The Basics of Couponing

The Basics of Couponing   

Where to find Coupons:

• The Sunday newspaper is a great source of coupons. Buy the newspaper with the largest circulation in order to get the best coupons. You can sometimes get them cheaper by buying a double pack. The general rule is to buy a pack of inserts (or newspaper) per member in your family. You can view the Sunday Coupon preview for each week here.
• Ask your friends, family, and co-workers for coupons. You may be even able to make a deal with them if they supply you with the coupons.
• Printable Coupons on the Internet. There are many great online printable coupons to be found! You can find a list of here: coupon resources
• Use a clipping service. If there is a great coupon that you would like to have multiples of then you might consider ordering the coupons. Also using a clipping service can save you time, especially if you have a busy schedule, but still want to coupon. Check out some of the ones we have listed: coupon clipping services
• Check the store. There are many varieties of coupons that you can find in the store.
• What’s a OYNO, Catalina, WYB, etc. There are so many abbreviates and words that only the coupon world can understand. Not sure of what those words are…. see a list in the Coupon Lingo.
• We have so many more resources that will help you get started on couponing. Check out additional resources for couponing HERE.
• There are additional places that you can find coupons- check out those tips HERE.
• You’re going to hear the word Catalina a lot! Read all about how Catalinas work and how they can help you SAVE big!!

 

Organize your coupons!

• Envelopes. You can start by clipping and putting them all in an envelope or check file. But, once you’ve been couponing for a few weeks you will need something bigger.
• File by insert. With this method you just file your inserts by date in a box and use an online coupon database to find the coupon you need. This method doesn’t require much work but you might miss out on unadvertised deals by not having all of your coupons with you at the store.
• Coupon Binder. With this method you would clip all of your coupons and file them in baseball card holders in a three-ring binder. This is the method that most couponers use! Check out our section on how to make a coupon binder!

Know your store’s coupon policy!

• Loyalty Cards. If your store offers a loyalty card then make sure to get one. Some stores only give the sale prices to card-holders. Loyalty cards are Free!
• Double/Triple coupons. Double/triple coupons is when the store will take your 50¢ coupon and double it making it $1. This is done automatically at the register, you do not have to do anything to take part in this promotion. First, find out if your store doubles/triples coupons. If they do then find out the maximum double/triple value and how many they will double/triple. Kroger in the Lansing area doubles up to .50 cents per 3 identical coupons in a transaction. The Kroger in Howell and Owosso doubles up to a $1.00. We are not aware of any stores in the Lansing and surrounding area that triples. K-Mart in my area (Lansing) doubles up to .99 cents (but you need to spend $25). Make sure you are signed up to be a shop your way rewards member so you can be notified when this promotion is running. Target does not double. as of 3/31, Meijer does not double.
• Stacking coupons. Some stores will allow you to use one store coupon (the discount is provided by the store) and one manufacturer coupon (the discount is provided by the manufacturer) per item.  Target, Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreens, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Kmart, etc are the stores in our area that will allow you to stack coupons. According to Meijer’s updated coupon policy they will allow you to stack store competitor coupon with a mf coupon.
• Internet coupons. Find out if your store accepts Internet coupons.
• Competitor coupons. Some stores will accept competitors coupons. Wal-Mart is the only store in our area that accepts competitor’s coupons. As of 3/31/13, Meijer will take comp. coupons and allow you to stack them with a mf coupon (this is at Manager’s discretion).

Build your stockpile!

• Start slowly. Don’t buy a ton of everything as soon as you get started or you will blow your budget! A stockpile takes time. Set aside a part of your weekly grocery money for stockpiling and do what you can with what you have.
• Buy for the future. If an item goes on sale for a great price (or free!) then buy more than you need for just the week. Typically sales go in 12 week cycles so you only need to buy enough for 12 weeks. So, if you eat 1 box of cereal per week then when you find cereal at a rock-bottom price then you should buy 12 boxes. This way you have cheap cereal that will last you until you can buy it at a rock-bottom price again.
• Know how much you use. Start paying attention to how many bottles of shampoo, packs of diapers, boxes of cereal, etc. you use. This will help you to have a better idea of how much you should buy and to not go overboard! If you only eat 1 box of cereal a month then there is really no need to buy more than a few boxes or they will just go to waste.
• Donate it. Every couponer will eventually go overboard and buy too much of something. If there is no way you will use it before it expires then consider donating the item to a shelter or food pantry.

**Read more Stockpiling 101 tips HERE!

What’s your plan?

• Weekly Ads. Read the weekly store ads to see what is on sale and which stores have the best prices on the items you need. If you don’t get the weekly ads delivered you can usually view them on the store’s website. Always check our site. We do our best to post the weekly ads prior to the new sale week.
• Coupon Matchups. See if you can match coupons to the sale items to get an even better deal! Some websites do this for you. A Mitten Full of Savings provides match-ups for Meijer, Target, Kroger, Walgreen, and other drug stores. We also provide local deals from your stores like Horrock, the Spartan Stores, Aldi and more. Be sure to check out our Match-Up Section for the latest deals!
• Price-match. Some stores, like Walmart, will price-match. Meijer and Target will also price match certain items. Be sure to check each store’s specific price-match policy! Target will even price-match deals from Amazon!
• Make a List! Don’t go to the store without a list. Lists remind you what you came for and keep you from buying items you don’t need.
• Be sure to download the Favado App! This app does all the work for you! It will deliver matchups and allow you to make a list right on your phone. You can also view which store in your area has the best prices for the week!
• Rain-checks. If your store is out of the sale item, get a rain-check! Go to customer service and ask for a raincheck for the item you wanted. They will fill out a piece of paper with the item details and price. Then you can come back another day (usually no more than 30 days) and buy that item at the sale price by giving the cashier the rain-check. This also gives you more time to gather coupons for the item! You can still use a coupon if you are using a rain-check.

Additional tips:

• 10/$10 promotions. You do not have to buy 10 items to get the $1 price! The only exception to this rule is if the ad states that you must! Those times are rare and are usually for items that are buy x get y free, final price 2/$5, etc.
• Rock-bottom prices. Don’t go out and use your coupon immediately! If you use that 25¢ off toilet paper right away when it’s not on sale you aren’t reaching your saving potential! Wait until toilet paper goes on sale for $1 then use the coupon. If your store triples coupons then you could get the toilet paper for only 25¢! Matching sales with coupons is getting a great price. Combining sales plus coupons plus another promotion (rebates, double coupons, store coupons) is getting the best price!
• “One per Purchase.” I’ve heard this so many times! Most coupons say “one coupon per purchase” somewhere in the fine print. Cashiers will try to tell you that that means you can only use one coupon per transaction/day. This is NOT true! One per purchase means that you can only use one coupon per item purchased! So if you are buying 10 items and have 10 coupons then you can use them all!
• Leave the kids at home! When possible, try to leave the kids at home. I know my kids are always trying to stick items that are not on my list in the cart!
• Make a Pricebook. It’s important to shop at the right stores, too. Whether you prefer to shop at Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, or a local grocery chain, it’s important to check the prices at each so you don’t waste any money. Creating a price list is a great idea, because you won’t have to rely on memory (we all know how accurate that is) when it comes to pricing things. It will also help you know and learn what a FAB deal is in your area!
• Limits. Stores will sometimes put limits on the item to make you think it’s a great price! If cereal is just on sale 2/$4 you might not even notice it. But if it’s on sale 2/$4, limit 2! then you will likely think it’s a great price since they had to put a limit on it!
• Shop early. If you have couponers in your area then it’s best to get to the store as early in the sale as you can or plan to preorder your deals! Especially if you plan to “clear” shelves. Pre-ordering prevents you from doing that and makes everyone happy 🙂
• “Bigger is better.” The cost per unit of the bigger box of cereal may be less than the smaller one but with coupons and sales the smaller box is likely a better deal.
• Watch the cashier. When checking out pay close attention to the price screen to make sure everything rings up at the correct price. Also, make sure that the cashier scans all of your coupons. Coupons sometimes stick together or get dropped or the cashier will scan the coupon but not realize that it didn’t go through. Kindly point out that they missed one and they will correct it.
• Check your receipt. BEFORE leaving the store look over your receipt to make sure everything rang up correctly and all of your coupons were scanned. If there is a problem take it to customer service immediately so they can fix it. If you leave the store and come back at another time then it might not be fixable. If the cashier missed a coupon and you notice right away it’s easy to see the mistake. But, if you come back later after several other coupons have been added to the cashier’s stack or the stack is gone then there is no way to prove that they missed a coupon.

Just remember- be patient! Coupons aren’t designed to work well as soon as you get them. Pay attention to sales cycles, store sales, and your price list so you know exactly when you should use your coupons to get the most bang for your buck.

Thank you to Couponing 101 for the additional resources!

 

You can find more basic coupon tips in our Coupon Basic Section!