Using eCoupons::Thrifty Thursday

There are tons of ways to save money, but eCoupons can be a fast and easy way to save.

There are several sites that offer eCoupons like Upromise, Saving Star, and Cellfire.  In addition to these national eCoupons, several stores have their own eCoupons with different rules.  Here is my advice for saving with eCoupons.

1. Know the coupon policy. Some eCoupons can be stacked with paper coupons and some cannot.  It is important to know the policies for the stores you shop at!
2. At the beginning of the month, visit your eCoupon accounts and load the coupons. I try to do this each month with Upromise and Saving Star.  They usually only update them once or twice a month, so I just take a few seconds on the 1st to load my coupons.  For eCoupons that can be stacked, I would just go ahead and load them all.  You never know what you might buy this month!
3. For local stores, load your coupons as needed. At many places, Cellfire coupons can’t be stacked.  (I have at Lowes Foods, but I know you cannot at Kroger stores.)  When you are prepping for a shopping trip, glance through the eCoupons for that store and load any you will need.  Don’t load a eCoupon that you have a better paper coupon for, unless you are sure they will stack!
4. Don’t buy an item just because you have an eCoupon.  This is true for paper coupons too.  Only buy items you need or that are at a great price using the coupons!
5. Know how your eCoupon works.  There are eCoupons that take the coupon off your order’s total.  There are eCoupons that stay deposited in an account like Upromise.  There are also ones that can earn you rewards like Saving Star.  Not all eCoupons are going to lower your out of pocket costs.

What is your best advice for saving with eCoupons?  What questions do you have?

Do you have a Thrifty idea? Did you save a ton of money this week? Do you have a Thrifty deal you want to share? If so, please leave a comment or link up below!