Grocery shopping is a necessity everyone must face in life. It is better when you know you can save some money when getting the groceries that you need. Implementing coupons into your plan is a great way to do just that. Consider the following advice regarding using coupons when shopping for groceries.
Go to the website of your favorite grocery store to find out what kind of weekly specials they may have and then go through your coupon book to see if you can get any extra deals. The coupon websites do not always have everything listed. You might find a great deal on your own.
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.
Take some time to write up a list to take along when you are shopping with coupons. As you shop, check items off your list and be sure your coupons are handy at checkout. Know how many coupons you’re going to use before you enter the store.
It is in your best interest to make a shopping list at the beginning of the week and have it revolve around the coupons you have. From this list, you will be able to decide on which stores to shop at and where you can save the most money with each coupon.
Figure out a good organization system. If you don’t have your coupons in the right order, some may expire before you get a chance to use them. Consider purchasing a few baseball card holders and putting them in a book. This will help you clearly see your coupons and allow you to grab and go when necessary.
Find out how much your store will double coupons to a certain amount. Find out about the rules at your local store. Sometimes they only do it a certain day of the week or some stores have specials in which they double coupons up to any amount. These are the deals to look for!
Learn a store’s policy for using coupons. Some stores limit the number and type of coupons you can use. Before you cause a commotion and ask to speak to the manager, learn about your rights as a customer. It can save you a lot of time and trouble if you do a quick overview of store policy.
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.
To get the most coupons possible, sign up for more than one Sunday newspaper subscription. You will receive tons of coupons this way and may even get different ones with each subscriptions. Also, ask your family and friends to save the coupons from their papers for you (if they are not using them).
Match your coupons up with sale items. Once you get the ad for the grocery store’s weekly sale, find items to buy that you use and have coupons for. Using a coupon on a sale item saves you even more money than just using the coupon on a regular priced item.
Talk to your friends or neighbors to see if you can trade coupons with them. Go over all of the coupons that you have found and ask someone else if they can trade with you. By doing this you can help each other out and save a bunch of money as well.
If a product has a mail-in rebate offer, make sure that it is worth the postage and your time. If it is, make certain that you mail it in quickly. Some stores will offer you a special receipt, specifically for rebates. If your store doesn’t, pay for the item separately so that you have your receipt for other items.
Some of the best coupons that you will find are going to be in your local newspapers. These coupons will be for the stores that are local in your area and very easy to get to, which will improve the level of convenience you have and reduce your stress level.
A great place to look for coupons are in magazines and newspapers. Sure people may not turn to newspapers and magazines as much as they used to, but they are still a great source for coupons so make sure that you go through them to find the best deals possible.
Use baseball card holders to store your coupons. These holders are usually clear, so your coupons will be easy to see, locate and organize. You can easily see if the coupon is valid or has expired without having to take it out of the holder. Their size makes them conveniently portable for everyday shopping.
A good tip if you’re someone that uses coupons is to use a coupon on an item that you’d like to try out. Sometimes we’d like to try out new products but don’t want to pay full price for them. Using a coupon will sweeten the deal, and you’ll get a chance to try out the product for yourself.
Now you should have a better idea as to how to use coupons when shopping for groceries. It’s a great thing to look at how much you’ve saved on the receipt, and to tailor a grocery list according to what you need and what is on sale. Get to it!