Serious couponers can save major money to impress anyone. However, without proper understanding and knowing the best way to make use of coupons, coupons can cause you stress.
Always make sure you study the store’s policy for coupons. Does your favorite store double the value of certain coupons or accept ones offered by a rival store? If you aren’t aware of the coupon policy, you will never know what coupons to bring with you when you go to that store.
Use multiple coupons on an item if possible. This will allow you to make more without having to spend a lot more. You can amass a lot.If you find 5 coupons for a cereal you eat regularly, then purchase five ketchup bottles with your coupons.
Try using coupons when there are buy one get one free sales at your store. You get one item free and then save big on the other item. You might pay less than 1/4 of its initial price.
Take all of your coupons to the store with you even if you have no plans to use them all. You can commonly find in-store-only sale items that are such a great bargain with a coupon, that having the coupons readily available is prudent.
Coupons are available from a wide variety of places. The Sunday paper usually contains many coupons each week. You can also find coupons anywhere from grocery store ads to magazines. You can even find lots of online sites that will let you customize your coupon preferences.
Use your coupons when items are on sale to maximize your savings. This may mean hanging onto coupons for a few weeks to use on another shopping trip.
Use your shopping list to browse the ads as you clip coupons for your shopping trip. You might see that you can visit a few different stores and save big instead of just going to one place at a time.
Bring all your coupons with you to the store even if you do not plan to use it.
Sign up for an online community that lists deals. There are many sites that will alert you to different deals available both in store and online.
Spend enough time clipping or printing the coupons you need. You have to put in a little time if you really want to save money with coupons. You have to fit couponing into your busy life. Set aside a half hour per day to look at advertisements and cut out coupons.
Always keep an eye on your coupons’ expiration date. There are some coupons that are valid for only a single day. Some of them will be good for a month or so. Make sure that you check weekly to see if you now have expired coupons. This technique will enable you to get full value from your coupons.
Be sure all your coupons properly scan on checkout. A lot of coupons won’t scan properly, some coupons just won’t scan in the cash register.
Only use coupons for items that you regularly use. That way, you won’t be tempted to spend money on items you wouldn’t normally buy. Purchasing unneeded items with coupons is the biggest mistake you can make and must be avoided. You will have a much easier time keeping your coupons organized if you only clip the ones you actually need.
If an item you want to use a coupon for will be going on sale, try a coupon clipping company to get more coupons for the item. There are many clipping services available via coupon websites, and you can save big money by using their service.
Do not spend more time cutting out and researching coupons. Looking through circulars and cutting those coupons can begin to seem like a full time job for you. Take the time to figure out your savings per hour of work, so you know if the time you spend is worth how much you save.
Don’t be embarrassed about using coupons. In our tough economy, everyone wants to save money. Lots of people are doing whatever they need to do to save money. There is certainly no shame in saving money and being consumer savvy.
Those consumers who use coupons stand to save some serious money over time. They key to couponing is figuring out exactly how to use them. By keeping what you have learned above in your mind, you’ll be more skilled at shopping with coupons.