How to Save Money by Clipping Coupons
Wondering how to double coupons? I’ve shared all the ins and outs of how to double coupons before, but in case you’re a visual learner – this video is for you!
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There is a form of coupon fraud that has been around for a while but has escalated ever since Extreme Couponing aired an episode with Extreme Couponer Jaime Kirlew committing coupon fraud.
The episode revealed Jaime’s shopping list on which she had included coupons matching up with the wrong products. For instance, she used a coupon that was for a 4-pack of Yoplait yogurt on a single cup of yogurt.
That is coupon fraud. It is illegal. DO NOT DO IT.
Another thing people are bragging about doing is using coupons, not just on the wrong size, but on completely different products! Using a $10 Crest White Strips coupon on a $2 tube of Crest toothpaste = FRAUD.
Just because the coupon scans, does not mean it’s okay! I’m sure you could also get away with sticking a pack of gum in your purse and walking out of the store without paying. Is it okay because you got away with it and the store didn’t stop you? No, it is stealing! Misusing coupons is also stealing.
To hear that people are doing this makes me both angry and sad. To abuse coupons and break the law is hurting the manufacturers, other couponers, and yourselves! Coupon restrictions are getting tighter and tighter and there are even new bar codes for coupons now in an attempt to prevent this kind of fraud.
While some people do it intentionally and know that what they are doing is wrong, I know some people simply haven’t learned how to use coupons properly yet. Here are a few guidelines for using coupons correctly in the future.
1. Buy the right size. If a coupon says “any” then you can truly buy ANY…..of that product. If it says good on “4 – 6 oz” then you must buy that size.
2. Buy the right variety/flavor. If a coupon is for a specific variety or flavor, then that is what you must buy. If it says $1 off Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap, then that is what you must buy. You cannot use it on the regular Dawn dish soap.
3. Buy the right number of items. If a coupon says $1 off 2 Secret deodorants, then you must buy 2 Secret deodorants per coupon that you use.
4. Don’t use expired coupons. Unless your store specifically says they accept expired coupons in their coupon policy, don’t use expired coupons. If today’s date is January 16th and the coupon expires January 16th, it is your last day to use that coupon. Don’t try to use it on the 17th, it will be expired.
5. Ignore the picture. Manufacturer’s usually put a picture of their newest or most expensive product on the coupon to make you think that is what you have to buy. The picture is not always what you have to buy though. The wording on the coupon is the final say in what you must buy.
6. Use one coupon per item. You can only apply one coupon to each product you purchase. If your coupon is for $1 off 2 Bounty paper towels, then that coupon applies to both paper towels that you buy. You cannot use any other coupons (aside from store coupons) on those 2 paper towels, regardless of the type or value of the coupon.
Examples following these guidelines:
I hope these guidelines help clear up any confusion about this. Be sure to visit the Getting Started page for more Couponing Tips!
One very important part of couponing is tracking how much you are spending and saving. Hopefully you have a general idea of how much you spent on groceries pre-couponing, but even if you don’t, tracking your spending can be extremely beneficial. Right now is always the best time to start keeping track!
I have created this awesome and SIMPLE spreadsheet to use to track your grocery spending and savings! All you have to enter is how much you spend and save each week (most stores will calculate your savings for you at the bottom of the receipt!) and the spreadsheet will calculate the percentages for you!
How to use the Grocery Savings Spreadsheet:
First of all, in order to be able to use the spreadsheet, you need to download it to your computer or save to your Google Docs account.
Save to your computer:
1. Open the spreadsheet in Google Docs
2. Click on “File”
3. Go to “Download As”
4. Choose the program you would like to download it to.
Save to your Google Docs account: (I personally like Google Docs because I don’t have to worry about losing my data if my computer crashes.)
1. Sign in to Google Docs (it is very easy to register)
2. Open the spreadsheet in Google Docs
3. Click on “File”
4. Click on “Make a Copy” (this is a VERY important step)
5. Name and Save it
Now that you have your copy of the spreadsheet, here is how you use it.
You need to save your receipts every time you buy groceries. Either input them in the spreadsheet as soon as you get home, or put them somewhere you will remember and input them at the end of the week.
The only fields you need to fill out are the light green shaded boxes. That’s it!! Everything else is automatically calculated for you. At the top in the yellow fields you can see your average weekly spending as well as your year to date (YTD) totals. This spreadsheet is made for 2012, but it is easy to update it for next year. Just create a new copy and update the week ending dates. I also hope to have a new version prepared every year.
Week Ending - Each row should include the totals for all purchases prior to and including the date entered. So, for the week ending 1/7, include all totals from 1/1 through 1/7 (Sunday – Saturday).
Spending – Input the total spent on groceries. You need to define this for yourself. For me, that includes all food, toiletries, paper goods, pet food, diapers, etc.
Savings - Input how much you saved. You need to define this for yourself as well. Will it include all savings or just coupon savings? I include all savings: coupons, sales, and clearance. Most stores calculate your savings for you and include it at the bottom of the receipt.
Stores – Input the stores you visited. This field is not necessary to fill out, but it can be helpful. I like to include this to see which stores I tend to spend more at or get the most savings from.
This spreadsheet is very simple. You really only have to fill in the spending and savings fields and everything else is done for you! Now you can have visual evidence of how much you are truly spending and saving.
I truly hope some of you will be able to benefit from this spreadsheet! I know spreadsheets can seem daunting to some, but don’t be afraid! Inputting your totals will become habit after a while. I’ve been using this spreadsheet for years and I love looking back and seeing all my savings.
Do you track your grocery spending and savings?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is typically considered the “kick-off” to holiday shopping. Stores usually offer deep discounts and open earlier than normal.
Shopping on Black Friday is not for the faint of heart. You need to be prepared to wake up early, stand in long lines, and battle massive crowds. While there is risk of damage to your person via elbow-jabs and people pushing for no reason, what you should really worry about is the damage to your pocketbook.
Black Friday is a great opportunity to save a lot of money on Christmas gifts if you know what you’re doing. Follow these tips to avoid potential pit-falls like overspending and overbuying.
1. Stick to a List. Make a list of everyone you’re shopping for this year, and if possible, add a general idea of what you want to buy that person. Then when you come across a great deal on an item, you can scan your list to see if you have someone to buy it for. If you don’t have anyone to buy it for, pass up the deal and wait for a deal on something you are shopping for.
2. Stick to a Budget. It’s so easy to get carried away during the holidays and overspend. Whether you have a per-person budget or an over-all budget, set one and stick to it. Even if the item is an amazing buy, if it breaks your budget, it’s still too expensive.
3. Keep Track. Make a list of everything you purchase, so you don’t accidentally buy for the same person twice, or buy two of the same item. With all the holiday chaos, you’re much more prone to forget things. Write it down or create a word doc to help you remember.
4. Beware of Peer Pressure. During Black Friday you’re going to be rushing to get the best deals. You’re also going to assume that everyone else is doing the same thing. You might see a bunch of people rushing and grabbing for an item that you don’t have on your list and be tempted to buy one too. After all, they must be going crazy over it because it’s a great deal! Not true – just because a bunch of people are going after an item doesn’t mean it’s a good deal – especially if it’s an item you don’t need. Stick to your list and don’t let peer pressure get you sidetracked.
5. Research. The majority of your Black Friday savings is going to come from pre-planning. Yes, you can pop into your nearest store and save a few bucks, but if you’re purchasing big-ticket items, you need to do your research. Read reviews and compare prices to make sure you don’t waste your money on a cheap product just because it appears to be a good deal.
6. Prioritize. If you’re wanting to buy a specific laptop, you’ll want to go to the store that has it on sale first. The smaller items on your list can wait because they have a smaller savings return. But be careful of items that have a very limited quantity available. If the ad says something like “minimum 5 per store” then you probably won’t want to waste your time on those items. Make a list of the stores you want to visit and organize them by store opening time and priority items.
7. Price Match. Many stores will price match on Black Friday! There’s no need to go to several stores when you can shop for all your items at one store. Be sure to read your store’s policy carefully, most will only price match identical products.
8. Shop with a Friend. Teaming up with a friend will not only make shopping more fun, it will save you time! Perhaps your friend could head to the electronics section to get the camera she wants and the DVDs you want, while you head to the toy section to pick up the board games you want and her LEGO sets. It’s a win-win!
9. Be Nice. Please, please, please don’t be a rude shopper. Let’s all be adults and not push, call names, or snatch items from others. You’ll have a lot more fun if you go out of your way to treat others with kindness than if you let every little annoyance affect your attitude.
10. Shop Online. Many Black Friday deals will be available online as well, and some will even go on sale on the website before they do in-store. I find shopping at home in my pajamas much more appealing than standing in long lines in the cold and battling other shoppers. You can even wait until Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday. The deals are just as good, if not better! If you plan on taking this route, be sure to read my Cyber Monday Online Shopping Tips.
Do you have any Black Friday shopping tips that you’d like to add?
While being unorganized doesn’t break any laws (thankfully, or there are many of us who would be in deep trouble!), it can be a huge inconvenience for cashiers and other shoppers.
Does it irritate you to stand in line for a long time while you wait for someone who lost their checkbook, forgot their debit card number, or is arguing with the cashier about a pricing error? It’s especially annoying when you are in a hurry or have young children who are about 10 seconds away from a meltdown.
First let me say that I don’t think you should feel pressured or uncomfortable at the checkout when using coupons. You have waited in line just like everyone else and your purchases are no less valued by the store than anyone else’s.
The store is reimbursed for all the coupons you use (if used correctly), so your coupons are just as valuable as cash. Don’t be intimidated, rush through your order, and lose track of coupons and savings. If you are organized, your turn at checkout should not take too much longer than any other person who is purchasing the same number of items.
Now, while you do wait in line like everyone else, you do have to keep in mind that your order will probably take a little longer, no matter how organized you are. You might consider letting other customers know that you are going to be using coupons and they might want to consider a different checkout line if they are in a hurry.
You could also let customers who are only buying a couple of items go in front of you. I think this is a great thing to do, even if you are not using coupons!
Being organized will not only help keep cashiers from rolling their eyes and other customers from tapping their toes, it will save YOU time and money!
Being organized does not take much time, and with benefits like saving money, it’s time well spent!
I have included this rule in my coupon etiquette series because it is technically an unspoken rule of couponing. It’s unspoken because it shouldn’t have to be said!
I have seen several versions of coupon theft, including:
Taking something without paying for it is called stealing. It doesn’t matter what the value is or how you try to justify it. If you take newspapers (or the coupons in them) without paying for them, you are stealing.
If you are looking for legal ways to get free coupons, check out these 10 Free Ways to Get More Coupons.
I realize that this rule may seem obvious to some people, but please keep in mind that it may not be so obvious to beginners, especially with the distorted view of couponing that is portrayed on television. I believe this is rule is worth sharing even if most people will ignore it.
:: Coming up next up in the coupon etiquette series: “Be Organized.”
Need more coupons? I’m sure everyone does! I know newspapers are a popular source of coupons, but since newspapers cost money, it can be discouraging for beginners who may not have room in their budget for a newspaper subscription.
If you are looking to get started couponing without making a big investment, here are 11 free ways to get more coupons:
Send a quick note to your favorite brands and they will likely send you coupons. Best of all, they will be for products you know you like!
You likely know a few people who get a newspaper but don’t use the coupons. Ask if you can have their inserts and they will likely give them to you.
There are many free places to print coupons online. Some of my favorites include Coupons.com, Coupon Network, Smartsource, and Redplum. You can also find the newest “hidden” coupons here on Couponing101.com.
If you have any magazine subscriptions, be sure to look through each issue carefully. Many magazines have coupons in them! My favorite is All You Magazine.
Many people like to sit in coffee shops, drink their morning coffee, and read the newspaper. Ask the establishment if you can take the Sunday newspapers that people leave behind.
Ask your local library, dentist, or doctor if you can have the coupons from their old magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
Many companies offer free coupons online that you can request. Sometimes they are even for free products! Be sure to sign up for free samples too because they sometimes come with coupons.
Look for peelies (just don’t take them without buying the product), tearpads, blinkies, and coupon books throughout the store. These are free for the taking! Just take one or two though, not the whole stack. Be sure to think beyond supermarkets – I often find coupons at gas stations!
If you have coupons you don’t use, you could try trading with a friend. Maybe they have a dog, but no kids while you have kids, but no dog. You could give your friend your dog food coupons and she could give you her baby product coupons. It’s a win-win!
There are some programs that offer high value coupons (often coupons for free products) in exchange for you taking a quiz or giving your opinion of the product. Some of my favorites are Kraft First Taste, Vocalpoint, BzzAgent, and Recyclebank.
Digital coupons are on the rise! These coupons cost you nothing – you don’t even have to print or clip. Just load them to your shopping card and they automatically come off at checkout. Some of my favorites are: Shortcuts, P&G eSaver, Cellfire, Upromise, Kroger, and Target Mobile Coupons.
Do you know of any other ways to get free coupons?
One seemingly gray area of couponing is whether or not you should take a peelie coupon off of a product without purchasing the product. As part of my coupon etiquette series, I’m going to explain why you should not be a peelie thief.
A peelie is a coupon that is attached to the outside of the package of a product and can be peeled off and scanned at the register on the same day you purchase the product. These coupons are usually found at random and are a great way to save money!
Unfortunately, some people take those coupons without buying the item. Many times I have come across product displays where it is evident that someone has taken the peelie coupon off of every single product!
Peelie coupons are clearly meant to be used on the item they are attached to. Many of them even note that the cashier must remove the coupon at the register in order for it to be valid.
If the coupon is attached in any way to a product, I consider it a part of that product. It becomes the property of the purchaser of that product.
I view peelies the same way as a free sample that is attached to a full-size product. The free sample belongs to the purchaser of the full-size product, even though they are not technically paying for the free sample. In the same way, the peelie coupon belongs to the purchaser of the product.
Would you cut a coupon off the back of a cereal box without buying the cereal? Would you open a package, take the coupons out, and place the package back on the shelf? NO.
Just because this particular coupon is on the outside of the package does not mean it should be taken without the purchase of that item.
There are other coupons in stores (like blinkies and tearpads) that are free for the taking – and you don’t even have to use them at the store you find them in!
This brings me to a similar etiquette tip – don’t take all the coupons.
It is okay to take more than one tearpad or blinkie coupon. You can even take several, depending on how many are available. If there is just one lonely tearpad, I recommend you only take one or two coupons. If there are stacks and stacks of coupons, you could probably take three or four.
In the end, it’s all about being courteous. Treat other couponers the way you would like to be treated.
:: Coming up next up in the coupon etiquette series: “Don’t Steal Newspaper Inserts.”
No one likes to plan out the perfect couponing scenario only to get to the store and find the shelves empty! Unfortunately, with couponing on the rise (especially “extreme couponing“), shelves are bound to be emptied.
There are a few things you can do when you come across empty shelves:
A rain check is simply a slip of paper that you can ask for that will allow you to come back at a later date and get the sale price. Wait a week or two (but not too long, some rain checks expire) and come back when the item is back in stock and you can still get the great price!
Try to shop as early as you can. If the sale starts on Sunday, don’t wait until Friday to shop. Try to shop the same day the sale starts if you can.
In my area, there seems to be a CVS on every corner. If one store is out of stock, drive down the street and shop at the other store.
If your store is quite a distance away, it might be wise to call your store and ask if they have the product in stock before you drive out there. They may even be willing to hold one for you until you get there.
Many stores, like Walmart and Target, will price match any advertised sale price. If your Walgreens is out of the $1 cereal, take your ad across the street to Walmart and show them the ad to get the same price there – they will likely have plenty in stock.
Occasionally the store will have more product in the back that they have not put out on the shelves yet. They may be able to produce a few products that you needed. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Find out which day of the week your store restocks the shelves and come back then!
Be sure to teach your friends how to coupon the right way. They’re likely shopping at your store anyway! Remember to follow the rules yourself. If you don’t like empty shelves, then don’t be a “shelf-clearer”.
If you see someone buying a large quantity of items, do not automatically assume they’re a shelf-clearer. They might have a large family that truly goes through 10 boxes of cereal in a week.
More sales will come around. Really! If you’re just starting out, it is really hard to pass up a great sale, but know that there are always more deals to come. It’s okay to sit one out.
I hope these tips will help you deal with finding empty shelves! Be sure to read my “Coupon Etiquette” series to find out the unspoken rules of couponing!
Have you ever been excited about a great coupon deal only to get to the store and find a big empty shelf where the product should be? I think almost every couponer has experienced this disappointment!
Sometimes shelves are empty for legitimate reasons: the store did not order sufficient stock because they did not anticipate a high demand, there was limited supply available and the stores could only get the small amount, or someone simply needed a large amount (someone throwing a party perhaps needed a large quantity of bagged snacks). However, sometimes the shelves are cleared because of couponers.
Please know that, while you may or may not care, how you coupon shop does affect others. You also may not be aware of this, but being a shelf-clearer can also affect YOU!
1. When you clear shelves, all those unhappy customers who find empty shelves will complain to the store. The store will then begin enforcing limits on the number of products sold to each customer. That means, even if you legitimately have a need for 10 packages of chicken (big family cookout) – sorry! The store will only allow you to buy 2 at a time.
2. When you clear the shelves, people will blame the couponers. The stores will then change their coupon policies. These new coupon policies will probably cramp your coupon-style. The store might stop offering double coupons, limit 1 “like” coupon per transaction, or scrutinize every single coupon you use (meaning you’ll be spending a long time in line).
3. When you clear the shelves, the manufacturers will know it. They do not want to print a large quantity of coupons and have one person redeem them all. They want a large number of people to redeem them. The manufacturer will start putting limits on coupons that will only allow you to use one coupon per transaction or even per customer.
I completely understand how much fun couponing is. It is a lot of fun to get one body wash for free, and it’s 100 times more fun to get 100 bottles for free. However, you don’t have to have all the fun NOW. I would much rather get one or two body washes for free now and continue to get free products for many more years, than get 100 body washes for free now and NO body washes for free in the future because of strict coupon policies!
Please know that I am not against donating or building a stockpile. I think both are excellent and are just a couple of the many perks of couponing. However, you CAN do both of those things without clearing shelves and ruining couponing for everyone.
:: Coming up next up in the coupon etiquette series: “Don’t be a Peelie Thief.”
Hi! I'm Stephanie! I'm a child of God, wife to Nathan, homeschool mom to two young children - ages 8 and 6, and founder of Couponing101.com. I have a passion for teaching others how to save money - no matter your income, diet, schedule, or experience! I like to make couponing simple AND fun, so you won't find your typical "school atmosphere" here! Couponing 101 is a practical education that you can apply to many areas of your life. Watch those $0.50 coupons turn into thousands in savings each year....READ MORE.