by Ellen Carroll on April 2, 2009 (photo by Eschipul, available under a CC license)

Coupons, discount card, Quick Tips, rebates, unit prices

For those of you that read the Saving Sense articles, Thursday’s articles will be a sort of supplement to the Wednesday edition. So to get it kick-started, this week’s Quick Tips will cover coupons. No big deal, right? Coupons are a great way to save some money, but you’ve got to be careful. It’s important to keep in mind that they are, after all, produced by manufacturers that want you to buy their products.  So while it’s nice to save a little dough, the ultimate goal of coupon distribution is to get you to spend, spend, spend.  Here are some quick tips to help make coupons work for you:

1. Don’t clip them all! Clip coupons for items you would normally purchase anyway, whether you have a coupon or not. Skip items that aren’t regular purchases or that you have to talk yourself into needing.

2. Check your grocery store’s website. Many retailers make in-store only coupons available on the web. They can sometimes be used with manufacturer coupons and can mean double the savings! Also — if your store has a ‘frequent shopper’ discount card, sign up. The savings can be huge and its usually a free program.

3. Check the units! Double check the price per unit on purchases, even if you’ve got a coupon. (Example: If you have a coupon for $1 off a ‘family size’ but two of the smaller sizes are still cheaper, don’t get use your coupon!)

4. Double savings by shopping sale items. Sales are great and so are coupons! Put them together, though, and its a whole new kind of awesome! Watch store circulars to match up coupons with sale items to maximize savings.

5. Check out online sources. Lots of websites make it their business to save you money. Check out savings websites like coupons.com and freecoupons.com.  If you don’t buy a paper, these can help you get in on the savings.

6. Use rebates wisely. FREE FREE FREE (after mail-in rebate) can seem pretty enticing. Make sure you’re not parting with lots of money while assuming that your rebate check will be in the mail the next day. It won’t happen. Rebates usually take several weeks, sometimes even months, to appear in your mailbox. They can be awesome, if you’re not counting on having your money returned quickly.

7. Look for the catch! Some coupons require that you purchase multiple items. If you don’t need as many as you would have to buy to save a little bit, just say no! Remember that manufacturers want you to overbuy!

8. Stay organized! Keep your coupons all in one place and where you won’t forget them. (I like to keep mine in the car, actually.) Watch expiration dates but don’t feel compelled to use one just because its about to expire. You won’t save any money by using every coupon you ever have.

Quick Tips Challenge:

Start a coupon-swap! Call your friends and swap coupon wish lists. If there’s something you buy normally or are looking for, keep your friends in the loop! Coupon swaps are a great way to squeeze a little bit more out of your budget and a fun excuse to get together with your friends. (I need Pampers coupons, by the way…)

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