A Few Tricks to Make the Most of Coupons

We've previously discussed the fact that you can save a bundle of money using coupons. Now here's a piece from Consumer Reports with seven tips for making the most of coupons. In particular, there are two tips I wanted to highlight and discuss. Here's the first one:

Stack coupons. Stacking, a top strategy of coupon enthusiasts, means redeeming at least two coupons—one from the manufacturer and one from the store—on a single purchase. Manufacturers and grocery stores don't necessarily offer coupons for the same items at the same time. The trick is to hold onto manufacturer coupons until your store offers coupons for the same product.

My wife is the queen of stacking. Manufacturer coupons with store coupons with store sales with rebates with frequent buyer programs. She likes a double-bagger (at least two of these together) but LOVES whenever three or more intersect! ;-)

And the second:

Be smart online. Set up a separate e-mail account for couponing. You have to register at most sites before you can print out coupons, and once you do you'll be bombarded with spam. Be selective about which online coupons you print, or you'll spend too much on ink and paper. Because manufacturers can discontinue online coupons at any time, print them close to when you intend to use them.

I sign up for frequent buyer programs to places where I shop or may want to shop (Office Max, Best Buy, Hobby Lobby, local sports store, GoDaddy, etc.) and then sign up to receive their promotional emails (sometimes there's not a frequent buyer program and you can just sign up for the email newsletter). When I receive one, I put it into a special folder in Outlook labeled "coupons". Then when I need something at that store, I go into the folder and look at which offer best suits what I need. It's an easy way to save money with coupons.

BTW, I also look for coupon codes online before I make a purchase. I've saved some big bucks on a number of occasions doing this.

How about you? Do you have any coupon secrets you can share with the rest of us?

Comments

[Everyday Tips]

I always try to combine coupons with store sales. You can save a ton at CVS this way, as well as on groceries. I am at the point where I know sales cycles so well that I almost never pay full price for anything anymore. (I try to buy as many as I can of an item that is on sale and I have multiple coupons for so I don't have to buy it again until the next sale rolls around.)

[D]

For grocery coupons you can use the mobile and web service called Cellfire.com. The coupons can be saved directly to your grocery loyalty card. They come off automatically during check out. That way you don't need to print, clip, or cut out coupons. They work with mainly chain grocery stores like Safeway, Kroger, ShopRite, etc.

[Charissa]

I'm not very good at the grocery store couponing, but anytime I buy something online, I google "coupon code for storename.com," whether its officedepot.com, oldnavy.com, etc, even if you didn't receive the coupon in an email, other people might have shared the coupon code they received. That way I'm not bombarded with coupons that I would use 95% of the time, but when I do use them, I can find one that was shared with minimal effort.

[my2fish]

I find coupons to mostly be a pain. Most of the newspaper coupons are for items we don't purchase, or purchase very infrequently. I do almost always look for online coupon codes, though.

For a humorous take on coupons, check out this from "Hyperbole and a Half":
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/09/trouble-with-coupons.html

cheers,
thad

[Jason @ Redeeming Riches]

Great idea about setting up a different email account! It is really annoying to get inundated with a plethora of emails once you sign up for all these sites!