New Survey from CoolSavings.com Shows 'Budgeting' is Officially No Longer a 'Mom and Dad' Conversation in the U.S.

CHICAGO, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study of approximately 4,500 American consumers from CoolSavings.com finds kids are an active - and participating - part of the family saving conversation. The trend comes as nearly one out of three parents surveyed make budgeting "a new topic of conversation for the entire family."

"Families are changing behaviors in this market with couponing and researching for savings no longer a parents-only concern - it's actually a family activity," said Matt Wise, president and chief executive office of Q Interactive, the company that owns CoolSavings.com. "Based on what we are learning, we may see the emergence of a whole new generation of clippers as well as brands and advertisers finding a way to create kid-friendly couponing while keeping the head of household engaged as well."

Parents See the Discussion as an Important "Life Lesson"

While only eight percent of parents surveyed feel budgeting "is not a conversation for kids," 78 percent see it in a different light: as an "important life lesson."

Over 80 percent of parents say "their kids are aware of the bad economy and its impact on the household budget" and 84 percent "discuss saving and budgeting with their children."

Kids Feeling the Pinch - and Starting Clipping

Including children in the "budget" discussion may be due to the fact that 70 percent of parents say they "have cut back spending on their children."

The largest category impacted is "entertainment" (34 percent) followed by "restaurants" and "clothes" - both around 16 percent.

Additionally, kids are clipping. Nearly 60 percent of parents surveyed say their children are couponing.

Is Couponing "Hereditary?": Readying the Next Generation of Coupon Clippers

Nearly 60 percent of adults surveyed share that their parents used coupons; that nearly mirrors the percent of kids couponing, indicating there may be a correlation in that couponing is something taught to us by our parents.

Nearly 28 percent of those adults surveyed began using coupons "within the past year" while 66 percent "have always used coupons."

About CoolSavings.com

CoolSavings.com (www.CoolSavings.com) is one of the Internet's leading consumer savings destinations. A one-stop shopping site, CoolSavings.com helps consumers save time and money on all of their purchases through printable grocery coupons, online coupons, free shipping offers, free gift offers, comparison shopping features and more. CoolSavings is committed to always offering visitors the best and widest variety of coupons and savings from the nation's top brands.

About Q Interactive

Q Interactive is a performance-driven advertising network specializing in predictive behavioral targeting, the most advanced targeting online today. This cutting edge targeting cost-effectively acquires customers for advertisers and agencies, and maximizes advertising revenue for publishers.

Q Interactive's predictive behavioral targeting increases ROI by using a combination of online and offline data: self-reported geo-demographic, contextual, behavioral, and transaction-based - no other provider has this breadth of data. This unparalleled consumer insight means better targeting capabilities and less advertising waste.

Every year more than 1,000 leading brands rely on Q Interactive's consultative service to generate quality results, including nearly half of the nation's top 100 advertisers as ranked by Advertising Age, such as Procter & Gamble, Sears, Home Depot and PepsiCo. Q Interactive's advertising network offers access to valuable but hard-to-reach consumers on high-quality partner sites such as About.com, IAC and Weather.com, as well as its own flagship site, CoolSavings.com, a leading consumer savings destination since 1997.

Since 1995, Q Interactive has been committed to the highest standards in ethical business practices, consumer permission and data privacy. Holding board positions and chairmanships with the industry's governing body, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Q Interactive sets the standards for others to follow. Q Interactive is an Intrepid Investments company.