Am I using my coupons correctly?
Am I getting the best deal with my coupons?
After a few reader comments, I realized that there are some coupon basic Do’s and Don’ts that should be addressed. Coupons can save you a large percentage of your grocery bill, but we need to make sure we are using them correctly to get the best deal, and to be fair to the companies that issue them, as well as the stores that take them.
If you are new to using coupons, please read Couponing 101, but then come back here to go over some basic do’s and don’ts that should help you save even more at the store.
Do
Watch expiration dates. Don’t cut them off, try to “erase” them, or any other way to hide them. More coupons will come out, I promise! Deals tend to run in cycles, so if you miss one, you can get it the next time it hits rock bottom price.
Read the coupon carefully. Make sure you have the right product (might be different than what is pictured) and that you have the right quantity. If a coupon is for $1 off 2 items, make sure you have both items.
Use a coupon per item in your transaction. One coupon per purchase does not mean one coupon per transaction. If you have 3 bags of chips, then you can use 3 coupons. If the cashier refuses, even after you have explained this, ask to do separate transactions.
Watch the cashier to make sure all your coupons are used. Everyone makes mistakes, and the cashier is no exception. If you notice a discrepancy, speak up. This is your money!
Get to know your store(s) policies. Do they double? Do they take competitor and/or printable coupons? Do they have a shopper’s card? Do they ever triple or quadruple coupons? If you don’t know a policy, just ask: Call customer service at your local store, talk to the manager, and check your resources. And of course, I am here to help you as much as I can!
Don’t:
Don’t copy coupons. It is illegal. There are plenty of legal ways to get extra coupons to get those deals, so don’t copy coupons. For some tips, check out 10 Tips to Increase Your Coupon Stash.
Don’t use more than 1 coupon on 1 item. You can’t use 5 $1 off coupons on 1 item. However, you can use a manufacturer and one store coupon on an item (good example are Target printables that can be combined with manufacturer coupons)
Don’t buy a product just because you have a coupon. Wait until it is on sale if you want it, but remember, you don’t have to buy something just because it is a great deal.
Don’t clear out the shelves. Stock piling with a sale can save you, but taking 20 boxes of peanut butter just because it is on sale isn’t a good use of your resources (money). Why not take 2 or 3 and leave the rest for the next person looking for that great deal?
Don’t be ashamed. Be proud of the savings you are getting with your coupons and ignore those that want to snicker when you carry in your giant coupon binder, huff and puff when you hand over 50 coupons to the cashier, or roll their eyes when you need to put an item back. You are saving your family money and stretching the family budget which is nothing to be hesitant about!
I hope this list can help, I know some of these things are very basic, but when you are first starting to use coupons, it is hard to know what you can and can’t do all the time.
Do you have a Do or a Don’t tip to share? I’d love to hear them, and I’m sure others would, too!
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Melissa, a mom of 2 boys in Arizona, understands the importance of watching a family budget. After leaving the business world, she dedicated herself to working at home and pursued her passion of helping people.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this! I’m fairly new to following yours & other similar blogs. And therefore new to making sure I’m getting the best deals. I’ve always used coupons but obviously have been missing out on great info to save even more. So while most of this I pretty much knew, it was still a great read!
I do have one question, and I haven’t been able to find on yours or any other blog, what do you know about couponing at warehouse clubs? I’m specifically looking for info on BJ’s. They provide great coupons to members & I’ve looked through their website & can’t find a really great explanation of their policy. I intend to ask the next time I go in or call but I feel like I may get a better answer from the “experienced” bloggers. Their coupons will say something like “manufacturer in store” coupon & I feel that’s basically a store coupon b/c I can’t use anywhere else, so I don’t know if I can stack with my manufacturer coupons. Because I , at least, do know they take manufacturer coupons. Any light you can shed would be great! Thanks!
Carrie, I don’t have a BJ’s here, so I can’t give a specific answer to that. You can always call the store’s customer service or they may have a coupon policy on their website.
However, I will add that once I started seriously couponing, we canceled our membership to warehouse stores. 1) It saves money. 2) We really don’t need to buy that big of products. 3) You can save more (usually) by buying smaller products, and stock piling. Does that help? Anyone else have ideas/opinions on this?
Great list!
Great list. Add to “read your couupons carefully” because a lot of the cashiers will try to tell you that you have the wrong items, or you can’t use 2 coupons for one items (store and manufacturer). If you know your stuff ahead of time, you will win in the end. Just be kind when pointing out that you most definitely do have the right item, etc.
I’ve known of people to buy 20 jars of peanut butter and have wondered…why? Unless you’re sharing with friends or giving to charity, wouldn’t the 20th jar be somewhat stale by the time you got around to it, LOL? And I’d rather use that space for something else. Like 12 jars of mayo. Just kidding! I usually try to keep at least 2 ‘backups’ besides whatever I have open. Hoarding is just plain silly, if not somewhat greedy. You are right–leave some for the next person!
Regarding expiration dates: I’ve never done this, but I hear that CVS will take ECBs after they expire, up to a week. If you find an old ECB in your coupon binder, it might be worth it to at least ask if the store will take it!
Oh, and wherever possible, I use a self-check register, mostly to avoid the coupon police. I never, ever cheat, but I sure don’t want to be arguing about coupon-stacking with anyone!
I can’t imagine what I would do with 20 jars of mayo! LOL!
Thanks for this list! I stock pile but not times 20! Although I will get 10 goldfish when they go down to $1 but I have 2 girls that can live of them! And your so right about not being ashamed! Some cashiers hate coupons and some love to see the savings right a long with you! I try to avoid the ones I know don’t care for them! And you do have to watch sometimes it wont take it but the cashier doesn’t realize that! I had that happen with a $5 off my bill! You can bet I was watching for that!
Happy Couponing!
I stockpile, too, and actually think it is a great way to save money. I just think we need to be careful not to take more than we need. This really fits in my Frugality series.
Thanks for these great tips and reminders! I would like to add that, though we might get frustrated with cashiers/store employees/managers who seem to treat us unfairly or do not know their own store’s policies, please try to always be polite. I have always “gotten my way” and have yet to throw a hissy-fit in a store. In fact, often times, I have been “rewarded” with even more savings by contacting customer service later and asking for clarification on the situation. There is nothing more embarrassing than watching the woman in front of you chew out a poor cashier girl for not being trained properly.
Great tip! The nicer we are, the nicer they will be back to us. Being polite is always a good practice! Thank you for bring that up!
I have a question on couponing. If an item is “buy one, get one free” and you also have coupons for that item…can you use one or use two coupons on that transaction??
I thought since you are getting the second item free and not in fact “purchasing” it you would then only be able to apply 1 coupon to the transaction but I have heard of other bloggers saying they use 2 coupons…one for the one they buy and one for the free one. What is legit please? Many thanks.
To answer the BJ’s question… unless it’s changed (I haven’t had a membership in a few years), yes, you can stack BJ’s coupons and regular manufacturer’s coupons. But I found it difficult to use manufacturer’s coupons b/c of the size differences. They weren’t always accepted.
I do use a warehouse as well. They’re just cheaper on some things that don’t always go on sale/have coupons. In particular, Costco has awesome prices on dairy products, and I can *rarely* buy them at the grocery store as cheaply as I do there. I don’t buy any produce there b/c we just don’t go through it quickly enough, and a lot of the canned/packaged goods are still more expensive than what you would pay w/ coupons at a grocery store. Baking goods (spices, oils, flour, sugar, etc.) are significantly cheaper at a warehouse store, and manu. coupons on those items can be difficult to come by, so I do buy those items at Costco as well.
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Thanks, Anne!
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I’d love to learn more about this topic. Looking forwards for your new posts.
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