Now that we have talked about "How to Find Coupons," "Coupon Lingo" and "How to Organize our Coupons" it's time to talk about mazimizing our savings with coupons.
Coupon Techniques
*Stack store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons and when available $ off of $ amount - for instance at Walgreens, Target, Dollar General, Family Dollar and CVS you can stack your store coupons along with manufacturers coupons for additional savings. At Dollar General many times you can also combine your products and coupons along with a $5 off of $25 offer which greatly reduces the amount you are spending on the products.
*Price Match at Walmart and Target - both stores allow you to price match advertisers sale prices. You need the other stores weekly advertisment/flyer and the product you are matching must be the exact same product that is listed in the weekly advertisment.
*Take advantage of stores that double (i.e. Schnucks & Dierbergs) and triple coupons
*Buy only when an item is on sale - this is the easiest way to maximize your savings.
*Use a Coupon Database so you aren't always clipping coupons- find your coupons when you’re ready to shop and then clip
*Take advantage of store loyalty programs, register promotions, and rewards.
Coupons to the Extreme
Now that have a general knowledge of coupon techniques, here are some additional techniques to save you even more money when you buy.
*Look for products that are free and will give you Overage- Overage happens when the value of a coupon exceeds the price of the item. Many stores will allow you to apply the exceeding value to the rest of your shopping order. Walmart will even give you money back when you shop if your coupons exceed the value of the products. By doing this you greatly reducing the price of your entire purchase.
*B1G1 Coupons- Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons (also known as BOGO coupons or B1G1 coupons) allow you to purchase one item and get a second item of equal or lesser value for free! You’ll want to pay special attention to the fine print on the coupon as there is usually a maximum value stated on the coupon (this maximum value is the most that the manufacturer is willing to reimburse the store for the “free” item). With a B1G1 store sale, you are purchasing 2 like items and then automatically getting one item for free when you checkout. Since you are still essentially purchasing 2 items, you can use a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with the B1G1 store sale to get the both items for free (one is free after the store sale and one is free after the coupon). *Important Note: Read your store’s coupon policy very carefully as some stores (Target & Walmart ) may prohibit the use of a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with a B1G1 store sale. *We will go through each of the stores couponing policies and rewards during the Couponing 101 series.
*Rebates- Mail-in-rebates are an added way to save and often honored based on the price of an item or an amount you will spend
*Rain Checks- When there are good sales, often stores will run out of items. Don’t forget the power of a rain check where a store will honor the sale price of an item at a future time.
*Rolling Deals – means that you can purchase a product for a coupon or a rebate and then use that on the purchase of the same item over and over. This seldom happens at stores but when it does you want to hurry off to the store because you will store an Extreme Deal.
Coupon Etiquette
Even through we are maximizing our savings by being Savvy Shoppers it's important to know what is too extreme and to be courteous to our fellow coupon shoppers.
*Don't photocopy coupons- it's illegal and hurts the retailers and all using coupons
*Use only one manufacturer coupon and store coupon per item
*Don't try to use a coupon for which it is not intended for- it's unethical
*All coupons must have expiration dates or stores will not accept them
*Don't clean the shelf off on a good deal- share the wealth
Did you miss the beginning of our Couponing 101 Series if so check out these articles:
-Couponing 101: What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?
-Couponing 101: Coupon Lingo What Does It Mean?
-Couponing 101 – How To Organize Your Coupons
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