Ever wait on line at the store and watch the person ahead of you checkout their items and hand over loads of coupons to the cashier and then watch the total drop from $70 to a mere $25 and just stand there in awe? I used to wonder how they collected so many coupons and where they got it all from. I honestly didn't think that was possible. Years ago, I watched people do that and was amazed too and today I hear the people behind me say "wow, I gotta learn that stuff". Although I feel I still have lots more to learn, there are some great things about coupon collecting I have learned over the years. These are some of my coupon tips that have saved me thousands over time.
Get the Sunday Paper ! For beginners that is the easiest and fastest way to start your stockpile. Each Sunday paper has inserts such as Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP) and/or P&G. For non-newspaper readers out there- a subscription to the weekend paper is a far better money saver than buying it in the supermarket on Sunday morning. You have the advantage of looking through the advertisements, clipping coupons and making shopping lists before you run out the door to catch the deals.
Save all coupon inserts even if you think you will never use the product, its too costly, its not your preferred brand. Each week there are many special deal items at CVS, Walgreens etc, some of which come with extra cash back (ECB from CVS) or Register Rewards (RR from Walgreens) and if you use those coupons you never thought to clip& save, you will actually profit from buying that item. These profits in a sense pay for the item you do need and when its all over you have just what you wanted and a whole lot more than you bargained for. I learned this the hard way and spent weeks regretting not saving the Loreal Moisturizer coupons etc. or the Cover Girl coupons.
Collect Coupons from everywhere! In today's day there are coupons found practically everywhere. In all kinds of magazines, booklets, pamphlets, blinkies, winetags, peelies, handtags, tearpads etc. Coupons that come in the mail, found in Doctors offices, Supermarkets and malls. Train your eyes to look out for coupons and start collecting them right away. Stay focused on the coupons that matter most for you (example: don't collect pet food coupons if you have no pets rather collect the detergent coupons.) Once you collect these coupons and start using them you will see the savings and realize how easy it was to clip and will be inspired to continue to find them everywhere.
Use Printables! Check out the tab on the right for a great list of printable manufacturers coupons. Be sure to use a browser that supports coupon printing since most companies will limit printing to no more than 2 coupons from one computer. Be sure to know your store's printable coupon policy before printing from home. Since some printable coupons expire within a few weeks of printing it may be a good idea to print them before you go shopping.
Stack Store coupons with manufacturers coupons. This is permitted at most stores and can add greatly to your savings. Stores such as BJ's will mail out their own coupons that you can use together with a manufacturers coupon for the same product. Signing up for Target email list will yield you weekly emails of printable Target coupons for Tide etc that can be used with a Tide manufacturers coupon too.
Contact your favorite companies and let them know how much you enjoy their product and the suggestions you may have. They will in return mail you some coupons as a token of appreciation for using their products. See my
previous post for more about this topic.
Don't be afraid to complain to companies when the product you bought was not what it was expected to be. The companies want you to remain loyal to them and keep on buying their products and will send you replacement coupons for the product you disliked. Try saving the defected product with the UPC codes until you file a complaint.
Get a Coupon Organizer here is a company that makes some of the best organizers out there. It allows you to see all your coupons easily, never to miss coupons about to expire and many calculator and savings tools for additional savings.
