Many people are excited when they see an “extreme couponer” and think “awww this will be easy” they go and get their newspapers, clip their coupons and head to the store. Next thing you know they have a cart full of items that they have coupons for. The problem is they have a cart full of items they will never use or were not on sale (or a stock-up price). They have now used coupons on items they don’t need and spent way too much money for dust collectors on their shelf!
My tip is to make sure to try to match coupons with store sales or promotions. Just because you have coupons for products doesn’t make them a good deal. Be sure to only buy products you can actually use (unless the coupon makes the item free and then you can donate them!)
It is really easy to use a coupon wrong. What? Wrong, you say? Yes that’s right! Coupons come with guidelines, restrictions and expiration dates. Just because a coupon “works” or “scans” at a register does not mean you have used the coupon correctly. Make sure that if a coupon has a specific size requirement that you follow that guideline and buy the correct size required. For example, if a coupon says “$1 off 2 Palmolive dish soaps 20 oz or larger, with a limitation of 4 like coupons per transaction” you must buy two Palmolive dish soaps that are 20 oz or larger and you may not buy more than 8 dish soaps in a single transaction (even if the coupon scans for the smaller dish soaps or for a larger quantity).
My tip is to make sure you take the time to read ALL of the fine print on each and every coupon you use! (Remember if you follow a blog, we are all human and make mistakes so always double check the coupon, even if a blogger says you can use it!!!)
You can’t simply walk into a store and expect that just because you have a coupon you will be able to use it. Many stores make restrictions of coupon use. For instance, some stores will not allow you to use a Buy One, Get One FREE coupon when the store is running a Buy One Get One Free promotion (which would result in two items free!!!). There are also often restrictions on internet printable coupons.
My tip is to read your stores coupon policy and carry it around with you when you shop. If you use a coupon binder, make a special section just for store coupon policies…this way you can always refer to it to make sure you are following the rules, as well as if you ever have a disagreement with a cashier in regards to the coupon policy you can simply pull it out and see what it says, problem solved.
“Stacking coupons” is a great way to maximize your savings. This is when you take a manufacture coupon for a product and a store coupon for a product and use both of them in order to save even more money! Now, the important thing to remember here is that you cannot use two manufacture coupons on the same item. Many times I have seen people take a manufacture coupon on $1 off 3 items and try and combine it with another manufacture coupon that is for $1 off 2 items…simply because the coupons look different. But that is not “stacking”! In order to “stack” coupons you have to be combining a manufacture coupon with a store coupon…never can you use two manufacture coupons for the same product!
My tip is if you want to “stack” coupons make sure that you are not trying to use two different manufacture coupons. Just because the coupons look different does not mean they can be combined. You can only combine or “stack” a manufacture coupon with a store coupon!
It is easy to get stressed out, overwhelmed or frustrated while checking out at the register. Many times your cashier will tell you that you can’t use a coupon that you were planning on using or you forget to put the right quantity of items in your cart, or you plan out your transaction and then forget something in that transaction. Remember it’s not the cashiers fault! They are only trying to do their job, without getting in trouble. If a coupon won’t scan for an item that you are trying to get…even if you are using the coupon correctly have patience with the cashier.
My tip is to be respectful and patient with your cashier. Let the cashier check out the items the coupon is for…if they are still uncomfortable with accepting the coupon, ask for a manager or simply cancel the item and come back and try to purchase the item at another time with a different cashier or at a different store.
