Saving money is always a good thing, and given how quickly prices are rising nowadays, no one can fault you for wanting to save the easy way. Getting a great deal is easy, especially when you use coupons.
There are many ways to stick to your shopping list or get more for less. Aside from taking advantage of holiday and event sales and maneuvering discount deals, a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon are a good idea to slash a few more dollars off your grocery bill.
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing: How to Save Big on Your Groceries
Here are some couponing tips you can use to save money and help you on budgeting for your weekly grocery.
So, let’s get started!
How Coupons Work
Coupons have been around for a very long time, you can find them in Sunday papers, store catalogs, and flyers from local stores. But now that shopping has gone digital, online stores and mobile apps now offer online coupons for quick and easy discounts while shopping online.
While they can offer discounts for a specific item or service, coupons can also have the best deals for items bought together.
When you’re shopping online digital coupons can give you discounts on items or even free shipping. If you’re lucky you’ll find a coupon or discount for an entire item for free.
Couponing is a surefire to get more good deals for a lower price, and here’s how to do it the right way.
1. Strategize Your Couponing
Coupons will give you great deals but using them wisely gives you even better deals. One of the best ways to use coupons is during sale events like Black Friday and Christmas sales if the terms allow.
This lets you buy items for less than the usual discount percentage, giving you more budget for other items. Extreme couponers are the best at this.
2. Stack Coupons
Coupon stacking is using many types of coupons together. Some paper coupons can be used in a single purchase, while digital coupon codes can be for promo and free shipping. Both types of coupons can also be used together.
There are store coupons and there are manufacturer coupons. Store coupons are made and offered by the store, and manufacturer coupons are ones the manufacturer offers.
Store coupons can be find in store flyers, newspaper ads, and on store websites. While manufacturer coupons are found in Sunday circulars, at the store on shelves, in magazines, and even digital ones you can load on to the store’s app and use in store.
In most instances you can use a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon on the same item. If you do this on a sale item you’ve hit the trifecta of savings! Online some stores offer coupon codes you can use together to give you different discounts as well as possible free shipping.
Be sure to check the store’s coupon policies for your coupons so you know which you can stack.
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3. Stockpile Your Coupons
Coupons are not hard to find. Sunday newspapers, store flyers, and catalogs often have them, and coupon sites give access to a wide range of printable coupons you can use in-store and online.
Collect coupons and arrange them by expiration date so you can track which ones to use first and which ones can be saved for later. Extreme couponers use a coupon binder to keep things organized.
Browser extensions are also a great place to find deals online. Add the extension to your search engine through the settings, and it will show you what discounts are available while browsing.
Use browser extensions like Rakuten or Befrugal and you won’t forget because they pop up and tell you what discount you’ll get when you’re shopping certain sites.
4. Look into Loyalty and Membership Programs
Many stores offer membership and loyalty programs that offer special privileges to members. Check these out at your favorite stores or online store, and if the terms and initial fees are reasonable, sign up.
Members are often given exclusive store deals and other perks that might help them save more.
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5. Do The Math
Sale events promise to help you save big, but as fun, as it may sound, it’s not always the case. When grocery shopping, always check the full price and the sale price, especially in freebies and two-for-one sales, to ensure you are getting a better deal for a lesser price.
Our local stores often have 10 for $10 sales or 5 for $5 sales. First of all often those things are cheaper than that when you buy them anyway – so be wary of that. But, funnily enough – I and many others didn’t think about it but most of the time there are no restrictions of that sale price – like you don’t HAVE to buy 10 to get that price… you can buy 1 for $1… or 2 for $2. Seems simple, right? But, it was a while until it dawned on me.
Now, every once in a while they will say you HAVE to buy 10 or you HAVE to buy 5 to get the discount, but most of the time – it’s just $1 each, but 10 for $10 sounds better! lol
Save More, Do More
Using coupons is an effective way to maximize your budget, but what do you do with the money you save?
Extra money in your bank account can be used for travel plans, emergency funds, groceries, and supplies. Setting aside money gives you a certain level of security, knowing you’ll be secure in the long run if anything happens.
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