If money is a troubling topic for you right now, you may feel like you have done all you can to cut corners. Coupons can result in tremendous savings. Coupons can help you save major money if you really hone your skills. Keep reading to find out how.
Educate yourself before you get started couponing. Know what various terms mean. Become familiar with the policies of your local store. For example, can you use both a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item? Does your store double coupons? Understanding the process will save you time and frustration.
To maximize your savings when using coupons, use them to purchase items that are on sale and at supermarkets that offer double or triple coupon savings. When you buy an item that is on sale and use a coupon that is doubled or tripled, you may find that you pay pennies for the item or even get it for free!
Scan magazines at the doctor’s offices if they are new for coupons. Most places will not mind if you tear out a coupon if there is not any publications on the other side. Most of the time a magazine is good about only printing coupons on the other side of ads or using tear outs.
Know the coupon rules. A good way to save money is when stores put out double coupons. You can save twice as much money when these coupons are available. However, there are usually restrictions to use so it’s best that you know ahead of time before you go and try to use it.
Familiarize yourself with coupon acronyms. For example, “BOGO” means when you buy one, you can get one free. Or did you know that mail-in rebates are shortened to MIR? So be on the look for more acronyms so that you have a good amount of knowledge about them. When you are unaware of these acronyms, you might just miss out on great deals, and even greater deals via your coupons.
Purchase a good-quality binder for all of your coupons. You will need to purchase several sheet protectors to hold your coupons. In addition to sheet protectors, you will also need dividers to organize your binder. Use these dividers for each type of coupon or each aisle in your grocery store.
If you need help obtaining coupons, you can always enlist the help of your family and friends. Ask them to save their inserts for you. Adding all of these to your couponing can provide you with many more options, particularly for those products you constantly use. To get them to save these inserts, offer to do something for them in return.
Compare coupons of competing stores. This works great for things like food and office supplies. One store may offer bananas for 79 cents per pound, while another store offers them for 60 cents a pound. Compare and look around to make sure that you are getting the best deal possible.
Be a conscientious coupon-clipper by never wiping the shelf clean, especially for-sale items. Buying the last two of a given item is understandable, but purchasing twenty of an item with limited stock is frustrating to other shoppers. If you know that you will be purchasing several of the same item, call the store a few days in advance to see whether they will order extra.
Don’t just go after the advertised deals when making use of your coupons. Check other products in the store for reduced prices that may not have made it into the sales flyer. These can either be small price changes or, in the case of overstock or discontinuation, drastic cuts to the cost.
To make finding your coupons easier, try sorting them by a similar attribute. For instance, you could sort them by brand, by product type, by expiration date, etc. There are so many ways you can keep everything together so that you can easily see and use them to maximize your savings.
Know the store coupon policies before you try turning in coupons. When you are extreme couponing, you can run into some cashiers and managers who push back on the practice. They may tell you that you can’t use certain types of coupons or that coupons printed from the Internet are not taken. It’s your responsibility to know if they are before you try so that you can fight back.
Get a store saving’s card for every place you shop. Holders of these cards get exclusive savings and bonuses, even without picking up a pair of scissors or warming up the printer. If you don’t like the store tracking your data, just put false information on the application when you sign-up, and you can maintain complete anonymity.
Couponing can be a great way to help needy people during the holidays, or any time. Coupons can be used to buy items for the needy, such as toiletries and food.
If you want to really save money using coupons, you need to be willing to try various brands. While you may have always used a particular ketchup, you may discover that another company has better, or more frequent deals. By keeping an open mind, you can save yourself money in the long run.
Armed with the information above, you ought to have a thorough understanding of the ways in which coupons can produce generous savings on a wide range of items. The money you save with your new coupon knowledge will help you stay on top of your finances.
