Coupons are wonderful. They are like little gift certificates just waiting to be redeemed. But did you know you can get even more for your coupons than their face value? You can, and here are a few tips on how to do just that.
1) Shop at stores that double coupons. Many grocery stores will double coupons up to a dollar, so a 50-cent or 75-cent-off coupon is worth a dollar; a 35-cent-off coupon is now worth 70 cents. Some stores double even higher than a dollar. To find out if your store doubles, just call and ask!
2) Don’t use a coupon until the item goes on sale. Your coupon can save you even more if the item it is for goes on sale or is part of a special promotion.
A few weeks ago, my local grocery store (which doubles coupons up to a dollar) had a certain brand of pizza rolls on sale for a dollar. I had 50-cent-off coupons for said pizza rolls, making them free. But it gets better! These pizza rolls were also part of a special promotion: buy 10 selected items, get an additional five dollars off your order. I bought ten boxes of pizza rolls and used ten 50-cent-off coupons (doubled to one dollar off), making them all free, PLUS I got an additional five dollars off the rest of my order. It was awesome!
3) Use one coupon per item you are purchasing. If there is a “buy one, get one free” sale, you can use a coupon for the free item at most stores. Recently a particular air freshener was on sale at a local drugstore “buy one at $2.50, get one free”. I had two one dollar-off coupons, so I got both air fresheners for a total of fifty cents. 
4) Use Buy One Get One Free coupons strategically. “Buy one get one free” or “BOGO” coupons (as we coupon fanatics call them) are a girl’s best friend. They can really save you a ton of money if you use them correctly.
At many stores, you can use a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale. For instance, I recently got two bottles of free shampoo and conditioner at a local drugstore. The store had this brand on sale BOGO and I had a BOGO coupon. By combining the coupon with the sale, I got BOTH bottles free. Who doesn’t love free hair care?!
You can also apply the rule discussed in point #3 above and combine a BOGO coupon with another coupon. Let’s say the shampoo and conditioner in this case is on sale for $3.99 each. Using a BOGO coupon for one bottle of shampoo (which would deduct $3.99) and a $1 off coupon for the same product, I’d get both bottles for $2.99. Without coupons, I’d pay $7.98. What a great savings!
5) Check out the clearance section. Did you know you can use coupons on clearance items? One of my favorite things to do at the grocery is to check out their markdowns to see if there is anything in the clearance bin I have a coupon for. I often get things for almost-free this way.
Just yesterday at a drugstore I got one of my husband’s favorite shaving products for only eighteen cents! It was marked down to $1.10 and I had a $1 off coupon, so with tax it came up to eighteen cents. The original price of this item had been $10.99, so I was really pleased.
6) Use coupons on rebate items to make money. If you have a rebate form for an item, you can use a coupon when you buy the item and get it for more than free.
Not long ago I got a $4.79 rebate check in the mail for buying a pain reliever. Next to the rebate form in the coupon insert was a coupon for two dollars off that same pain reliever. So, I paid $2.79 for the pain reliever after using the coupon, and got a $4.79 rebate back! I love getting paid to shop! This also works if you shop at a drugstore that has a rebate program (which I highly encourage you to do!)
Those are just a few tips to help you save maximum money with your coupons. So get clipping and have fun saving! Head on over for the forum to discuss more ideas to save with coupons!
Jenny Rapson is a coupon-crazed SAHM of two who writes about motherhood and couponing on her blog, Mommin’ It Up!
Photos: property of author.
Loading ...
Thanks for the great tips! I am new to the couponing-world, but am quick becoming an addict
. You should do an article about CVS'ing – your specialty!