Showing posts with label Coupon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coupon. Show all posts

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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26 May 2009

Ask The Right Questions To Save With Coupons

Piggly Wiggly was the first self-service groce...Image via Wikipedia

by Catherine Campbell

If you are like many of us these days you are concerned with saving money. Learning how to shop for sales, using coupons and taking advantage of all of the savings that are probable is certainly worth your time in these uncertain financial times.

Most everybody shops for foodstuff and groceries plus cleaning items like laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid and personal items like shampoo and soap. Coupons for these types of items are as a rule quite abundant and easy to find so capitalizing on the savings from coupons is a intelligent move.

There are often rules that go along with using coupons but rules are made to be broken. Ask the boss of the store what he will do or won't do. If you don't ask the question you'll never know but if you do ask the question you may get a pleasant surprise. Here are a few constructive questions you can ask.

See if the store offers its own coupons. Many stores do. You can continually check the website online but some stores may not have a website so just make sure that you inquire. If they have them they will gladly give some to you and if they don't then maybe you just gave them an plan that can bring in more business.

Ask if the store will allow you to use a coupon on a sales price or clearance item. Many times they will spell it right out on the coupon that it is not allowed but you can always ask. The worst they can do is say, "no" and they may end up saying "yes". If by chance they do you will save quite a bit more money.

See if the store will accept competitor's coupons. Most stores offer some type of a price promise that offers you the lower price if you see the item advertised at a lower price but many folks don't even ask about competitors coupons. It's in their best interest to say "yes" to this demand so ask the question.

Ask if the store will allow you to join coupons or use multiple coupons. When you combine manufacturers coupons with store coupons and sales you end up maximizing your savings. Many times stores will allow you to do this so make sure that you ask. You can also ask if they will accept expired coupons. They might and you'll never know unless you ask.

Saving money for your family is imperative and you need to do all that you can to achieve that. Ask the right questions and see what kind of deals you can work out with the stores. Take advantage of all of the savings that you can.

About the Author:
Jill Spencer is a freelance writer and mother who uses groceries coupons every week to save her family money.


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