A decade ago, most shoppers clipped the occasional coupon that afforded them a whopping 15-cent discount on creamed corn or toilet tissue. These days, however, couponing has become a way of life for many. If you want to get the most from your couponing adventures, read on, and learn the ins and outs of successful couponing.
Use the Internet to your advantage. As couponing has become more popular, more and more websites are offering coupons that you can just print out at home. Frequent these sites, and check them often. These coupons are free and snagging them often does not require a large time investment either.
Although you can still find some great coupons in your Sunday paper, browsing the net for coupons is a much more reliable resource. Online, you can find amazing coupons for anything and everything. The key feature to this avenue is not having to clip coupons endlessly. Now they are print and go.
Ask your friends and family if they know of any cool sites where you can find some discounts. It is always a good thing to share information with other people about where to get discounts that way you can all figure out where to save together. Just remember to always share your secrets with them and things should work out.
Keep all your coupons in one place. Some coupons are really small, and you don’t want to lose them. You also don’t want to have coupons all over the house. When you keep them all in one place, you can locate them when you need them without too much trouble.
When you are clipping coupons always make sure you look on the front and back of each sheet of paper to make sure you are not going to cut into another coupon on accident. Often times the papers make sure that this will not happen by offsetting the coupons, but you will want to double check.
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.
Make sure you have the room for all of your newly bought items. Couponing will fill your cupboards and have you buying multiples of one product to get them for free or at a very deep discounted price. You will be stocked up for a long time on some very specific items.
Limit your coupon collecting to products you already use. This helps you avoid making those unnecessary purchases on items that you buy only because you have a coupon for it. Purchasing unneeded items with coupons is the biggest mistake you can make and must be avoided. Following this strategy will also cut down on the coupons in your collection, so you can keep everything better organized.
A good way to save money through coupons is by using their loyalty or rewards program. A lot of times stores will offer incentives for you to continue shopping there so they will offer you points. After getting enough of these points, the amount can be applied towards your next purchase.
Any coupons that are not used by family and friends can be yours for the asking. This will give you a better chance of acquiring the best set of coupons for saving money. You could offer them a different service, coupon freebies, or another item in return.
Use rewards coupons carefully. You will very rarely get coupons for certain items, like milk or meats. Some stores offer rewards coupons and certificates for certain purchases, and these can be used for anything in the store. Take advantage of them and use them on products like milk, fruits and veggies, or meats.
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.
You don’t have to waste costly color ink printing coupons on your home printer. If you have an inkjet printer, you can set your preferences to print in black and white or simply remove the color cartridge. This way, everything will print in black and white. Retail establishments will still accept these non-colored coupons.
To get the most savings from all your coupons, you will want to quit living from paycheck to paycheck. When you have no extra money or disposable income, you can not take advantage of deals when they come up. You can use coupons on your routine groceries to save money, but you will miss out on stocking up on non-perishables.
Keep your eyes peeled for peelies! When wandering through your local store, be on the lookout for coupons stuck to the outside of products or hanging around the necks of bottles. These are called peelies and hangtags in coupon lingo, and can save you big bucks! Also look for coupon dispensers in aisles to save even more.
As mentioned, couponing has become a serious endeavor. To get the most out of your time and efforts, however, you need a few good tips and tricks to help you out. Now that you have the information you need, you are all set to head out and save some serious money.
