Yes, I am one of those coupon users you will see walking the aisles of grocery stores with a bulging binder, flipping through pages of coupons and scanning the shelves for the latest deals.
In the past year, with the airing of the reality show Extreme Couponing on TLC, the use of coupons has soared in popularity. Even though more people are using coupons, coupon users still have a bad reputation. There is the popular assumption that coupons really don't save you any money, cause frustration to cashiers, and are only available on items that people generally don't need. If you've ever really taken the time to use coupons the right way, you will know that these assumptions are simply myths.
Coupon Myth #1: Coupons do not save you much money.
The Truth: Coupons do save you money if you use them the right way.
The Trick: Collect coupons from Sunday's paper; print them online and hold on to them. Each week, check the sales ads. As soon as there is a good deal on something, pull out your coupons for those items to get an even better price. Also, Check couponing blogs such as TheKrazyCouponLady.com and CouponDivas.com where the work of matching up sales to their corresponding coupons is done for you. The blogs will even tell you which date's newspaper contains the coupons you need for the sale.
Tip: Some grocery stores, such as Albertsons and Brookshires, will double and triple coupons of various denominations (i.e., coupons up to .39 will triple the value; coupons .40-.50 will double the value. Pairing this with a great sale makes for an even better deal.
Coupon Myth #2: Coupons only cause frustration to cashiers.
The Truth: Coupons can be frustrating to cashiers, especially if there is a problem with it scanning.
The Trick: Be courteous and polite to your cashier. I find that a smile and explaining to the cashier up front that you have coupons will help put him/her at ease. If there is a problem with your coupon scanning or with the store's coupon policy, be patient. Most times the cashier will be able to resolve the situation without calling for a manager.
Tip: Know the store's coupon policies. Most stores have their policy online. Print it out and keep it with you at every trip. If there is a problem, you can show the policy to the manager.
Coupon Myth #3: Coupons are only available for items most people do not need.
The Truth: There are coupons available for all kinds of things, even organic items.
The Trick: You can get coupons from many sources, especially online. Look in the Sunday paper, online on sites such as coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com and couponnetwork.com. Even check on the websites of your favorite stores, such as Walmart and Target, to find coupons for items.
Tip: Have a favorite brand? If you are unable to find coupons on the items you use, email or call the manufacturer to see if there are coupons available. Many times, companies love to send out coupons, sometimes even samples, to customers in order to get them to use their products. Also, check Facebook. Lots of companies are now using social media sites to get people interested in their products by offering coupons.
By following these simple tricks, I have saved hundreds of dollars a year on my family's grocery bill. I have even been able to create a stockpile of at least 6 months' worth of tolietries, condiments and frozen meats just from using coupons!
Using coupons is easy for anyone looking to reduce his/her grocery budget! But be careful, saving money is addictive!
Oh, this is fantastic info. Haha! I'm an admitted cheap skate, but I guess I've always been a little intimidated by coupons, worried that I would misread one or two or twelve of them and not realize it until the cashier rang me up and my total was far greater than I'd expected. But the idea of SAVING all that money...!
ReplyDeleteI admire your ability to stockpile the things you noted--I used to say that when I moved out, I would become a member of Costco (even though it's just me) and only buy my conditioner, toiletries, condiments, canned goods, and paper plates (etc.) from them, in order to cut down on the frequency of buying items that are used up quickly and require (what feels like) constant "respending." lol Anyway, the truth, tips and tricks you have make all of that less intimidating...good information to have for a single girl who may be moving out for the first time, next year.