kelly & Walsh. Alternatively buy online at www.smarterconcepts.com.hk.