11 June 2009

Coupons In Your Newspaper Can Help Save Bucks at the Grocery

SAN FRANCISCO - APRIL 12:  Cans of dog food ar...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

By Alex Pastlin

Nearly everyday, people across the country receive sales papers scattered with coupons. If you're trying to grocery shop on a budget, going through the papers and cutting out the coupons that you can use is an excellent way to save money at the grocery store. Knowing which ones to keep, however, and which ones to toss is the key.

Coupons have actually been around since the 1800's when Coca Cola and Grape Nuts figured out that they could use them for advertising strategies. In the new millennium, customers save almost $5 billion dollars per year on their grocery bill by using coupons.

If you use coupons wisely, and make out a list and budget before shopping, you can save up to 50% on your grocery bill. That's pretty good savings, just by going through your newspaper.

To maximize your savings, before you leave for the store, make a shopping list. Then, go through your papers and search for coupons in order to find savings on the products that you are planning to buy. If you go through the papers first, you might wind up purchasing items that you don't need. You actually end up spending more money this way, not saving money.

Sunday newspapers, as well as their inserts, are a good source of coupons. They generally have a multitude of coupons for your local stores.

It's not a bad idea to consider buying a subscription to your local paper. Sometimes, you can even get subscriptions just for the Sunday edition. It saves money to do this rather than to simply buy one every Sunday morning.

Circulars, those papers that come to your mailbox throughout the week, can also be a source for coupons. Because they come more frequently, you might want to clip them as you receive them and store them in an organizer for later use.

Circulars, as well as your Sunday paper, are good resources for coupons because they are usually targeted to your local area stores. This comes in handy when you redeem your coupons because they are more likely to be relevant to your area.

Also, don't forget to check the grocery stores themselves for coupons. Some grocery stores keep copies of the stores specials near the entrance of the store. This is also a good way to see what is on sale within the store, even if the papers don't contain coupons.

Consider the expiration date when clipping coupons, and before using them. You don't want to check out, only to find that your coupon is not usable.

Lastly, watch for value days and double coupons days, usually advertised in the paper. If you use your coupons on these days, you can get even more out of your savings.

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