11 Easy useful tips to Save Money with Coupons

11 Easy useful tips to Save Money with Coupons

Don’t leave home without them! Coupons save many consumers $100′s and sometimes even $1000′s of dollars a year! Need some tips on how to go about using them?

Do you have any coupon tips you can share?

1. Double & Triple: Shop at stores (if available) that will double (and sometimes even triple) your coupons. Pay attention too, because sometimes its only one day per week and often only up to a certain amount.
2. Weekly Fliers: Every week in the mail and in newspapers, the grocery stores have weekly fliers printed up that show off their best sales and deals for that week. Take advantage of these things to stock up. Don’t forget the coupons!
3. Sales: Save your coupons for sales. When your store is offering a 10 for $10 deal or something similar, that’s the perfect time to whip out those coupons and utilize them on top of the stores sales.
4. Check your coupons: Before you go to the store, check your coupons for expirations. Most coupons expire at the beginning or the end of the month, so make sure you use them in time.
5. Don’t Toss: If you do let a coupon expire, don’t immediately toss it. A lot of grocers will still accept them, and all you have to do is ask. Don’t be afraid to ask, because there are a lot of stores that will accept them but don’t make that widely known.
6. Track Prices: I keep a small notebook with me when I shop. I write down the items that I most frequently buy, yes sometimes multiple brands per items. I know how much each frequently purchased item costs at each of the stores near my house that I shop at. This way, when I have the choice to use a coupon, I can decide if its worth it, or if I should save the coupon or utilize the sale instead. (or stack, because thats also an option at some stores).
7. Check receipts: Most stores make their computer screens available to customers to view as things are ringing up. Watch these so that A) your items scan correctly and B) that the coupons are utilized.
8. Shop Store Brands: I have a family member that worked for a well known company that creates a specific name brand product. They also sold to the stores under store brand names. So don’t automatically reach for name brands, most store brands are often equal to or better in quality. Obviously we all have our favorite name brands, so those are the things you should try to obtain coupons for and then shop store brands for everything else.
9. Competition is Key: Let me just tell you, the best stores to shop at, are the ones that accept competitors coupons. And many of them do. All you have to do is ask, so don’t be afraid to. The reason this is a good thing – it means less driving around to different stores, and can save you more money that it would have if you tried to do all your shopping at one store that doesn’t accept competitors coupons or at several different stores.
10. Trial Size It: If the coupon doesn’t tell you what size you have to buy, go ahead and use it on a trial size or the smallest size. Often, this garners the product free or almost free.
11. Print Coupons: Visit www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com, www.redplum.com and www.retailmenot.com – you can print coupons from there, picking and choosing which you want. Make sure and visit more than one, because often they have coupons the other might not offer.

Do you have any coupon tips you can share?