How to Maximize Coupon Savings

by Grant Lewis     Published: February 16, 2012
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If you are someone who takes couponing to an extreme, this is the article for you. While there are countless ways and techniques that can help you save money, the focus here will be on maximizing your monetary return from using your coupons effectively. For the purpose of the article and for ease of understanding, we are assuming you can locate coupons wherever they may be, however using these coupons will be the focus.

Coupon Matching is probably the most widely used method as the regularity of coupons is higher than that of most other compatible coupons. Matching coupons with great sales and promotions is the foundation of successful savings. How do we find those great sales is what it’s all about.  It’s important to consciously remember and realize that retail items or groceries go on sale and when they do, this is when you can really cash in. All products have a lowest price or at least one whereas when you see it you know immediately it’s a great deal.

If or when go to one of your favorite retailers to use your $1 off 1 box of Cereal Coupon, it may end up being cheaper to just buy the generic box. Because of that, you can apply your coupon and actually get money back from the store. However, that is if you use the coupon when that particular cereal is at a low price. Or, if you match it with a promotion at your local grocery store you end up some substantial savings on your cereal and leave with a smile on your face! This is the strategy that you can rinse and repeat but on a larger scale which, works well for individuals or families who shop in bulk.

When you look at coupon collecting from the outside, it seems to feel very involved and time consuming but it doesn’t in actuality have to be. That being said you must focus though to prevent the process from becoming cumbersome.

At first you may be concerned as to when products are actually at their lowest but truth be told, it’s not very hard to notice. In most areas they follow a cycle that’s roughly 6 weeks long. Sometimes longer depending on the product or service. What you can take away from this is that when you see certain products or foods at a ridiculously low price, you can expect the price to increase and not go on sale again for around six weeks or so. It takes a little time to find the lowest prices in your area so be patient and work on developing your price list and soon you’ll be able to spot the rock bottom prices of all just about all the products or foods you purchase.

Coupon Stacking is tactic that also helps you rack up the dollars. Stacking means that you use 1 Manufacturer Coupon and 1 Store Coupon on 1 Item!

A few examples of retailers that that customarily allow this include but are not limited to Wal-Mart, Albertson’s, Kroger, Rite Aid, Safeway, Target, and Walgreens stores. Reread the last sentence again if it has not set in with you.  Also, a few keys to keep in mind are you can never use 2 manufacturer coupons on 1 item but most stores will allow you to use 1 store and 1 manufacturer coupon on the same item. There’s nothing wrong with trying though. It’s a good idea to clarify this right away at the locations you like to shop at as it can help you save wasted steps.

Double Coupons are a great find too. Some stores will double coupons up to a certain value. Depending on the products the dollar value of the savings can be substantially higher. This means that one $1.00 off coupon will become $2.00 off.  Think about how usable this information is when you calculate how many times we shop each year. Over time it’s almost as if you’re making more money than your spending. Use a store loyalty card too and you could stack on even more.

Buying more than you need is not something most people are accustomed to but you will familiarize yourself with the process if you’re planning on couponing on a mass level. When you need it right now, you’re willing to pay more for it. But if you can plan ahead and buy all you can use between rock-bottom trends, when you need it you will already have it. All it takes is a bit of planning.

Stock Piling is simply buying more than you need at the time. It’s a continuation of  “buying low.” You don’t want to run out of something before that low price cycles back around, so buy more than you need, but not more than you will use.

If you are going to apply these techniques to utilizing your coupons, keep in mind the fine print or specifics like the number of allowed transactions per day, how many items apply to each coupon, what your required expenditure will be in order to max out your monetary return etc. If you can become efficient at this process, you will have no problem cutting out wasted steps, savings bundles of cash, and even make money for shopping. Hopefully this article has helped increase your knowledge base on maximizing your coupon savings and monetary return.