If you want to make better use of coupons in your life, then this article is the right thing to read. If you are currently an avid or occasional couponer, you will hopefully find some tricks you did not know already. On the other hand, if you are new to coupons, you are likely to find many ideas you had no idea about. Whatever your coupon background is, keep reading!
If you do your online research, there are several couponing websites you can go to find the best deals on coupons on all of your favorite items. You may even be able to clip that coupon that will get you some free items to have you saving a whole lot at the checkout.
To find some of the best deals, join couponing blogs. These blogs offer not only methods to find the best coupons, but many will also tell you what stores have the lowest prices to begin with. These match-ups will help you figure out where the cheapest place is to shop.
Be on the lookout for “Buy One Get One Free” deals. These are some of the best bargains around. To make the deal even better, see if there is an additional manufacturer’s coupon you can use with the store offer. You can practically get items for free with these rare opportunities.
Use your coupons when the items are on sale to maximize your savings. Sometimes, this would mean that you’ll have to hold onto a particular coupon for weeks as opposed to using it when you shop. You may also have to plan out a more complex shopping trip involving multiple stops in order to get the full benefits of your coupons.
Try to clip coupons for every item you find, even if you do not use that product. Sometimes you may have a neighbor who needs coupons for diapers, and you could trade them the diaper coupons for ones that you can use. This helps you and your neighbor as well.
Be mindful of your coupons’ expiration dates. Some coupons are valid for a very limited time. Others are usable for 30 days or more. Make it a habit to check your coupons regularly so that you are not depending on old, expired coupons with no value. Focus on the ones that are close to expiration. By practicing this method, you will save the most money possible.
Watch yourself carefully when you are collecting coupons and avoid clipping something just because it is a good deal. Just because you can get a large dollar amount off, it does not instantly mean you should use the coupon. If the brand is not one that you would normally buy, you can actually end up wasting money by using the great coupon you have found.
If you arrive at a store, and they are out of a sales item, ask for a rain check! This is one of the least utilized coupon secrets out there. Most grocery chains will offer rain checks for items that have been advertised. This will allow you to come back and purchase items at the sales price when the store receives more stock.
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.
Do your shopping at stores that offer double coupon deals. If you are able to double your coupons, a $1.00 savings instantly becomes $2.00 off at the register. This can really be useful on expensive items with small coupon amounts, such as soap or toilet paper. Some coupons, however, say “do not double” on their face.
Look for coupons on your favorite items early every month. Most of the time, manufacturers put a cap on the number of coupons available to consumers, and different sites and stores will be allotted different amounts but all around the first week of each month. Make sure you get your savings by checking in early!
Set up a dummy email account and sign up for all those coupon sites! Most of us don’t like getting spam in our regular mailbox, so have an address just for the purpose of collecting all those amazing coupons, along with whatever else you might get. Your savings will be phenomenal, but your email won’t be over-loaded with junk.
Do not make the mistake of not using as many coupons as you can to get discounts. For example, if you have four bags of chips, and you have a coupon for a discount on one bag, you can get three more coupons and get a discount off of everyone.
Having brand loyalty is not always wise if you are going to be using coupons for savings. For instance, you may enjoy Pepsi, but if Coca Cola is the brand that is on sale and you have coupons for it, that is what you should go with. Being faithful to a brand is not going to save you money.
Pick out the coupons you wish to use in a smart way. While coupons provide great deals, you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on things you wouldn’t normally buy or won’t use. Write a shopping list before you think of coupons. With this list, you’ll be less apt to spend additional money.
Find out how much others are saving with coupons. The reason you want to do this is because you will find that the stories from other people can inspire you and motivate you to stick your coupon regiment. Hearing that people saved money makes you feel more likely to do the same!
Regardless of whether or not you are new to couponing or an old pro, reading this article has hopefully given you some fresh mental material to consider in couponing. Apply the ideas and advice presented here to save more of your money than ever before. Keep clipping and good luck!
