Coupons can be a great way to save money and to get free products. There are many success stories of people who have big savings and get lots of free merchandise. But it does take a dedicated effort to make the most of your time using coupons. You need to carefully collect and use your coupons. This article can help you plot a strategy that works for you.
Only use coupons for products that you will actually use. You won’t save any money by purchasing items that your family does not need or brands that you don’t like just because you have a coupon. Cutting out coupons for items you don’t use also costs you time, which could be better spent.
A great tip when using coupons is to keep track of the expiration date. You don’t want to walk into a store, pick up an item and then present the cashier with a coupon that’s expired. Some stores might still honor the deal but most won’t, and you’ll be embarrassed.
Look at your list before you go to the grocery store. Check over the items you need and see if there are any coupons available online. You can also check the flyer from the store you visit most often to see if any of the items you need are on sale.
When you clip tons of coupons, it can be hard to remember which ones you have; this is why it is wise to get a coupon organizer. With this handy tool, you can organize your coupons with one of two methods; either alphabetize them or put them in the order of the aisles in your favorite supermarket.
A good tip if you like to use coupons is not to get carried away with simply clipping out coupons. Only keep coupons that you intend to use. If something is on sale that you’re unlikely to buy, then you should just leave it. Time is also money so you don’t want to waste more than you have to.
Once you decide to use coupons, make sure the coupons you clip are relevant to the items on the shopping list you created. It may be that traveling to a several different stores will produce greater savings than making a single stop.
Request all the free sample offers you can find. Not only will you get the free sample in the mail, but often times you’ll receive a coupon for the item as well. Coupons that come with free samples tend to be higher value than others, so you’ll get a great sample and a great deal!
Be prepared to spend a few days a month getting your coupons together. This is necessary if you are going to do couponing and be completely successful at it. You will also have to visit several different stores on your shopping trip to get the very best deals that you can in your area.
Many of the most successful couponers say they will “dumpster dive” for Sunday newspapers containing coupons. Dumpster diving does not mean wading through garbage, you can simply find the newspapers you need and pull them out. You will find that many people throw away their coupons without much thought.
The coupons you receive when checking out at the register can’t be doubled. It makes sense to look through your coupons for a coupon that can be doubled before using one that cannot be double. By doing this, you can maximize the money you save with your coupons.
To have a basic filing system for your coupons, it’s a good idea to put them in a shoe box stacked in chronological order or just arrange them by an expiration date. In doing this, you do not have to waste a ton of time organizing. However, you always know which coupons are about to go out of date and become useless.
If your Sunday paper has a great coupon circular, buy more than one copy. The cost of the paper is often less than the savings the coupons offer if they are for items or brands that your family regularly uses. In addition to buying extra copies, you can also ask your friends or family members for their copies.
A great tip for people who love to use coupons is to print your coupons online. These days, online coupons can result in really amazing savings. Sites like Coupons.com or Coupon Cabin are great sources to find truly great values. You may find savings online that you can’t find anywhere else.
Purge old or unwanted coupons from your collection routinely. Keeping your coupon stash filled with expired coupons is a waste of time and money since the clutter keeps you from finding the coupons that are most useful to you. Make it a point to clean out expired coupons every week or so.
Where do you find coupons that will save you some serious money? First, look in your local newspaper, and next print them from home by searching online according to your shopping list. It’s amazing what you can find when you search for coupons online. You will find yourself saving money on just about everything.
Whenever possible, shop at locations that double coupons. A lot of grocers offer this, and the savings it means are substantial. In some cases, doubled coupons mean free items. Free items are way better than cheaper ones! You may want to also think about getting new products that you haven’t tried yet.
As you have seen on TV and on the internet, there can be great savings by using coupons. You may even get a lot of free things but you will have to invest time to truly get the most of using coupons. The information and advice from the above article can help you find strategies that work for you and get you on the road to coupon savings today.
