Coupon 101

coupons

Did you see the big news yesterday in the coupon world?   There was a coupon counterfeit ring busted in Arizona this week.  Three women were arrested, and one of them was found with over $2 million dollars in a bank account from selling the counterfeit coupons.

I am an advocate of ethical couponing, and I try my very best to only bring you valid deals and coupons here on Coupon Teacher.

7 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Counterfeit Coupons

  1.  Clip most of your coupons from the Sunday Paper inserts.
  2. Print coupons only from reputable sites like coupons.com or couponnetwork.com.
  3. Don’t trust emailed coupons or coupons that come in PDF form.
  4. Don’t purchase coupons from Ebay or any other sites where you don’t know the source of your coupon.
  5. Be wary of any high value coupons, unless they are sent to you in the mail directly from a manufacturer when you requested them.
  6. Check for counterfeit coupons with the CIC.
  7. If you have any doubt about the validity of a coupon, don’t use it.

If you want to learn more about using coupons ethically, I would love for you to come to one of my Savings Nation Classes!

Check out more information about the arrests here.

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Hi! I am a fairly new couponer. I started back in the fall and have done decent. I love the rush it gives me. But, I have a few issues. I only want to buy stuff that I need or will use and it’s only me and my fiancé at the moment. (no kids that live with us). I also work full time and have been getting overwhelmed trying to clip all my coupons and hit all the sales each week. I hate having to get up so early in the morning to rush out and beat everyone else before the papers are gone. The people in my town are nuts. They will buy up all the paperS way early its crazy! Also, Sometimes I feel like I’m spending money just to get the good sale. So, I was wondering if you have any ideas to help my situation. Thank you in advance, Andrea

 Andrea,

We are all new at some point!  When I was new to serious couponing, I chased after every deal. I bought things I didn’t need (and even had a hard time donating some of it).  I have been where you are!  Let me reassure you it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here is my current time-friendly couponing method:

  1. Only buy what you need for your family or can very easily donate.
  2. Don’t clip every coupon.  Either file your whole inserts OR clip what you will definitely use and file the rest.
  3. Get a paper delivered, if possible.  It is not always the cheapest method, but it saves time and gas money!
  4. Save on items you can to be able to spend on items that don’t go on sale often.
  5. Shop once a week (unless there is a special coupon event going on…).  I was tempted to stop by the store an awful lot in the beginning.  Shopping once will make you focus in on what you need, what the best deals are, and being prepared for your trip.

BONUS Tip:  If you miss a deal, it will be ok.  You might be sad for a short while, but another deal will come along.

I know my Coupon Teacher readers will be able to help with this one too!

What advice do you have for Andrea?

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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!

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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!

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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.

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

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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?

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