In these tough economic times, people are doing everything they can to make ends meet. However, while everyone knows about coupons, some are hesitant to use them. These people view using coupons as a giant hassle, but it needn’t be. The article below contains tips and tricks to make using coupons a simple, money-saving process.
When you have a manufacturer’s coupon, you can stack that coupon with store coupons. This is a great way to get items for next to free or almost free. Use the store’s coupons from their weekly circular and match them up with coupons from the manufacturer off the Internet or from the newspaper.
Before beginning any coupon strategy find and print a copy of the store’s coupon policy. Many stores limit the number of coupons that can be used on each transaction, while other stores may not accept internet coupons. It is therefore, important that you print a copy of your store’s coupon policy.
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.
A good tip when clipping out coupons is to place them in a pouch or somewhere you can easily keep track of them. This will prevent you from creating a mess and you’ll have your coupons readily available when you need them so you won’t have to dig around to find them.
Inquire with the newspaper about their couponer’s discount in order to avoid buying lots of extra papers just to get the inserts. In some cases, you might be able to purchase the Sunday paper in bulk and receive a discount of up to half off.
Peruse the store ads before you clip your coupons. You may find that in order to save a lot, you would have to visit many stores instead of just one.
When you enter any store check the front to see if you can find their weekly paper. In their weekly paper, a lot of shops will offer you coupons inside of them to help entice you to purchase more things at their store. This can work in your favor, and you can find a lot of items for cheap through their coupons.
Watch yourself carefully when you are collecting coupons and avoid clipping something just because it is a good deal. Just because you can get a large dollar amount off, it does not instantly mean you should use the coupon. If the brand is not one that you would normally buy, you can actually end up wasting money by using the great coupon you have found.
Understand grocery pricing in general. You may think that getting a coupon means you are getting great savings, but sometimes that isn’t the case. Know what the price of the item is in the first place, and keep an eye on price-comparison websites that can give you a general idea of what the products are really worth.
Determine some way to create more storage space at your apartment or house to get the most from couponing. When a perfect deal comes along on a product, you may be buying a lot of it. Without an organized space to keep it in, you will just be creating a bigger headache as you seek to store it.
Keep an eye out for stores that accept competitor coupons. Some stores will match prices and take coupons regardless of the store the coupon was made for. Be aware of stores like these. If you happen to be at one, go ahead and use your coupons rather than going around to several different stores.
If you have lots of coupons, try to shop on off-peak hours. Many people who are shopping right after work are simply picking up a handful of groceries for dinner. If you come in with your massive pack of coupons and hold up a line for an extended period, you’ll certainly get some frowns from your neighbors.
There are many great online websites to help you find coupons. You simply find the coupons that are of use to you and print them out. There are many different sites so you can often find coupons there that are not available elsewhere. They can also give you other great resources to find other great coupons.
Save twice as much money by stacking store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons. This is the best way to get the most money off when couponing. Look at the weekly ad circular’s to see what’s on sale, then go to the manufacturer’s site and see if they have a coupon. This way, you can “double-up” and save the most money!
Take advantage of coupons and use them to save on products that you intend to actually use. Many people buy things just because there is a coupon for them and they end up not using them. This defeats the purpose of a coupon since you will end up wasting money when you throw these items away.
To find a lot of money-saving coupons, check out the insert in the Sunday newspaper. In a lot of editions, the coupons are all in the same plastic sleeve (maybe with the comics). Open that sleeve, and you’ll usually find two or three booklets consisting only of coupons and their ads.
Now that you are done reading this article, you can see how easy it is to use coupons. If you’re not using coupons yet, now is the time to start. Use what you’ve just learned, and start saving money. Soon, you’ll be able to purchase more of what you need.