Become a Coupon Queen

Coupons, Saving Money and More

in Couponing Tips and Tricks

Ways to Save Money with Coupons

savings ahead
Here are the ways to save money with coupons!

1) Match Coupons with Weekly Sales. Always use coupons on items you need/use when they go on sale to double up on savings. Watch the grocery ads for weekly sales and look for store coupon matchups on my site and others. When items are at rock bottom price, stock up on them to last you 3-6 months (typical sales cycle). This is called stockpiling and really is the key to saving as much as possible.

2) Know your prices. Just because a store tells you it is on sale does not mean that it is the cheapest sale price. Start a price journal and track prices on your typical grocery purchases. We purchase so many different products it is hard to remember what a good sale price is and at what store, that’s where your price journal helps until you have been couponing for a while.

3) Seek Out Printable Coupons. Some of the best coupons come from the internet – Coupons.com and SmartSource.com. You can also check out websites to select coupons you want to print and cut out to use at your grocery store just as you would coupons from the Sunday paper.

4 ) Make your Store Loyalty Card work even harder for you. Some stores allow you to load coupons onto your store loyalty cards for savings without printing or clipping. Just click the coupons you want and they’re automatically redeemed when you use your loyalty card. Kroger (and affiliates) are a perfect example, and Meijer has a similar program connected to your cell phone number (no card to carry!).

5 ) Reach Out to Your Favorite Brands. Frequent their websites. You’ll often find money-saving printable coupons right on the sites, or you can sign up for special offers by mail or email. If you really like a brand send them an email telling them so. I have received coupons for FREE items numerous times just by sending a short email telling them how much I like their product. Make a list of your favorite brands. Pick one brand once a week, send off a short email, then sit back and watch the coupons and free stuff be delivered right to your mailbox. HERE is a list of Coupon friendly brands.

6 ) Be Strategic About Buy-One-Get-One-Free (BOGO) Sales. To double your savings, use two coupons when a product is on sale buy-one-get-one-free, one for each of the products you are taking home to save more money (as the coupon policy allows). Also, if you have a BOGO coupon for the product that is on BOGO sale, both items end up being FREE at most stores!

7 ) Stack Store & Manufacturer’s Coupons. Several national grocery retailers offer coupons that can only be used in their stores. When you purchase a grocery item you can pair the store-specific coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon for extra savings.

8 ) Take advantage of drug store programs such as CVS ExtraCare Program and myWalgreens. Drugstores regular prices are often higher than big box stores but when you pair their sale prices with their store reward offers and add manufacturer’s coupons on top of that, you often can get stuff for FREE and sometimes even make money by purchasing a particular item.

Example: At Walgreens, Maalox was on sale for $5.09 each and if you purchased $30 in products you received a $10 Register Reward. To make this a money making deal you paired it with using six $5/1 Maalox coupons therefore only paying $0.54 out of pocket then you received a $10 Register Reward back making it a $9.46 Money Maker!

9 ) Just because you have a coupon does not mean you have to use it. I think this is one of the biggest mistakes people make and actually end up spending more money. This is the whole reason companies put out coupons. Human nature is to use a coupon just because you have it. FIGHT THE URGE! If it is something you need then by all means use it, but don’t fall into the trap of redeeming the coupon just because you have it. It is like playing poker in a way. You have to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. I can’t even begin to tell you how many of my coupons get unused before they expire but that is ok because there are always more coupons.

10 ) Take advantage of the numerous mail in rebates that companies offer. I get around 5-6 checks in the mail on an average month. I have not paid for cat litter in over two years by taking advantage of products that are FREE after mail in rebate. To save even more, use a coupon on the item if available! Some companies will deduct any coupon savings from your rebate but often times they don’t. Even if they do, you are still paying less out of pocket to begin with. I am a mail in rebate fanatic! Just recently, I got a $120 toothbrush for $8 by combining a coupon, CVS sale and Extra Care Bucks and a mail in rebate. Many people hate mail in rebates because they always forget to send them in. I have a specific shelf on my desk in my office just for rebate stuff, and as soon as I get home from shopping I put all things rebate related on the shelf. Then, every Sunday I fill out my forms and send them off. Make it a routine, and you won’t forget!

11 ) Seek Out Money-Saving Blogs such as mine Become A Coupon Queen to make saving money easy!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi,

    I am really just getting started on coupons and I am such a beginner 🙂 but I had a couple of questions and would really appreciate any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!~!!!!! Keep in mind I live in Chicago and none of the stores double with the exception of the occasional Kmart double days…. but I follow you and your awesome deal postings and often check your site just to see if I missed anything. But any way on #7 if you have a BOGO coupon for the product that is on BOGO sale, both items end up being FREE at most stores!……say Wags is having a BOGO on Pantene and I have a BOGO Q I can use the BOGO Q’s and get both for free? I am so confused?!?!?!

    Thanks again for the help!!!!!

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  2. Yes, if your store is having a BOGO sale and you have a BOGO coupon for that item then both should be free. There are some stores that may not allow this but for the most part most stores do and they all really should. Think of it this way: the one that the store is giving you for free is fulfilling the purchased one necessary to use the coupon. Then the one the coupon is giving you for free fulfills the purchased one required to get the free one from the store.

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  3. I am just trying to wrap my head around couponing and getting myself organized. Some people spend the whole day trying to get themselves ready for their shopping trip. It gets overwhelming. I appreciate you taking the time to write this article and all the others so people like me can get a better understanding of what to do and what not to do!

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    • You are welcome. Couponing can be overwhelming to a newbie so take your time and master it in baby steps. Also, don’t compare yourself to others or the TV show. You will only get discouraged. Any savings is better than none and in time it will all make sense to you and you will be saving tons of money.

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  4. Thank you for this list! It’s nice to know. I’ve been trying to get into couponing for a while but it’s difficult to know where to start.

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  5. Ashley,
    I love the way you shared your information….useful and concise. I really need to start making to most of couponing. I came across Coupon Sherpa and CartStar, but haven’t used them to good effect yet.
    Thanks for the primer.
    Peace and good,
    Chelle

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  6. What great tips. So many people don’t understand how to get the most out of coupons. Anyone wanting to get serious about coupons should follow these tips.

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  8. Great information, especially for newbies. I think #11 is my favorite – that is where people go wrong often, thinking ok, I’ve got a coupon, it’s got to be a good deal… Doesn’t matter how much it cost, if you wouldn’t have bought it, you’re not saving! #12 is the one I have to work on the most, I am horrible for forgetting to do my rebates. Any suggestions on how you stay on track with them?

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  9. Nice list of tips! I especially like the list of couponer friendly companies. There were alot more on the list than I thought there would be!

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  12. My favorite tip is using BOGO coupons with a BOGO sale! There is nothing in the world like coming home with TWO products for FREE with one coupon!

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  13. I absolutely love using coupons. The only part that sucks is the person in line behind me that just got off of work (after a 10-12 hour work day) that breathes heavily when the cashier is scanning all of them. I just think about how much I save and smile that I’m going right back home to sit on my sofa.

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  15. I also have a coupon site. I love sharing all the great deals and free items you can get with coupons, to my readers. Your post has a lot of useful information for people that are just starting out with coupons.

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  16. We are just getting into couponing and I have to say sometimes it is frustrating how much work goes into it! I have total respect for all the ladies that coupon hard core, wow! Thank you for all the helpful tips!

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  17. I’ve been jealous for awhile that people in other places could put coupons on their loyalty cards, but finally stores near me are doing it with their cards. I just need to remember to get the coupons.

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  21. These are really great tips. I keep trying to get organized enough to use coupons. I just feel like they don’t make coupons for most the items I buy with the exception of toilet paper. 🙂 Well, I did until we got a baby last year. Now, I use more coupons. I need to study more sites like yours to get this concept down in my head. I want to save money but doing more than using one coupon for one item blows my mind.

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  22. I takes time and patience to learn how to coupon effectively but the savings are definitely worth it. One thing I would like to point out is that most people who coupon do not coupon the way it is portrayed on certain television programs. If you start couponing with the hopes of achieving the type of savings that many of the people portrayed do, you will likely end up disappointed. Different stores have different coupon policies and different areas of the country receive different coupons. As long as you use coupons on items that you would normally buy anyway, you will see savings and nickels and dimes can really add up.

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  23. I am just starting to coupon and you have some really great tips! I am bookmarking this page so that I can come back to it later. I am so overwhelmed with couponing, but I really want to figure it out and start saving us some money! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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  24. Wow – there is so much to know about this. Silly me. I used to think it was as simple as cutting out a bunch of coupons and going shopping, but this is a science! Good information. Thank you. Deb

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  25. You are sooooo right. You should compare and see what is cheapest. Don’t just use a coupon to use it. I LOVE stacking. I recently learned how to use coupons and LOVE it. Now my goal is saving money! it’s such a game!

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  28. Ashley, I love the tips. I have “liked” your Facebook page. Be sure to stay in touch and maybe we can work on some future projects together.

    Have a great day!

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  30. I do coupons only when they’re easy and automatic, like coupons loaded onto my loyalty card or the coupons I get in my e-mail with coupons.com. I just don’t chose to use my time for things other than the work it would take to do the massive couponing. But I love sites like yours because I”ve gleaned so many good tips. thanks.

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  32. Great post! Very informative. I get super lazy with coupons sometimes, unfortunately. I love mail in rebates though. There is nothing more awesome than buying a product and getting a check for money back in the mail.

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  33. Very thorough and informative post! I like #11. I haven’t used a lot of coupons in the past, since many of them are for products that we don’t use. It’s lovely to get money off a product you love!

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  34. Great tips on using coupons. I haven’t tried reaching out to companies to get coupons so that is next on my list. And I don’t mind mail in rebates. I keep all the rebate stuff in my coupon binder and take care of them right away.

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  35. Thank you for taking the time to put all of these together!!! This will help tremendously… These are all great ways to save money. I love to coupon and do it regularly. xoxo-Rachel

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  37. Great tips! I’m a fellow coupon-lover and I follow your advice already. I typically save about 50% on an average week but I would love to find a way to bring that number higher. We just don’t have a whole lot of options in my area and I don’t want to spend the gas to travel way out of town for the big stores.

    Christy
    http://www.alivinghomeschool.com

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  40. Great tips! I like to use coupons, but it is time consuming. I do try, and do better with it when I’m not working. I don’t think we have any stores that do triple coupons. Lucky you!

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  41. Great tips. I especially like the one that don’t feel you need to use all your coupons. It definitely is more important to purchase what you truly need.

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  42. I like to coupon, but certainly still have a lot to learn. Thanks for your tips and reminders. The one about not using a coupon just because I have it is a great ‘money saving’ tip to remember! 😉

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  43. I have made the mistake of buying things just because I have a coupon. I need to look more into using those coupon buying service things to take advantage of big sales!

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  44. Great post! Good advice “just because you have a coupon doesn’t mean you need to use it”. I have made that mistake by buying things I didn’t use.

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  45. I have to definitely get on the ball with coupons. Thank you for sharing these very useful tips!

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  47. I definitely agree with the tip about not using a coupon just because you have it. When I started coupling, sometimes I got so caught upon how much I was saving, that I was then surprised by how much I was spending… I was buying things I wouldn’t normally buy because they were such a “deal.”

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  48. Although I do most of these things regularly, it never hurts to read through this great list as a reminder. I hadn’t thought about buying coupons for awhile, so thanks for the reminder. I got all my Easter candy for free last year buying coupons for the candy!

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  51. Any information I can collect for couponing is extremely valuable for me. Among the many things I hope to help save money, couponing is one of them and so far, I have failed at this. I will clip coupons here and there and then I ALWAYS forget to take them to the store. I will have to check out the services you mentioned that allow you to load the coupons on to a store’s loyalty card- that will remedy my forgetfulness! Thanks for the information!

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  52. Great Post, I like Number 11 I think sometimes we buy stuff just because we have a coupon and not that we need it. I am a coupon blogger myself and abide by most of these rules.

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  55. Thanks for the tips here! I’ve been couponing for a year now and I must say that saving money is such hard work here in California but with all the tips I get from coupon blogs, I get by just fine. 🙂

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  56. One of my biggest problems with printable coupons, is that I print them out knowing the deal that I want to purchase and then I get to the store and all of that item is gone and before I can get back to the store to see if the said item has been stocked, they have expired and I wasted not only paper, but ink. So annoying sometimes! LOL

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  58. Great tips! I watched Extreme Couponing a few times and it was so unrealistic that I quit watching it. #11 is s true. It doesn’t matter how great of a deal it is, if you don’t need it, don’t buy it!

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  59. I love to coupon but go through seasons where I really work on it hard and others I hardly use a coupon for months. I definitely want to get back into the habit of it. I have a few sites I use to print coupons from or to look for deals. I will be checking back in with you!

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  60. I love your first 3 ways. I use those a lot! I great a buy-price list – a list that gives the maximum amount I want to spend on groceries. I don’t buy if it’s not at it’s buy-price list.

    I have not really taken advantage of mail-in rebates. Thanks for mentioning it. I’ll have to check it out!

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  64. I have always used coupons here and there, on shampoo, hair products and few others. Lately I have started cutting all of the ones out in the paper that we will use. It amazes me when I read on a blog that they got $100 worth of products for around $25-$30. How do they do it?? This is a great list that you have put together. I need to get serious about coupons. After all who doesn’t want to save money!

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  65. Wonderful tips! I used to be the master of coupons and savings, and still use a lot of coupons for household goods. I have been rather absent from couponing for groceries though. Last year I went through seveal health issues after having my son and decided regardless of what caused the issues, that my husband and I should make some changes in what types of food we eat. I’ve noticed that although there are some coupons and deals for organic/whole foods, it is very hard to save money when living on a 90% organic lifestyle. Have you come across any great resources for saving money on organic food? I shop at Whole Foods right now, which is ridiculously expensive, but the only other store even remotely close to me that carries organic food doesn’t carry much fresh organic produce which we eat a lot of. Whole Foods has coupons, but they usually are for things I don’t buy so I probably only save about $10-12 a month with coupons compared to the $15 a week that I used to save. Any suggestions would be AWESOME!

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  68. I have failed so many attempts to coupon my way to saving money. I think I get too ambitious and try everything at once, get overwhelmed and give up. These are wonderful, solid tips. I’ll take it slow this time, incorporating 1 or just a few at a time until I have a routine and then add some more. Thank you for reinspiring me to save!

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  69. Great tips! I wish we had a number 9. I tell my readers when starting out, that as long as they are saving that’s what matters and not to get discouraged with all that they can do with coupons, just to take it one step at a time.

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  70. I LOVE couponing! Ok . . . I don’t always love clipping and organizing the coupons (I should hire my daughter to do that) -but I do like the money saved – or the extra things we can get instead! We have 5 kids – so they are thrilled that I’m couponing – because I’ve been able to buy some of the fun snack things I normally wouldn’t buy at regular prices. 🙂 We’ve saved some money – but I think the first several months of couponing – we didn’t spend less – we just had 4 times as much food! 🙂
    Thanks for your post and putting some great tips in an organized fashion!
    Blessings!

    Reply

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