COUPON basic training

Forget what you think you know about coupons and how they work.  I will give you answers to FAQ along with the basics on how to use coupons.

1.  WHY USE COUPONS???
You can save from 75% to 100% with coupons.  Wouldn't you like to use that money towards that vacation you have been dreaming of, or that new car you have needed, or a home that you couldn't buy before...or even be able pay for your kids college?  Throwing away a coupon is like throwing away free money.  Become debt free, be able to have your husband around more, and have time to have fun with your kids...maybe even quit your job!!

2. STACKING - means you can use a store coupon, manufacturer coupon, and any other coupon that is of different value

example:
you purchase 2 x Item A at $5.00
you have a store coupon for $1.00 off
you have a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 (so you can use 2 since you are buying 2) getting a total of $2 off
you have a manufacturer coupon for $1.00/2 (means you get $1 off for buying 2 of the same items)
you have a total of $4 off with coupons

3.  DOUBLING - some stores offer doubling of coupons (unless noted directly on the coupon)

example:
Ralphs doubles all coupons up to $1 so if you have a coupon for 50 cents then you get $1 off
Albertsons and Kmart only double coupons at certain times

you just have to LOOK at the weekly ads

4.  HOW DO I FIND COUPONS ?

Here are the MAJOR and most reliable sources: 
http://www.smartsource.com/   
http://www.coupon.com/   
http://www.pgesaver.com/  
http://www.redplum.com/   
your Sunday local newspaper
nearest major city Sunday newspaper
go to a specific brand's website, subscribe to their e-newsletters and you will be sent coupons directly
go to a specific brand's facebook page and hit LIKE

5.  HOW DO I GET MULTIPLE COUPONS?

First of all, you need to have a printer.  If you don't have a printer you can go to HP and they have rebates on their printers right now (as of Feb 1, 2011).

Subscribe to multiple newspapers

Go to the sources listed above and "click to print" and print again and again until it tells you the "print limit has been reached". You will have to start again once you have printed to get another round of coupons.

I am not suggesting or condoning but you can also use common sense and take your printed coupons and....>>

6.  HOW DO I GET THE BEST DEALS?
Don't be lazy.  Even if you have children you can take 30 minutes out of your day to devote to save money for your family. What you do today could make all the difference later on whether or not your children go to college, you get to buy a car, a home, etc.

Take all your store ads and put them in one pile.  Put your coupon inserts in another pile.  Cut your coupons.  Organize them however it works best for you! Organizing them will help you familiarize yourself with the ones you have and the ones you need.  < I personally only clip the coupons that I actually use or would like to use but usually too expensive to buy without coupons>

Then you take each ad and circle the items you need or want.  I take a sheet of paper and WRITE OUT my list for that store. If it has a coupon then I put a circled C next to item on list. I write the total of what the final price SHOULD be. I staple the list to the ad (in case there is a different price on the shelf at the store).  Some stores will honor or give you a cheaper discount if you have another store's ad with the same product.

If the store doesn't have that item in the ad, always get a rain check!!!

If the store has the item but in a different quantity and you want to use a coupon, tell them and they will usually honor it.

Set your budget. Stick to it.

I only purchase items that are at least 50% discount on sale, but usually go for the 75% off sale.  I also found out that "manager special" prices does not mean that the product is about to expire or discontinued...it is just the special of the day.  It is also very limited in quatities.

example:
Jan 31, 2011 Ralphs
I love to buy Pillsbury refridgerated pie crust but it is always so expensive ($4.49 each). The manager put his special stickers on only NINE boxes with a price cut to 49 cents.  I grabbed up 8.  I had 4 x 50 cent coupons that could be doubled for $1.  8 boxes of pie crusts = FREE

Be familiar with the store.  Get to know the products on the shelves and the regular price.  Sales usually occur every 3 months on a particular item.  Understand how and when the store decides to have sales.

example:
Ralphs changes their prices on Sunday evenings to make room for new product on Mondays.

7.  WHY and WHAT DOES "BUYING IN BULK" MEAN?

You will need to buy in bulk.  No, I don't mean buy the big 20 consolidated package of cereal.  "Bulk" in coupon terms means buy small or regular sized products (like you would normally buy) but in large quantities. So buy 20 boxes of cereal separately so that you can use 2 or more coupons for each item.  That is how you will save  money.  Costco is actually harmful for you because they do not take coupons other than their own.  Only buy Costco type bulk items if there is no other way of obtaining the products and/or the products do not have coupons.

example: 
If you purchase one A-1 sauce for 19 cents today but then A-1 sauce next month and pay $4 ... you are not doing yourself any favors.  You need to stock up for several months to make it until the next sale.  You need to STOP paying full retail prices in order to save money and use your money to pay off your debt.

8.  WHAT IF THE GENERIC IS CHEAPER THAN THE BRAND NAME WITH COUPONS?
Then buy the generic brand!!!!!!

If you MUST have the brand name, make sure it is on sale and you have stackable coupons.  Otherwise, you need to learn to live without it.

If there are coupons for products you don't usually use...give them to someone who does! Do NOT purchase items just because there are coupons for them.

9.  DOES THIS COUPON-ing WORK FOR RETAIL?
YES! YES! YES!  Retailers also work their sales in cycles.  They often have coupon codes and/or printable coupons.

10.  IS IT BETTER TO PRINT THE COUPONS OR LOAD THEM TO MY REWARDS CARD?
I personally believe it is better to print the coupons and carry them with you. You cannot prove that the store did not use a coupon on the loaded rewards card.  It is more time consuming and work but you will know the exact amount of money you should save during a purchase with printed coupons.

You should also wait to give your rewards card to the cashier until the end of the purchase.  Let the cashier scan products so that you can make sure the product price is correct.  Then give the cashier your coupons and make sure they are input correctly. <I get so irked when I assume the cashier has rung up each coupon only to find out when I get home that they missed a few.  A few dollars here and a few there really adds up!!>  Then lastly, give the cashier your rewards card for the final amount due.  This way you can really make sure you get every discount applied.

It's also really cool to watch people in line and the cashier go ohhh and ahhhh when the screen goes from $900 to $0 amount due!

11.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF A "STORE COUPON" AND A "MANUFACTURER COUPON"

STORE COUPON:  Coupon that may ONLY BE USED AT THAT STORE
(some stores like Ralphs actually print up coupons that have their logo on it but at the top the coupon, it has "manufacturer coupon" on it...this means it is NOT a store coupon and can be used at any store.  I have had issues with this at different stores but you must not be afraid to speak out and make them take it!!!)

MANUFACTURER COUPON:  Coupon that may be used at any store that accepts coupons.

12.  WHAT ABOUT REBATES VS COUPONS?
You can use both coupons and receive rebates on one item.  That is icing on the cake!


Please help others and save your expired and/or UNUSED coupons.  I will post the information on where to mail your expired and unused coupons that will help military families overseas to buy food & other products.  If you "stockpile" by using my little couponing program and find that you begin to have more items in inventory than you can use, please send it to me and I will donate to several charities in the Los Angeles area, including those in need at Mothers & Others (my lovely mommy group at church).

If you have any questions feel free to email me and I will post the answer on this page.

Good luck ladies!