Saving money when you shop is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. The economy has many tightening their purse strings, and coupons are one of the best ways to ease the pain of tightening their budgets. Read the article ahead and learn some great ways in which you can make coupons a staple of your shopping routine.
One easy way to get coupons is to use the social media resources you likely already have. Facebook and Twitter have many companies that use their sites for networking. Liking or following these pages can get you access to exclusive coupons that others may not have the chance to score.
Be on the lookout for “Buy One Get One Free” deals. These are some of the best bargains around. To make the deal even better, see if there is an additional manufacturer’s coupon you can use with the store offer. You can practically get items for free with these rare opportunities.
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.
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.
Try to clip coupons for every item you find, even if you do not use that product. Sometimes you may have a neighbor who needs coupons for diapers, and you could trade them the diaper coupons for ones that you can use. This helps you and your neighbor as well.
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.
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.
Make sure you understand and print off coupon policies for your local stores. Walmart, for example, has a printable coupon policy. Keep them in your coupon organizer for handy usage. On occasion, a cashier may not know the corporate policies for their stores, and having the policy may help you get the leg up in a disagreement.
Request all the free sample offers you can find. Not only will you get the free sample in the mail, but often times you’ll receive a coupon for the item as well. Coupons that come with free samples tend to be higher value than others, so you’ll get a great sample and a great deal!
Don’t purchase anything online until you do a coupon search. Use a major search engine and search for “coupon retailer name”. If there are any coupons available, you should be able to find them. Remember to check your options on your browser for the most recent results also. Stores may provide free shipping options or some percentage knocked off an order of you use the current coupon code when you place an order.
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.
Purchase a good-quality binder for all of your coupons. You will need to purchase several sheet protectors to hold your coupons. In addition to sheet protectors, you will also need dividers to organize your binder. Use these dividers for each type of coupon or each aisle in your grocery store.
A good coupon tip you should use is to do all of your shopping at the end of the month. Most stores have it so that their coupons expire at the end of the month. Shopping during this time will make it more convenient for you to get the best deals.
A great tip for people who love to use coupons is to print your coupons online. These days, online coupons can result in really amazing savings. Sites like Coupons.com or Coupon Cabin are great sources to find truly great values. You may find savings online that you can’t find anywhere else.
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.
Set up a dummy email account and sign up for all those coupon sites! Most of us don’t like getting spam in our regular mailbox, so have an address just for the purpose of collecting all those amazing coupons, along with whatever else you might get. Your savings will be phenomenal, but your email won’t be over-loaded with junk.
Saving money is so important, and following the advice you have read here will help ease that process along. When you pay less than full price for items, you win in the long run. As you become more diligent in your efforts, you may just be surprised at the money you have saved each year.
