Tip #5: Maximize Savings By Matching Coupons With Store Sales
So now we all know how to menu plan, and know that menu planning off of the sales flyers is the KEY to saving money on your grocery bill.
And we also all know where all of the best places to find coupons are.
But when do we use those coupons? Do we just take the coupons to the store when we cut them out and buy the things that we have a coupon for?
As I’ve said in most (all?) of the previous Surviving The Stores Through Couponing posts… that’s what the manufacturers and marketers WANT you to do!
They WANT you to cut out a coupon, look at the picture, think “oh, that looks yummy” and then go buy it.
But most of the time, doing what they want you to do costs you MORE money.
For example, let’s take the following scenario…
Let’s say that the store brand of Frozen Veggies regularly costs 99¢ and the name brand regularly costs $2.
And let’s say that you find a 45¢ off 1 coupon for the name brand product in your Sunday paper.
That means that if you use the coupon on the regular price, you would end up paying $1.55 (or $1.10 if your store doubles coupons) which is STILL more than the store brand.
BUT, if you wait until those name-brand veggies go on sale for $1, THEN you can use your 45¢ off coupon to get them for 55¢ (or even 10¢ if your store doubles coupons).
A much better deal, right?
So, to repeat tip #5: KEEP your coupons until a sale comes around. DON’T use the coupon just because you have it (unless you were going to buy that exact product anyway).
| << Tip #4: Know Where To Find Coupons | Tip #6: Learn How To Do Coupon Match-ups >> |
I wish I could get this through to some people!! I have seen people randomly buying stuff just because they have a coupon and say “I will need it sometime”.. Well if you dont need it that minute then wait for a good deal! 🙂
OK, but if you need the stuff … ?? I can’t predict the future. I cut out the coupons that I know I’ll use, go to the store and if there happens to be a sale, I’m excited to use it, but if I need it, and there isn’t a substitute, then I use the ‘pon!
oh, and of course if the store brand is cheaper, I will *always* buy the store brand 🙂
@Kim I agree with you– if you need it then yes.. But the people that I have tried to teach how to coupon, will have a stockpile of say soap, and they will have a coupon so they will just use it because they have it not because they need the item only because they have the coupon.. But if the coupon doesnt expire for a month, there will hopefully be a sale that makes it a really good deal 🙂
I have stock piles of soap, body wash etc. I only buy more because I have at times coupons that will allow me to get it free, I love free if its on something I can use & if not I will donate it to church to help out someone else.
I call this compulsive buying. I was once a victim. Now I have the concept down, I will never fall victim again. =))
That is prolly the best, but hardest lesson to learn about couponing! : )
I am *very* new to coupons but I want to get better at it. My main question is how do you know when the right time to use a coupon is? I’m so afraid that I’ll wait to long for the best deal and my coupons will expire. How do you know what “rock bottom” prices are and how often do they come around?
Please Help!!
That is a GREAT question! One of the best ways to learn is through experience. You’ll get better at it as you look at the ads more and know that even though, for example, the ad says that $2.15 for bonesless skinless chicken breasts is a great deal, that eventually they will go down to $1.75/lb and that THAT is when you need to stock up on them!
A lot of it is learning through experience, but I will also be putting together a price sheet in the near future to let you all know what my stock-up prices for different common products are here in Texas. The prices will be different across the country, but it could be a general guide.
I’m hoping to have that up within the next month or so!
Hello, so Im just just learning how to coupon, I was wondering how you know if a store doubles coupons? Do you just go in there and hope for the best? and most coupons say one per customer or purchase and that they cannot be combined with any other offer… so does that mean per transaction or per item?
Thanks!
Hey Amanda!
Great question! Most stores that double or triple coupons will advertise that they do. So for the most part you can just look at the store’s weekly ad and know. If there’s any doubt, just give them a call and ask.
“One coupon per customer” typically is translated as one of those coupons each time you’re in the store (so if you walk out of the store and walk back in, then you are a “new customer”).
“One coupon per purchase” means per item purchased. So you can use more than one of those types of coupons per transaction.
“One coupon per transaction” (like most of the Target.com coupons) means just that… you could do 10 transactions in a row if you wanted to, but only one of the same coupon is allowed per transaction.
Hope that helps!! 🙂