You are here: Home / Archives for couponing A to Z

Couponing A to Z: Understanding the “Fine Print” on coupons!

August 5, 2011 by

For the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring a few posts each week as a part of a series called “Couponing A to Z” which will hopefully give you tips to get started with couponing!  Today I’m going to talk about how to understand the “fine print” on coupons.  If you haven’t already, check out the rest of my Couponing A to Z series here.

If you’re new to using coupons, you may be confused by some of the “fine print” terminology on those coupons.  Don’t worry – plenty of store employees are confused as well!  Here’s some scoop on “the fine print.”

Purchase vs. Transaction:  Typically in the fine print of coupons, you will see wording that says something to the effect of “Limit 1 per purchase” or “Limit 4 per transaction.”  The “purchase” refers to each item being purchased and means that you can only use one coupon per item.  This is the intent of this wording, but I have had to argue this point more times than I can remember with cashiers and store managers.  If there are limits per transaction, this means you can only purchase that amount of items in that transaction.  Many P&G coupons now contain wording that limits your purchases to 4 per transaction.  Most Target store printable coupons contain a “one per transaction” wording.  Some stores will allow you to do back to back transactions to get around this wording, but I typically don’t try to push this because I want to have good relationships with my stores.

Do Not Double:  Some coupons say “DND” or “Do Not Double” on them.  This does not necessarily mean that those coupons will not actually double.    I know this is INCREDIBLY confusing!

Here’s a coupon for reference purposes:

On the lower left hand side, you’ll notice a code along the bottom that starts with a “5″  From my experience, even if the coupon says “do not double/triple” at the top, if the code at the bottom starts with a “5″ your coupon will still double.  (The code on this coupon starts with a “5″)

If the code at the bottom starts with a “9″ then the coupon will not double/triple.  Most of the “blinkie” coupons you find in the machines in grocery stores start with a “9″ and will not double or triple.

Please keep in mind that doubling or tripling coupons is usually a store promotion and the store absorbs the cost, so a store may choose to double or triple coupons even though it says “Do Not Double.”  To find out if our stores will double or triple these coupons, it will basically be a matter of trial and error.  Try it with one and see if it works!

To find out more about how to double and triple coupons, check out this post here.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

 

Filed Under: Couponing 101, coupons Tagged With: , ,

Couponing A to Z: Four tips for Ethical Coupon Usage

August 3, 2011 by

For the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring a few posts each week as a part of a series called “Couponing A to Z” which will hopefully give you tips to get started with couponing!  Today I’m going to talk about ethical coupon usage.  If you haven’t already, check out the rest of my Couponing A to Z series here.

There are plenty of sites out there (and even some TV shows) that will show you the “wrong” way to use coupons.  Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should.  When people use coupons incorrectly, it has an impact on all of us.   I’ve been using coupons for several years now, so I’ve seen the cycle of what happens when there is a wave of fraudulent coupons or when coupons are used incorrectly.  Several of my grocery stores stopped taking internet printables for awhile a few years ago when several fake, high dollar printable coupons were released.  When you use coupons incorrectly, stores will not be reimbursed, which means that they lose money.  Guess who foots the bill for this?  We do!  Prices will be higher, stores will tighten up their coupon policies, and manufacturer’s will stop putting out high dollar coupons.

1.  Use coupons as they are intended – Most coupons have specifications such as size limitations included on them.  If the coupon says “good on any” then it truly should be good on any product, including trial sizes.  If the coupon says “one per purchase” that means that you can use one coupon foreach item that you are purchasing.  So, if you are purchasing 5 items and you have 5 coupons, you should be able to use all 5 items.  If the coupon says “one per transaction” that means that you can only use one of those coupons in your transaction.  So, if you have 5 coupons, you would have to do 5 separate transactions to use all of those coupons.  Also, pay attention to the terms of the coupon.  For example, if a coupon says $1 off 2, you would need to purchase two products to use that one coupon.

2.  Do not copy coupons – One of the biggest “newbie” mistakes I hear about is people copying coupons and particularly printable coupons.  Many printable coupons have print limits, which can be frustrating and they all “look” the same, so what’s the harm, right?  What some people don’t realize is that the printable coupons have a unique code that prints in the upper right hand corner of each coupon.  In addition, some have a special background that will not show up if you copy them.  Many store employees have been trained to look for this, and if you have copied coupons, it will quickly become obvious.  A visit with your store’s loss prevention is not worth that extra bargain and will not even end up being a bargain in the long run.  Many manufacturer’s are now changing the code on printable coupons, which will make it more difficult to “decode” and more difficult to copy.

3.  Get your printable coupons from a reliable source – Make sure your printable coupons come from a reliable source such as Coupons.com, Redplum.com, or Smartsource.com.  Facebook (if it’s the manufacturer’s page) or the manufacturer’s websites are also a reliable source.  If you get a PDF coupon e-mailed to you, there’s a good chance that it’s not a valid coupon.  If you get a printable coupon for a free product or a high dollar coupon, there’s a good chance that it’s a fake.   The CIC has a list of known fraudulent coupons here.  Copying coupons or using “fake” or altered coupons is a punishable offense.

4.  Don’t clear shelves – This is self explanatory!  Be a courteous shopper and leave something for other shoppers.  If you want to purchase large quantities of an item, visit separate stores or make arrangements with the manager to place a special order.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

Filed Under: coupons Tagged With: , ,

Couponing A to Z: How to Double and Triple Coupons

July 28, 2011 by

If you are new to using coupons, you may have heard of “doubling” and “tripling” coupons, but this terminology may be confusing.  I get lots of questions about what this means, so here are a few answers to “frequently asked questions.”  If you have stores that double and triple coupons in your area, I’m incredibly jealous, by the way!

What does it mean to double and triple coupons?  Does that mean I can use two or three coupons for one item?

You can only use one manufacturer’s coupon per item ever.  If your stores double or triple coupons, it means that the store will double or triple the face value of the coupon.

For example, if you have a coupon with a “face value” (meaning the actual value of the coupon) of $.35 and your stores triple coupons, then $1.05 would be deducted when you purchase a qualifying item and use the coupon.  If your stores double coupons, $.70 would be deducted when you purchase a qualifying item and use the coupon.

This is great because it means that when items are on sale for $1, you can get them for free if you have a $.35 or $.50 coupon!

How do I know if my stores double and triple coupons?

A lot of times, stores will advertise that they double and triple coupons in their weekly ads.  If your store doesn’t do this, it doesn’t hurt to ask!  You also want to be sure that you know the store’s policy for doubling and tripling coupons (some stores only offer double/triple coupons on certain days or will only double or triple a set number of coupons per transaction).

Doubling and tripling coupons is also typically regional, so even though your store may double and triple coupons in your area, if you go to visit friends and family somewhere else, they may not have this policy.  Also, the amounts that they will double and triple up to sometimes varies.  I know in some areas, they double coupons with a face value up to $1 (I sure am jealous of people that have that policy!)

Many times, you also have to have a customer loyalty card or a special coupon to activate a double or triple coupon promotion.  Again, it’s best to check with your store for details.

Also, typically, you do not get “overage” from using a double or triple coupon promotion.  For example, if I am buying an item that is $1 and I use a $.35 coupon which will triple, only $1 will be deducted rather than $1.05.

My coupon says “do not double” – will it still work?

It might work.  It depends on the coupon.  If you look at your coupons, there is a “code” along the bottom of the coupon.

Here’s a coupon for reference purposes:

On the lower left hand side, you’ll notice a code along the bottom that starts with a “5?  From my experience, even if the coupon says “do not double/triple” at the top, if the code at the bottom starts with a “5? your coupon will still double.  (The code on this coupon starts with a “5?)

If the code at the bottom starts with a “9? then the coupon will not double/triple.  Most of the “blinkie” coupons you find in the machines in grocery stores start with a “9? and will not double or triple.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

Filed Under: coupons Tagged With: , ,

Couponing A to Z: Are Coupon Clipping Services “worth it”?

July 26, 2011 by

 

In my weekly match-up posts, I frequently reference coupon clipping services.  I have had several people ask me about why I “pay money” to buy coupons. To them, it seems counterproductive. I can understand why, on the surface, it might seem that way, but actually using a coupon clipping service to stock up on “hot” coupons helps me to build my stockpile and save a LOT of money in the long run.

For example, if I pay $1-2 for 10-20 coupons to get 10-20 items for free or close to free that are regularly priced at $1 each, I’m saving $8-10 and I won’t need to buy these items until they are on sale again!

In most areas, a Sunday paper ranges from $2-$2.50 in price.  You could buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper, but then you probably end up with a lot of coupons that you don’t need and a lot of extra work for yourself clipping all those coupons.  Using a coupon clipping service saves time and is more cost effective for me.

How do I know which coupons to stock up on?

Typically, from my experience, if there are coupons in the Sunday inserts, a sale will follow.  So, if there is a coupon in the Sunday paper for an item that your family uses regularly, it’s a good idea to purchase some extras.

If there are “high dollar” or “free” coupons for items your family uses regularly, these are also great coupons to stock up on.  Examples of recent coupons I have stocked up on include the $4 Gillette razor coupons..

How do I know which coupon clipping services are reliable?

Word of mouth is a great resource!  You want to look for coupon clipping services with a good track record overall and good turn around time.  You may also want to consider location and factor that in to how long it might take to receive your coupons.

Here are three coupon clipping services that I have used and had good experiences with:


*Collectable Coupons – There is a minimum purchase amount of $2.75 to place an order.  Turn around time is quick and prices are traditionally lower than some of the other coupon clipping services.


*My Coupon Hunter ~ This is my favorite coupon clipping service.  She has a subscription only service now – you can read more about that here.  She ships from Florida.

The Coupon Clippers
*The Coupon Clippers ~ This was the first coupon clipping service I ever used, but their prices tend to be higher than the other two services and there are minimum order requirements ($3.94 including shipping/handling), so I don’t order from them much anymore.  She ships from Florida.

How exactly do these coupon clipping services work?

The services receive a large number of inserts each week and you pay them a small fee (usually $.05-.40 depending on the coupon) to collect and send the coupons to you.  You go in and select the coupons you want, pay the shipping and handling fees, and your coupons arrive within a few days!

It seems like the good coupons are always gone – Why can’t I find the coupons I want and need?

Like everything else, there are “supply and demand” issues and if there are hot coupons, they usually go quickly.  Most coupon clipping services post their coupons early on Saturday (and sometimes even on Friday night), so it’s good to learn when they post their coupons and place your order early to make sure you get what you want.  The Sunday coupon preview is usually posted by Thursday or Friday, so you can also get a “heads up” on what coupons you want to get your hands on that week!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Couponing 101, Tip of the Day Tuesday Tagged With: , ,

Couponing A to Z: Budgeting for Bargains!

July 5, 2011 by

For the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring a few posts each week as a part of a series called “Couponing A to Z” which will hopefully give you tips to get started with couponing!  Last week, we talked about using the ads to your advantage (you can check out that post here if you missed it).

This week, we’re going to talk about “Budgeting for Bargains.” Since the debut of TLC’s Extreme Couponing, I get several e-mails and comments each week where people want to know how they can walk out of the grocery store with a cart full of groceries for free.  Or, they are feeling discouraged because they’re only saving 30-50% on their grocery trips and they feel like they’re doing something wrong!

Have you ever looked at what most of those people on Extreme Couponing are actually buying?  I don’t know about you, but I can’t feed my family of four on candy bars, pasta, Maalox, mustard, BBQ sauce, and soda alone.  Where’s the milk and the meat and the fresh fruit and vegetables?

The bottom line is this:  If you’re wanting to feed your family a balanced diet, typically you’re not going to be able to walk out of the grocery store with a cart full of groceries that you got for free. The reality is that if you stick with couponing, you CAN cut your grocery budget significantly and still manage to feed your family decently.  For three years, I managed to feed my family on a grocery budget of $40 per week.  This year, I had to increase this due to increased grocery prices, the ending of double/triple coupons at my grocery store, and the fact that my kids are growing and eating more.  My disclaimer is that I have a stockpile to work with.  I didn’t accumulate my stockpile overnight.  The key to being able to cut your grocery budget significantly is to develop a stockpile so that you are only buying the items that you use regularly when they’re on sale.  You can find out about what’s in my stockpile in my “What’s in My Pantry?” post here.

Creating a Budget

If you’ve been reading my blog for long, then you know that I’m a huge advocate of budgeting!  I firmly believe that you should have a budget for grocery shopping period.  I’ve been doing this for awhile, so when there is a great sale, I am able to figure out how to fit that into various categories in our current budget.  But, if you’re just starting using coupons and your goals is to build your stockpile, it would be great if you could set aside $5-$10 extra each week to build your stockpile.  The logic is this:  you can get 10 items you need for $5 this week while they’re on sale or you can pay full price (which may be close to $5 for just one item) when you need the item next.

If you are new to budgeting and you’re not sure how to get started, make sure you check out this post here.

What if you run out of money?

I personally use a cash envelope system for budgeting.  If I don’t have enough money in one of my envelopes to do a deal, sometimes that means that I sit that deal out. When you’re just getting started with bargain hunting, this can be a tough thing to do because you get so excited about all of the deals. Since we’re really trying to stick to our budget right now, a deal isn’t a deal if I don’t have the money to get it.

Having said that, I have to add a few disclaimers. First of all, I have a good stockpile of things that we “need” already, so I can sit out a deal knowing that I will probably have enough of a certain item to get by until the next deal comes along. Over time, I have also developed an understanding of the “sales cycles” to know about how long it will be before the next deal like that comes along. I’ve also gotten a good idea over time about what’s a really HOT deal that probably won’t come around again for awhile.

Sometimes, if the deal is really a “hot” deal and it’s for something we really NEED or I know we will need soon (most likely before the next deal comes along), then I will re-evaluate my budget categories and if we have enough money to cover it in another envelope and I feel like we’re pretty “set” in that category, I will borrow from another envelope. The bottom line for me is that I won’t spend money that I don’t actually have for any bargain shopping.  This is why it’s a good idea to set aside a separate budget just for establishing your stockpile when you’re first getting started.

How do you budget for bargains?  Please share any additional tips you have!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information


Filed Under: Tip of the Day Tuesday, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,