At some point, you may have experienced being at the checkout line of a grocery store, where the customer in front of you was pulling out coupon after coupon. When the cashier announced the total savings, perhaps you wished you had gotten such a good deal, but it just looked like too much of a hassle. Do not let the intense TLC show “Extreme Couponing” discourage you. As its title suggests, that’s extreme; couponing can easily be practical.
The season of excessive shopping is here, so hop on the couponing bandwagon by following these top tips.
1. Keep a list of things you need. Don’t get so excited by savings that you end up with a bunch of unnecessary purchases.
2. Organize your coupons and be aware of expiration dates. Keep a coupon organizer and look through it every time you prepare to enter a store.
3. Many websites offers coupons that can be printed at any time. These include thekrazycouponlady.com, coupons.com, redplum.com, hiptosave.com, afullcup.com, smartsource.com, retailmenot.com, and couponmom.com.
4. Download coupon phone or tablet apps, such as “Smart Source Xpress” for iPhones or “Grocery Smarts” for Androids.
5. Don’t shy away from using coupons at competitor stores. Many grocery or convenience stores, such as Publix and Walmart, will accept coupons published by their competitors.
6. Some stores, including Target and Walmart offer “ad-match”, meaning they’ll match the price of any item that costs less at another store. You simply have to provide a current ad or a sale paper to document the price of the particular item you’d like to purchase.
7. Get rewards cards from your favorite stores. Retailers and restaurants of nearly every variety have “reward programs”, which reward frequent shoppers with bonus savings. Carry your reward cards on your keychain or in your wallet; you should quickly develop a habit of using them every time you make a purchase.
8. Create an email account to serve as your “savings hub”. Register for the email list of your favorite stores to stay in-the-know about their biggest sales and to get coupons sent directly to your inbox.
9. Kick it back old school and go through the Sunday paper. Grab a pair of scissors and clip away.
10. Take advantage of those triple whammys, when you can buy an item on sale, use a manufacturing coupon, and use a store or competitor coupon.
