Dec 20, 2012

Saving Money With Coupons: Tips And Tricks

By Steve Jones


What is great about coupons is that they offer you the opportunity for you to save a lot of money if you search hard enough. Coupons help entice people to make a purchase for a business, but a lot of people seem to forget to search for coupons when they are buying anything.

Trade coupons with your friends or family members. Sometimes it can be worth your time to clip good coupons that you will not be using so that you can trade them with others for coupons that you can use. This helps everyone to save more, and the coupon swaps can offer a fun reason to get together.

Pick up a convenient binder to organize all your coupons and make it easy to transport them to the store. Use labels for different categories so you can quickly compare store stock to your coupons and checking out with the cashier will not be a hassle or cause delays for the people behind you.

When saving with coupons, throw brand loyalty out the window. You might find a great coupon for a laundry soap that is not your normal brand. Give it a try and save some money in the process. By diversifying the brands you are willing to buy, you can save more while still purchasing your necessary items.

Find the coupon sites that you can utilize to make the process faster for you. Time is a commodity in today's world, and you don't want to lose the opportunity of finding coupons just because you're short on time. There are many sites that can have you matching coupons to your list and be printing within 15 minutes.

Stay away from coupon clipping services. These people claim to charge you only for the time it took to clip coupons, but some manufacturers do not see it that way. It is illegal to buy or sell coupons, and if you are caught, you can be charged with coupon fraud.

Before you buy anything, look for a coupon. Oftentimes, there are coupons available online that are not advertised elsewhere. Use a search engine to see if there is a coupon you can print for that next purchase. Do this even if that purchase is small. Even the small savings add up quickly.

Keep your coupons organized. Whether you use a coupon holder, binder or envelopes, make sure your coupons are organized and easy to find. Organize them in a way that is easiest for you to sort through. Some ideas are sorting by item type or the section of the store the item is kept in.

Shop around at the different stores in your neighborhood. Each store will have their own rotation of specials and in store sales. As you learn the patterns at each store, you will become more efficient at finding deals. Remember to check the specials regularly, because stores will change their patterns from time to time.

Use store coupons along with manufacturer coupons. Most stores will allow you to use one of their coupons along with a manufacturer coupon; utilize this technique for extreme savings. Many stores will honor both coupons; however, when utilizing this savings strategy have a printed copy of the store's coupon policy.

Leave the kids at home. Everyone loves their children, but they can make any shopping trip more difficult. Add to that the need to juggle coupons and compare costs and prices, and you will quickly find yourself overwhelmed. If a babysitter isn't in the budget, look for another mom you can trade off with. She watches your children while you shop, you return the favor on her shopping day.

Signing up for a couponing website is a good idea so that you can trade with people from other areas. Many companies will print coupons in one area of the country that they do not in others. They are still good nationally, but they may just not be available to you.

Try to remember that couponing is not free. You do have to invest your time and organization into the ordeal. Also, never just buy something because you have a coupon. Stay within your budget. If you spend money just because you feel like you are saving money, you are in fact wasting money.

Go online. There are a lot of coupons on the Internet that aren't available in your local papers. Not only that, but some companies offer Internet only deals that others are not going to get. Before you buy anything, check online and do a search to find any coupons available.

Saving money is so important, and following the advice you have read here will help ease that process along. When you pay less than full price for items, you win in the long run. As you become more diligent in your efforts, you may just be surprised at the money you have saved each year.




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