You can use coupons to save money. Perhaps you use them infrequently, and only when you visit a particular restaurant. Or maybe you clip coupons every week. Regardless of your level of couponing, the tips in the following paragraphs can help you up your game.
To get coupons for brands you particularly enjoy, all you have to do is ask. Many companies are willing to send out coupons to people who email or write to them. Simply send a letter noting how much you enjoy a product and ask if they would provide you with coupons. You will be surprised at how often they oblige!
Go online. There are a lot of coupons on the Internet that aren’t available in your local papers. Not only that, but some companies offer Internet only deals that others are not going to get. Before you buy anything, check online and do a search to find any coupons available.
Don’t forget about online coupons. Traditional paper coupons are great, but there are tons of great coupons online. There are various coupon sites that you can join too. Receiving instant notifications to your inbox can help you get access to many deals before other people. Some sites also have promo codes that can help you boost your savings.
Try using competitor coupons at your local grocery store. Many grocery stores will honor competitor coupons to garner your business. This technique will not only save time, but it will also save money on the gas you would spend driving to multiple stores. If you do not know if your grocer honors competitor coupons, simply ask the store manager for a copy of their coupon policy.
Sometimes your grocery store will let you stack coupons with others from the manufacturer. This will get you double the savings and potentially have the grocery store owing you money at the end of the transaction! Of course you will not get this money because of the coupons but it is funny to see.
Don’t buy an item just because you have a coupon for it. The purpose of using coupons is to save you money. You don’t save any money if you ate buying items you don’t normally buy. If you do use a coupon for a new item, only buy one to make sure you like it.
If you snag a truly great deal with a coupon for an item that you won’t use, donate it. Food banks will accept nearly any packaged food item. Women’s shelters can often use diapers, shampoo, and other toiletries and supplies. Research and contact local resources in your community to find out what they need, and use your couponing skills for good.
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.
Use every medium available to collect your coupons. You can find them locally in newspapers, mailers and on receipts. They are also available online on store websites, manufacturers’ websites, Facebook, Twitter and on a specific coupon- collecting sites. Always keep your eyes open for coupons to save the most money.
Keep in mind that you might end up with 40 sticks of free deodorant or 100 bottles of shampoo on your shelf. If you want to stock up, this is great but if you do not have the space, you will always want to keep this in mind and steer clear of these traps.
Whenever possible, stack your coupons to get an even better deal. Layering your coupons like this isn’t always allowed, but when it is, it can result in significant savings. For example you could combine a manufacturers coupon with the stores coupon to great the greatest savings possible for you.
If you have a ton of coupons to use in a store, warn any customers who may be behind you in line. The cashier, especially a novice cashier, may take a lot of time to get through all of those coupons. One mistake can add multiple minutes to get a manager to fix the issue. Letting those around you know about your coupons is just good practice.
There are a lot of coupons you can get by joining a company’s social media website. Search for their business name and then follow them. A lot of places offer coupons regularly, for contests or even just for joining their site. Social media is very popular now, so it shouldn’t be hard to locate your favorite companies. You may even get free samples!
To minimize conflicts when you go shopping, keep a hard copy of the store coupon policy in your coupon binder. This way, if a cashier or manager says that your coupons can not be combined, you have the store words to back you up. You may choose to review the policy beforehand, to ensure you understand it.
Keep in mind that some places will not allow you to stack discounts on one another. You are most likely going to have to choose one or the other if you are trying to use a coupon on an item that is on sale, so choose the cheapest of the two prices.
Clip coupons and then shop online. Many online retailers will accept manufacturer coupons, which means big savings for you. Because of the low overhead with an online store, costs can be reduced, thus saving you more. Many times this can be like doubling your coupon savings, which is always a treat.
You might use an occasional coupon or make a weekly habit of scavenging the newspapers for all the current deals. No matter how you are couponing now, the information above will give you an advantage. Look to these tips to really raise your game.
