Coupons are a great way to save extra money when shopping. You can find some great deals, and you can save yourself a pretty penny. You just need to know where to look for coupons and how to utilize them properly. Consider the following helpful tips concerning coupon usage and the average consumer.
Get organized with your coupons. Use a three ring binder with baseball card holders to sort them. Separate the coupons into different sections, such as dairy, baking products, frozen, and others. Keep a section open for coupons you plan to use immediately. That way, when you get to the store, you are ready to go.
Find out how much your store will double coupons to a certain amount. Find out about the rules at your local store. Sometimes they only do it a certain day of the week or some stores have specials in which they double coupons up to any amount. These are the deals to look for!
Do not buy something just because you have a coupon for it. Many extreme couponers will only buy an item because they have a coupon for it; this can make you waste tons of money. Instead, hold onto the coupon and when the item is on sale, use it then.
Read the small print of a coupon. For instance, you may get a coupon for a dollar off your favorite food. But when you see the fine print, you may realize you have to buy two to save the dollar. It can be hassle to get to the checkout only to figure out it is not such a good deal after all.
Find reliable coupon sites on the Internet. There are a lot of options out there, but a lot of sites do not update their coupons or provide all the ones available. That can waste your time and end up costing you money. Make sure that the sites you visit update regularly and provide you with suitable information.
Coupons can be doubled or tripled at some stores. All you have to do is ask the stores to see if they will let you stack coupons. Chances are, someone near you, whether it's a neighbor or a coworker, will be able to help you.
Make sure you're buying things that you can actually fit in your home and won't waste. If you happen to have coupons for perishables that you won't be using, try to find someone else who can use it.
Hold on to your coupons. Many times coupons will run in conjunction with a "sale" at a local store to entice you to use the coupon immediately. It may seem like a good deal, but if you hold on to the coupon, more often than not, the product price will drop even lower before the coupon expires. A little bit of extra patience will score you a bigger deal!
If you have the time and the notion, become an extreme couponer. For people who have nothing better to do, this can be a great way to stock up on products. It does take time and dedication, so it's definitely not for everyone. But give it a try, and you may find it worthwhile.
Be open to buying alternative brands and sizes of products. If you can do this, then that opens the doors to you utilizing coupons even more according to your shopping list. This takes a little sacrifice, but the money you save turns out to be much more important overall to you.
Keep your coupons organized. The same method won't work for everyone, but some type of organization is key. One option is to use a coupon file and file your coupons alphabetically or according to category. For people with more coupons, a binder with clear baseball card inserts works well for seeing all of your coupons quickly. Still others prefer to keep entire inserts organized chronologically in filing cabinets and access them as needed.
Be prepared for roadblocks when using a lot of coupons in the store. You are bound to have a cashier who will say that they can't accept one or more of your coupons. To help your cause, you should print out that store's coupon policy and bring it with you. Show them where it states that you can use it. Be sure to remain polite and respectful.
Depending on your area, make the most of overages. Sometimes a coupon will create an overage because the coupon worth is greater than the product cost. Some stores will apply this overage as store credit, which can be carried over to the cost of other products, effectively giving you free products.
Coupons can be found in many places, not just your local newspaper. You can often find coupon "tearpads" hanging on freezers or shelves at the grocery store. You can find "peelies" on many food products as well. These are like stickers that you simply peel off, and use at the checkstand. Look for any opportunity to find a coupon!
Only purchase things that you will actually use. A great coupon that offers big savings can be quite enticing, but it's a waste of money if your family does not use the item. Make sure to limit your spending to things that you really need, instead of buying everything on the shelf just because it is on sale.
To ensure that you maximize your savings at the grocery store, compare the name-brand prices with coupons with the prices of generic items. Many times, the generic prices will be lower than the coupon price of the brand name. If the product quality is not significantly different, by the generic brand instead.
To save more money, ask friends and family if you can have their newspapers. Some stores allow you to utilize multiple coupons for the same item. You will not only save money by asking for coupon inserts, but you will also be saving our environment by not purchasing additional newspapers. You may want to call ahead and find out the coupon policy of your store, beforehand.
Coupons are very important when it comes to shopping and saving money. You don't want to overspend just because you don't have the right knowledge about coupons and how to cut your spending. Remember the helpful tips and advice you've read here as you move forward with your shopping needs.
Orignal From: How To Get Free Items From Clipping Coupons
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