The Couponing Tips You Have To Know About
Ever find yourself spending a ton of money at the grocery store? Yeah, it can be such a pain, especially if you are buying for the whole household. Let’s some of the best couponing tips you have to know about if you are going to save money.
1. Find Coupons (Subscribe To Newspapers That Release Coupons)
Now the first thing to consider when you begin to coupon is where you are going to get your coupons from. There are many options to take advantage of, the most common is to subscribe to a newspaper that issues out a lot of coupons.
I currently have a subscription to the AJC. They send me newspapers every day filled with coupons for different stores. Newspapers will be your best for paper coupons.
2. Join Couponing Groups On Social Media
One of the greatest couponing tips I can give is for you to join a couponing group on social media. This provides you with a whole community of couponers that works together to find the best deals.
Recently, while I was out shopping at Walmart I expressed my interest in couponing. This prompted an employee to help me out bit. This led me to join a few Facebook groups that could get me started. The best part, these Facebook groups love college students.
3. Download Store Apps
Utilizing store apps is a great beginning for couponing as they are always providing customers with deals and sometimes have giveaways. This allows you to stay on top of the deals since you will be updated if you so choose.
Plus, you are not limited to the number of coupons to which you are allowed to use. Just add them to your account and makes sure to use your saving card number at checkout.
4. Read The Fine Print
Of all the couponing tips, reading the fine print is the most important step. This could save you many headaches at the register. Some coupons can be redeemable at one location by available at another. You will typically find this type of language with store coupons.
You don’t want to fill your cart only to spend a lifetime at the register going over what you can and can’t get because you didn’t read the fine print on your coupons. This leads us to the next point, one of the few couponing tips on the legality of coupons.
5. Store Coupon Policies
When you pan to use coupons at any store, make sure you know what their coupon policy reads. This will also save you a lot of trouble.
Say you’re at the register ready to checkout and happy from the saving you are about to rack up. The cashier scans all of your groceries and you hand her the coupons, but they insist that you are not allowed to use the coupons. Having knowledge of a store’s coupon policies comes into play right now.
You could try to get them to understand what the fine print read and show them that it aligns with the store coupon policy but they may not be won over by this. Now you can ask for a manager, presenting them with the facts. The store is obligated to uphold its policies but it can still go two ways, yes or no.
6. Buy In Bulk
Let’s use these couponing tips to your advantage! The whole point of coupons is to save money which is easier if you buy items in bulk. This could send you to the store less frequently and makes sure you are well stocked in the home.
Now the best items to buy in bulk are items that you use on a daily basis, excluding perishable products. This includes things like hygiene products, coffee, bottled water, and trash bags. Buying in bulk will have you prepared in times of emergency as well.
So, stay well prepared by buying in bulk.
7. No More Brand Loyalty
For these couponing tips to have any real impact on your life, you will have to come to grips with ending your brand loyalty. We often stick to particular brands because it is the first product that proved successful. Though this way of thinking will only have you spending a lot more money than is necessary.
Waiting around for the next coupon with your favorite brand on it will have you missing out on a lot of valuable coupons that are just as great as the brand you are in love with. Brand loyalty does not benefit you, it benefits the company, which leads us to the next point.
8. No More Store Loyalty
Quit store loyalty as well. One store does not fit all of our needs.
For instance, I go to Walmart and the Farmer’s Market for my fruit and bottles of water because it is fresh and sells for a reasonable price. I shop at Kroger for my meats and the majority of my food because I personally take advantage of their deals. Also, the Kroger products are a steal.
I would easily trade up on these stores if I discovered something better for my needs. I do not have an inflated view of these stores so I feel comfortable buying from different places, which has done wonders to my wallet.
9. Coupon Apps
Different from the store apps, many of these apps do not support any loyalty to brands or stores, though it is a possibility. Coupons app is more of a personalized take on the couponing life, dissimilar from the social media couponing groups.
If you are more of an online shopper, there are also extensions you can add to your web browser that will automatically scan for savings. Wikibuy and Honey are two of the extensions I used in the past. With the click of a button, your product will be searched in a database to find any savings possible.
Don’t just stand there, take advantage of these couponing apps.
10. Couponing Binder
This brings us to the end of the couponing tips train. With all of the coupons that you print out, collect from stores, or cut out of the newspaper you will need some way to keep all of them organized. Your couponing binder will soon become your best friend as you grow to utilize it more.
You want to organize your coupons by the type of product. So a paper goods section, cereal section, etc. You have to make sure you maintain your coupon binder by removing expired coupons from the bunch.
It is best to have the store coupon policy of the stores you shop at so everything runs smoothly at the register.
These couponing tips can take you far if you utilize them correctly. What do you think could help you during this couponing journey?
Alacia Murray is pursuing her B.A. in Creative Writing at Agnes Scott College. She loves to read, write, play old board games, and eat. Writing is her passion because it gives her the opportunity to express herself in a safe space. She loves to encourage people with her writing.