Coupon 101

Coupon stacking is the use of a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item.  Publix, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens all allow coupon stacking.  I am sure there are other grocery stores that do as well.

Let’s say you are buying Olay Regenerist Cleanser at Target for $5.99.

There was a $1/1 Target Store coupon in a homemailer.  There was also a $3/1 manufacturer’s coupon from the P&G insert.

Because one is a store coupon and one is a manufacturer’s coupon, you may use the two coupons on the one item.  In this case, it would make the cleanser $1.99.

Any questions about coupon stacking?

Did you enjoy these tips? Check out the rest of my Coupon 101 Series and my Savvy Shopper Course!

Coupons cannot be redeemed for money.  Technically, they are worth about 1/100 of a cent if you read the fine print.  So coupons are not money.

But to a seasoned couponer, coupons are like money.

We use coupons to lower the amount of money we have to pay the store, and the store gets reimbursed for the amount the coupon states (as long as we use it properly).

Coupons are so much like money, that CVS recently changed their Extra Care Buck coupons to look more like money and include the $ symbol.  They are saying, “If you through out your ECB, it is just like throwing out money.”

So, coupons aren’t money.  But they can save you money, and many couponers treat them just like money!

Do you consider your coupons to be like money?

Did you enjoy these tips?  Check out the rest of my Coupon 101 Series and my Savvy Shopper Course!

A coupon binder is one type of way to organize your clipped coupons.  It is somewhat time consuming, but one of the best ways to ensure you have all your coupons with you in store.

Typically, binder users purchase a zippered 3-ring notebook and baseball card holders.  I have also seen photo sheets used to put coupons in.  Coupons are clipped and place in the sleeves for future use.

Many coupon binders are organized with tabs/dividers to separate different sections in a binder.

I have seen coupon binders organized in several ways:

1. Alphabetically

2. Filed by like item: dairy, meat, etc.

3. Filed in the order of your store’s layout.

What about you?  Do you use a binder?  Do you have any questions?

The first thing you need to check is if your FREE coupon is valid.  Many stores will not accept printable coupons for FREE items, because they are often counterfeited.   Check for some watermarking or holographic marking, because FREE coupons often have one or both.

1. Free coupons should take off the entire price of the product you are purchasing. Some cashiers will take the maximum amount off automatically, but they are supposed to take off the purchase price.

2. Stack free coupons with other promotions or sales for maximum benefit. For example, it works perfect with the Kroger Mega Sale events.

3. Be cautious if you try to use a free coupon on a buy one, get one 50% off sale.  (Many cashiers will take off only the price of the 50% off item.)

4. Stack with a Buy One, Get One FREE sale to get both items for free.  That is, if you cashier will allow it and your store doesn’t ring up BOGO items half price.

What other questions do you have about free coupons?