Using coupons when shopping, whether you’re getting groceries from the market or clothes from a department store, is a fantastic way to save yourself a lot of extra cash that the store is willing to help you save in the first place. But while using a coupon every now and again can save you minimal money, truly knowing how and when to use coupons can save you hundreds of dollars on items each year. To help get you that kind of savings, here are three tips for getting the most out of your couponing efforts.
Look For Stores That Double Coupons
To literally get twice as much out of any coupon you use, look for stores in your area that double their coupons. Doubling a coupon means that the value of that coupon is doubled when you use it at that particular store. For example, if you have a coupon for $1.00 off an item but you use that coupon at a store that will double coupons, you’ll actually be getting $2.00 off that item. To help you find stores in your area that participate in coupon doubling, Donna L. Montaldo at About Money created a master list of stores that will double your coupons for you. To use this list, simply click on your state to find out which stores you can visits to get double the savings with your coupons.
Try To Only Use Coupons On Items Already On Sale
Getting a couple cents off a full-priced item by using a coupon is always going to go in the “win” column, but using that same coupon when the item is already cheaper will move you over to the “WIN!” column. To get to this level in your couponing, Stephanie Nelson shares with Today Money that you should always wait for the right time to use your coupons in order to get the most bang for your buck.
Nelson states that with many coupons, the item the coupon is for won’t get to its lowest price until a few weeks after the coupon has been released. This means that if you’re able to wait for the item to go on sale before using your coupon, you could get that item for much cheaper than you normally would otherwise.
Know The Store’s Coupon Policy Before You Go
A huge part of getting the most out of your couponing is simply knowing the rules and policies of the stores you shop. However, The Krazy Coupon Lady advises couponers to not only know the coupon policies of the stores in which you shop, but to also print out those policies to have on-hand when you’re checking out at the store.
Many employees at the stores in which you’re shopping don’t know all their store’s couponing rules by heart, so relying on them to give you your full discount could leave you paying more than you should. By having the policies right there in front of you when you’re paying for your merchandise, you guarantee that you’re getting the full use out of all your coupons and backing up any discrepancies you see with how the checkout process went.
To truly get the most out of coupons, you really have to do your homework and be prepared. By using the tips mentioned above, you’ll find that the savings you reap from couponing will be multiplied beyond what you even thought possible.