KNOW YOUR STORE’S COUPON POLICY
Rewards/Loyalty Cards – Most stores have rewards/loyalty cards. Make sure to sign up for one and use it because most sale prices & promotions are only given to customers with a rewards/loyalty card.
Double coupons - Max Coupon Value that can be Doubled – Know your store’s policy for doubling coupons. Most stores have a limit on the value it will double. My local Giant PA will double up to $1 coupons, so that $1 coupon doubles making a $2 savings. My local Wegmans will double up to $0.99 coupons, so if I give them a $1 coupon, it will NOT double. Only coupons with a value of $0.99 or less will be doubled.
I’ve also heard of policies where it will only double a coupon up to a $1 savings. So, a $0.75 coupon will double to $1 and not $1.50 because a store will not give you double coupon savings over $1.
Double Coupons – Number of “Like” Coupons You Can Double in One Transaction – Another important part of the policy to know is what the maximum number of “like” coupons you can double in one transaction. For example, at our local Giant PA, it is only one “like” coupon. So, if I have two $0.50/1 Synders Pretzels coupons on transaction – The first $0.50/1 Synders Pretzels coupon will double to a savings of $1, but the second $0.50/1 Synders Pretzels coupon I use will NOT double and I’ll save $0.50 on that coupon. How can I get the max savings on that second Synders Pretzels coupon? Do a separate transaction!
Our local Wegmans policy is you can double up to 3 “like” coupons. If I have three $0.50/1 Synders Pretzels coupons, then all three will double to $1 savings each! If I use four “like” coupon in the same transaction, then 3 of them will double, but the forth will not.
Internet Coupons – Find out if your store accepts Internet Coupons. Most stores do, but there are some that do not accept Internet Coupons. There are also certain restrictions. Our local Wegmans and Giant PA will NOT take Internet Coupons that have the word “FREE” in it. For example, they won’t accept an internet coupon that’s says “Buy One Get One Free.” Also, our Giant PA will NOT accept any P&G internet coupons.
Rain Checks – Have you ever noticed that popular items on sale with coupons are sometimes out of stock? You see the shelf is empty and it can be frustrating. Some stores will give you a rain check. Meaning, they will honor the sale price for you when the item is back in stock. Make sure you know the full details on this. Some store will only do rain checks on “advertised” sale items. So, if the sale item is not listed in the sales ad, then they will not issue a rain check.
TIPS & TRICKS
It Pays To Wait – It’s easy to feel like you need to use your coupons right away. The best way to maximize your saving is to use a coupon when an item is on sale. Unless the coupon expires soon and you really need the item, it’s usually wise to wait for a sale.
Stockingpiling = Big Savings – When I first started couponing and read about stockpiling, I thought it was a crazy concept. I was always a “Buy Only What You Need” kind of grocery shopper. So to buy in large quantities didn’t make sense to me until I was able to “buy” my first FREE item and then when buying items for less than $0.50!!! I remember getting a box of pasta for FREE due to the pasta being on sale and having a coupon. I thought why am I not getting more of this deal. The great thing about building up a stockpile – first is it can be months before you have to go buy that stockpile again. Second, the items were free or nearly free. All that equals to Big savings!
NOTE: My general rule for when to stockpile on an item is it has to be $0.50 or less. There is some flexibility on this rule depending on what I believe is the cheapest price I get for an item. Two important things to note about what and how much to stockpile is 1) the items shelf life and 2)how often you/your family uses the item.
10/$10 Promotions – Have you seen sales advertised like this in an ad or on the store’s shelf. It is such a marketing ploy. You may look at this and easily do the the math and think “I’m going to pay $1 when I buy 10 of this item” meaning you believe you MUST buy 10 items to get the $1 price. You do NOT have to buy 10 items to get the $1 price. You can buy just one item and pay $1! The exception to this is when the sign specifically says “MUST BUY 10″
Smaller can be the Better Value – Sometimes buying in bulk is the better values. It’s usually not the case when you match coupons to a sale item. Buying a smaller size can result in a FREE or almost FREE product when you use a coupon. For example, a BBQ sauce is on sale for $1 while a bigger size BBQ sauce cost $2.29. You have a $1 off BBQ sauce you can use on smaller size. It result in getting it FREE! $1 – $1 coupons. Or you could pay $1.29 for the larger size $2.29 – $1 coupon.
Check your receipt – Check your receipt before leaving the store. Make sure they scanned all your coupons and doubled them (if applicable). There may be times when they forget to scan a coupon or it didn’t double and it should have.
