Great Tips for a Coupon Beginner!

Great Couponing Tips for Beginners!

This Article was Written by Joannie from Pays2Save

In the U.S. last year, coupon usage set an all time record with 332 billion coupons redeemed for $3.7 billion total value!! And 1.5% of coupons redeemed came from the web from sites like Coupons.com. Of course the most redeemed was from the inserts found in the Sunday Paper. So with prices on the rise and package size shrinking. Does it not make more sense now to use coupons?
Here are my 10 top strategies to maximize your savings at the grocery store...

1. Grocery Store's Policy. Call or stop by the customer service desk to check out that store's policy. Never know when it will change. Some will double even triple up to $1.
2. Track price cycles. Some items go on sale at regular intervals. Keeping a price log of the most items you use, what they cost, and when they are likely to go on sale is a good thing to do.
3. Wait for sales. Using weekly sale fliers, match deals with available coupons. Remember to take ALL your coupons with you. You never know when you will happen upon an "unadvertised" deal.
4. Inventory your coupons. Don't forget to take inventory of your coupons. Coupons expire at different times during the month.
5. Sometimes bigger isn't better. Use a coupon to buy something small which at times would make them FREE. Unless the coupon states that you cannot like a trial size.
6. Don't reach for store brands. Wait! Yes, even though they cost less and are just as good as name brands. Just wait, with the right combination of a sale and coupons. You can probably get that name brand cheaper than the store brand.
7. Stacking coupons. One of my FAVORITE things to do!! Stacking means using one store coupon with a manufacture coupon.
8. Ask if the store accepts competitor's coupons. Some do and it doesn't hurt to ask.
9. Don't toss those expired coupons. Coupons are expiring faster now than they were in the past. Doesn't hurt to ask cause some store might accept an expired coupon past a few days. Also the military uses coupons up to 6 months past the expiration date and there are organization out there will to collect them for our service members.
10. Lastly, WATCH during checkout!!! This is where most of the error using coupons occur. Either the cashier didn't scan your coupon, a coupon just didn't scan properly, or YOU somehow picked up a size that didn't match. (I've done this)

Remember if a coupon dupes you into buying stuff that you don't need or normally wouldn't purchase then well, you are not being frugal are you. Unless you are donating those items!!

This Article was Written by Joannie from Pays2Save and was originally posted on weusecoupons!