So you want to use coupons?

      

         Using coupons is just like any other thing in life. The more you practice, the better you get. Don’t expect to go grab some coupons, walk in the store and save money. The key to coupons is watching ads and waiting for a sale. First you need to get coupons though. There are many places to get coupons, mainly inserts from the Sunday paper. Normally the biggest, more expensive papers are the ones that have better coupons. You can also contact the companies of your favorite brands and ask for coupons. If you have a printer you can print coupons from sites like coupons.com and from manufactueres websites.

 

       So you have your coupons, now to find somewhere to use them. First find out if any of your local stores double coupons. This is when they take your .50 off coupon and double it, giving you $1 off the item. Each week you should get most all the ads for the local grocery stores in your newspaper. Use the ads to compare prices and figure out the best prices for what you need. If you find that multiple stores have good prices on different things then there is also the possibility of price matching at Wal-mart. The only problem with this is if your grocery store doubles coupons you will not be able to get that great final price at Wal-mart.

           While beginning to learn how to coupon, I suggest trying a simple coupon organizer that can be found at places like Target in their dollar spot section. It’s small, fits in your purse easily and allows you to seperate coupons with dividers. As you get into using coupons more and find that this technique isn’t enough then a binder might come in handy. There is also the idea of not cutting coupons until you need them. If you plan out your shopping list once a week, then you can go through all your inserts from that week and past weeks and cut out only what you plan to buy.

         You will find that many items are free or close to it after coupons and this is when you should stock up to make it through to the next sale. If an item is free and you buy enough for a few months then you won’t have to worry about paying full price when you run out. Remember to think about expiration though. Food isn’t the only thing with expirations. Toothpaste, medications, etc. all have expiration dates and you don’t want to buy so many that you end up throwing a bunch away.

            Learn the policies of each of the local grocery stores and pharmacies if you choose to shop at those too. Many places that double coupons have a limit per day that will double. Some stores like Rite Aid, CVS, etc. will put out $5 off $25 purchase or something similar. These coupons can be used on the total before coupons are used, allowing for some amazing deals. Many stores don’t take internet coupons, and it’s good to know before you get to the register if you are going to be able to use all your coupons.

           Last but not least, do not copy coupons. It might seem obvious but many people aren’t aware that this is illegal. Also using a coupon for the incorrect item, and purposely doing so is illegal, it’s called coupon fraud. So think smart when using coupons so we don’t ruin the great deals for everyone.

$1 Pillsbury Sweet Moments coupon

You can print a Pillsbury Sweet Moments coupon here and also here and possibly find these at your local Wal-mart for $1.50-$2!  That’s as low as .50 for these delicious low calorie brownies.

Print $1/2 Bic products coupon

A coupon that I look forward to every year during back to school shopping is the $1 off 2 Bic products coupon which came out in last Sunday’s paper.  But if you didn’t get the coupon in the paper you can also print it here.  There are many stores that have Bic products on sale 2 for $1, making them FREE!