How You Can Use Couponing For Your Advantage

My grandmother is the queen of couponing. According to my mom, she used to go to several different grocery stores to buy the items she needed at the cheapest price. My brother and I might tease her, but what’s so bad about saving money?

With TV shows like Extreme Couponing, using coupons might get a bad rap. Yet, is it such an embarrassing practice? Who doesn’t want to save a bit of money when they’re out shopping? That’s why I will tell you how you can use couponing to your advantage.

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Step One: Find Some Coupons

If you get the newspaper, it’s the most accessible place to find coupons. They come every week with the big Sunday paper. However, if you don’t already get the newspaper, there are plenty of other places to find coupons.

Coupons.com has tons of free, printable coupons. You can browse by category or the store, making it easy to find one that works for you. HotCouponWorld is another excellent online option for finding coupons. They have online deals in addition to a vast coupon database.

You can also find coupons on your receipt after you shop at stores like CVS. You can use these towards your subsequent purchases. Stores sometimes send you coupons or deals like free shipping when you sign up for their newsletter. You may not want tons of store emails crowding your inbox.

However, if you sign up for just your favorites, you’ll always know when you can save money there. Many grocery stores also have free loyalty cards you can get. These cards always allow you to get the best deals on their items. All you have to do is bring the card (or tell them the phone number connected to it).

Step Two: Learn the Couponing Basics

To maximize your savings, HotCouponWorld recommends pairing coupons with sales. That way, instead of getting half off a regularly priced item, you can get half off an item already marked down. You’d pay only a fraction of the original price! This is the way to go if you’re looking to save money and buy an item as cheaply as possible.

Another couponing tip is to stockpile. That means you buy lots of an item once it goes on sale or have a coupon. If you know you eat cereal daily, you could buy the box at a regular price every week, or you could buy several boxes once it goes on sale.

You know you’ll go through 10 cereal boxes eventually (and it doesn’t go bad quickly). So, why not buy them all once the week they’re on sale? Those who use couponing best don’t just buy one of an item that’s on sale; they get as much out of the coupon as possible.

Step Three: Know the Couponing Rules

Read the Fine Print

Anything giving you free money will have a catch, and coupons are no exception. That’s why reading a coupon’s fine print is essential before heading out to a store. Sometimes, coupons will only be for a specific size of an item or require a minimum purchase.

Also, you often can’t use coupons together. If this is the case for an item you’d like to buy, use the one that gives you the best deal. However, sometimes, you can use a coupon from a manufacturer with a store coupon. Read the fine print to know what you can and can’t mix.

It would be best to remember that you usually can’t use one coupon multiple times. If you want to buy multiples of an item you have a discount for, you should bring multiples of the coupon. You can often print a coupon twice, which will help you stockpile an item on sale.

Know When They Expire

Another thing to remember is that coupons don’t last forever. Sometimes, the deal only lasts a few days, and sometimes, it lasts several weeks. So, if you’re planning to buy an item using a coupon, mark it down when you need to buy it so that you don’t show up at the store with an expired deal.

Step Four: Make a List and Go Shopping

Making a list is the easiest way to make sure you save money when couponing. You probably already know that a grocery list will help keep you on track when shopping. It will ensure you buy what you need and don’t buy what’s unnecessary.

A grocery list that includes the coupons and sales you plan on using is even better. That way, you’ll know exactly how much you are saving and how much you need to set aside in your budget for weekly groceries. It’ll also help you ensure you’re paying the advertised price.

By planning beforehand and working off of a list, you’ll stay on budget and not get overwhelmed by any additional appealing sales. If an item you need is unexpectedly on sale, great. However, if you weren’t planning on buying those chips or that soda anyway, buying it when it’s on sale still costs you money. Those best at couponing know exactly what to buy and what not to buy to save the maximum amount of money while still getting everything they need.

Couponing may get a bad rap, but you can save tons of money when you use it smartly! It may feel awkward the first time you fumble with a newspaper clipping at the front register, but the money you save makes it all worth it. And the more you practice, the less weird it will feel. Start using these tips to get out there and save money through couponing!