Coupon Strategies That Help You Stretch Your Finances... Info No. 16 From 829
Find a store that offers the value of doubling your coupons, to save some serious cash. Even if you need to drive a little further, the money you spend for gas will be well worth the savings you experience at the register when those coupons give you twice the discount.
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 However, you always know which coupons are about to go out of date and become useless.
Know what is a deal and what isn't. Sometimes things are advertised as being on sale, but they really aren't listed at a price that is that much different than normal. If you are having trouble telling, there are Internet tools that will let you see if something is listed at a good price or not. When it is, swoop in, use your coupon, and get incredible savings.
Don't rely only on your Sunday paper. Look for deals on several different weekend newspapers, and purchase them. This will help ensure that you get the widest variety of coupons possible. In addition, you may be able to get more than one coupon for an item that you use often, allowing you to stock up when it is on sale.
Read the small print of a coupon. For instance, you may get a coupon for a dollar off your favorite food. But when you see the fine print, you may realize you have to buy two to save the dollar. It can be hassle to get to the checkout only to figure out it is not such a good deal after all.
To get the most out of your grocery store coupons, know which stores occasionally run double or triple coupon weeks. Talk to the managers of those stores to find out how often they do them. See if you can get wind of ruay when the next one is and be ready.
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!
Keep your coupons organized. Whether you use a coupon holder, binder or envelopes, make sure your coupons are organized and easy to find. Organize them in a way that is easiest for you to sort through. Some ideas are sorting by item type or the section of the store the item is kept in.
Find reliable coupon sites on the Internet. There are a lot of options out there, but a lot of sites do not update their coupons or provide all the ones available. That can waste your time and end up costing you money. Make sure that the sites you visit update regularly and provide you with suitable information.
Get organized with your coupons. Use a three ring binder with baseball card holders to sort them. Separate the coupons into different sections, such as dairy, baking products, frozen, and others. Keep a section open for coupons you plan to use immediately. That way, when you get to the store, you are ready to go.
You can ask friends or family to help you out by saving all of the coupon cutouts they find. If you add these to your collection, you will have more chances to save on the things that you need all the time. You can trade them something valuable to them in return for the coupons they give to you.
Learn about "stacking." Stacking refers to the policy of some stores which allows you to use both a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on one item. Using this policy can help you reduce the price of an item drastically, in some cases even making it free. Pay close attention to store coupons, and match them up often.
Rewards cards are awesome to use because they give you a big savings on sales but also there are usually incentives to being a member. Sometimes you will save money on gas at your local gas station if they have a deal with them or you can build points to save on groceries and other sales.
In order to really get the most value out of the coupons you clip, be sure to keep them organized and broken down by product category. By maintaining distinct classes of coupons, you will have quick access to them while shopping, which can prevent you from being left with a large number of expired discount offers.
Hopefully this article has given you some tips to using coupons to save money. Remember the tips you've read here, and apply them to help you save money on future grocery trips. It is quite amazing how much you can save by using coupons.
Make friends with the cashiers. Particularly if you are in the same stores fairly often, it is important to be polite and thank them whenever possible. They can really help the process go much smoother if they aren't annoyed at having to scan all your coupons. A little personality can go a long way.
Always have your extra coupons available, even though you may not intend to use them. You may well run into an un-advertised in-store sale on an item you have a coupon for. If you can grab the applicable coupon out of your car when you find this kind of opportunity, you stand to save a lot of extra money!
