How To Start Couponing
Coupons have been around for as long as most of us can remember. How many times have you purchased an item and went, “Oh! I have a coupon for that!”. Getting a small discount always feels nice. But, what if you could turn those small discounts into big savings?
The good news is you can, but just like any other way of saving money, you have to put some time and effort into it. There is much more to couponing than simply cutting out a few here and there from a store flyer, there are cash back apps and more now.
If you want to maximize your coupon savings, you’ll have to get organized, focus on a store, learn some lingo and start stacking those coupons! Below is my Couponing 101: A Beginners Guide On How To Coupon.
Before Couponing, Get Organized
Have you ever been behind someone online that’s desperately looking through their pockets, wallet, or purse looking for their coupon? Don’t be that person. Before you learn how to start couponing, you must first learn how to get organized for couponing.
Lucky for you, this doesn’t require much. For starters, “getting organized” means something different to everyone. At a minimum, you should have a place to store your coupons at home and a way to keep them while on the go.
A simple binder, folder, plain old box, really whatever works for you will be enough to store the coupons at home. You might want a way to keep store flyers, newspapers, and coupon inserts that you haven’t gotten to yet organized too.
No matter how you do it, make sure it’s a system that works for you before you do anything else.
How to start couponing: Learn the lingo
You don’t want to sound like a couponing noob, do you? Of course not! Like anything else, learning some basic couponing terms will certainly help you learn how to start couponing.
Store coupon
A store coupon is only good at the particular store. The stores create these to get more customers in the door. Most times, they cannot be redeemed at a different establishment.
Manufactururer coupon
On the other hand, a manufacturer coupon is created by the product’s manufacturer and can be used at several stores. However, not all stores will accept this type of coupon.
Coupon Stacking
Coupon stacking is when a store will let you use both their store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon at the same time. Before doing this, you should figure out the store’s coupon policy.
This can typically be found online on the store’s website, or you can ask an employee. However, more often than not, you might find that even store employees don’t know the coupon policy very well.
Store Coupon Policy
So what is a story coupon policy? Well, that is precisely what it sounds like. A coupon policy lays out what coupons a store will accept and how you can use them. Some limit you to one type of coupon, and others let you “stack.” Some stores will even take competitor coupons too!
As mentioned above, each store is different, and your best bet is to go onto their website to find out their coupon policy.
Price match policy
Not exactly couponing, but still an excellent way to save some money. A price match policy is when a store will match the advertised price of the same product at a different store. Some stores will match the price; others might even discount the price even more. But, again, check online to find the most accurate information.
Coupon overage
Coupon overage is when you have a coupon to discount a product more than its price. How can that be? You might ask. When a product goes on sale, you might have a coupon worth more than the product.
For example, you might have a $2 off coupon for an item that is typically$3. However, maybe the product is on sale for 50% off, now only costing $1.50. If the store allows for coupon overage, your $2 coupon now nets you 50 cents toward purchasing something else.
Often, coupon overage is not allowed by a store, but they will give you credit for a future purchase, which is essentially the same thing in the long run.
Expiration dates
Expiration dates become very important when learning how to start couponing. Expiration dates are the latest date a coupon is still valid. Many will have start dates as well, giving you a few-week timeframe in which you’ll need to use the coupon.
Item limits
Another vital piece of information on coupons is the item limits. Item limits are the maximum number of products you can purchase to apply a coupon. You’ll need to pay attention to these if you plan on stocking up on a particular item.
Double and triple coupon days
If you are lucky, stores near you will offer double or even triple coupon days. These are days when the store will double or triple the value of any coupon you use. That means a $1 coupon could be worth $2 or $3. So you can find some high-value coupons and save them for these special days to have some substantial savings at the register.
Pick Your Store
Most of us will likely want to start collecting every coupon under the sun and watch the savings roll in. The enthusiasm is there, but that will leave you with your head spinning. When learning how to start couponing, it’s best to pick one store first to get the hang of it and work your way up from there.
More than likely, your best bet is your grocery store. For starters, you’re likely there about once a week and spending the most money there. Second, grocery stores will provide tons of practice with couponing as they are one of the top places to find and use them.
Get Your Coupons!
Now that you’ve got an excellent foundation for your couponing, it’s time to start collecting some coupons! There are many ways to find coupons both physically and digitally in today’s world. Below are some of the most common sources for coupons.
Story flyer
Typically located near the entrance, you can find a store flyer packed with coupons and sale information. This should be the first place you should look for coupons as you know the store will accept them and has that exact item available.
Coupon booklets
Another in-store place to look for coupons is at the cash register. Here, you might find coupon booklets containing even more of those money-saving coupons.
In-store printers
If you have a loyalty card to a store, you might be able to scan them while you shop to gain even more coupons. In addition, stores will sometimes have stations to check your card to print out coupons just for loyalty members throughout the store.
In your mailbox
You’ve likely received hundreds if not thousands of coupons in the mail already and thrown them away. Now that you want to learn how to start couponing, it’s time to take a closer look at what you get in the mail.
Most won’t be helpful for you, primarily when focusing on a single store. However, keep an eye on everything that comes in. Many stores will send their flyer and additional coupons through physical mail.
Store aisles
Besides the already mentioned scan and print stations, many stores will provide additional coupons to anyone shopping there right in their aisles. In addition, there will often be a small machine dispensing them next to the item they are for.
On your receipts
After you pay, many stores will give you coupons right with your receipts. More commonly known as “Catalina” coupons, you’ll be able to get even more savings if you hold on to these. More often than not, these Catalina coupons will be for something you just purchased or purchased from that store in the past.
Newspapers
Newspapers might feel a bit old-fashioned, but they still certainly have their uses. For example, many times, you’ll find additional coupons printed in the newspaper itself or in a coupon book\flyer that comes with the newspaper.
Food Packaging
Remember those manufacture coupons? Well, a great place to find those coupons is right on the product’s packaging! Yup, many manufacturers will print coupons on the packaging to entice you to rebuy their product. If it’s a product you typically get, cut that bad boy out and save the next time you get it.
Get Your Coupons Online
Not surprisingly, many coupons today are exclusively online. Below are a few places you can search online to find more coupons in your how to start couponing endeavor.
Store Sites and Apps
Most stores will have websites, and many will have their apps as well. Both are excellent sources to find digital coupons. There are different methods of using them, but most “load” the coupon onto your loyalty card and automatically apply when you buy the product. Otherwise, you may need to print the coupon out and remember to hand them over at checkout.
Manufacture Websites
Manufacturers will have their own websites too. When looking for additional coupons to stack, these sites are also a great source of coupons on your favorite products. Unfortunately, you’ll likely have to print these coupons out since manufacturers don’t have loyalty programs and cards for you to carry around.
Dedicated Coupon Websites
Couponing is very popular, so it should come as no surprise that there are tons of websites out there solely dedicated to providing you with even more coupons. The most well-known couponing aggregator site is Coupons.com. Other similar sites include CouponNetworks.com, RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com, and Swagbucks.com.
Check Your Inbox
Much like physical mail, we tend to trash many of our emails without looking as well. For example, many stores will ask for your email as part of signing up for loyalty memberships. When they do this, they will typically be sending you even more digital coupons you can use, so check that SPAM folder!
Couponing Apps
Much like the sites dedicated to coupons, you’ll be able to find apps that help you find the best deal online or give you cash back for using them to buy your favorite products. Here are a few popular examples:
Capitalone shopping browser extention
The CapitalOne Shopping browser extension can be installed on your internet browser to find you the best deals online. It will offer you coupons and compare the prices of an item you are shopping for on another site to let you know if there is a better deal elsewhere.
Ibotta
Ibotta is an app geared more toward instant rebates but is still a good one to know when learning how to start couponing. First, find the items you’ll buy in the app and complete the required actions. Then you simply scan or take a picture of your receipt to prove you purchased the item, and you get your rebate.
Rakuten
Rakuten is a cashback website and app that will give you cashback based on a percentage of your purchase. You also can link a credit card and choose which stores to get cashback from. Then, when using your credit card at these stores, you’ll receive money back into your Rakuten account.
Make Your List
You might be new to couponing, but making a shopping list should already be something you’re doing. If not, time to get started. Having a list of what you need to buy helps keep you on track and not make unnecessary purchases. If it’s not on the list, you don’t buy it.
When creating your list, try to be as organized as possible. Put the items on your list in the order in which the products are in the store, mark which ones are one sale, and which you have coupons for. You should also write down special coupon requirements such as limits, minimums, brands, etc. Be as detailed as possible, so there is no guessing come check out time.
In addition, you might want to keep track of your coupons and keep track of your store’s sales cycle. Typically, stores will be on a 12-week sale cycle, so take notes as you are in the store about what is on sale. Knowing a store’s sales cycle will help you plan ahead when shopping for certain sale items.
Go Shopping
Ok, the moment of truth. You’re organized, you’ve found your coupons, you have your list, time to do some shopping! The key here is simply to stick to your list and make sure you have all the coupons required.
When you are getting rung up, keep watching the cashier’s screen to ensure the correct discount is applied for any digital coupons or automatic savings. If you think something didn’t ring upright, speak up. It could be as simple as having the wrong product, the wrong size product, or the savings aren’t applied until the cashier totals the order. However, if you don’t ask, you might miss some savings.
Once everything is said and done, hand over your physical coupons and watch the savings pile up.
If the store was out of any sale items, ask for a rain check, as many stores will honor the sale price the next time you come in, but you have to ask!
Calculate Your Savings
One of the best parts of learning how to start couponing is to see all your hard work pay off. Often receipts will show how much you saved by being a loyalty member, but you’ll also be able to see what items had coupons applied to them. Then, add up those numbers to calculate how much you saved.
To motivate yourself, keep track of your personal bests. You can track info like how much you’ve saved on one order, what was the highest percentage you saved on a single order, how much you have saved overall, and what was your single best coupon. There are tons of ways to try and outdo yourself.
How To Start Couponing Tips
Here are some general tips to help you get started with couponing:
Dedicate time to finding coupons and getting organized, don’t wing it.
Only use coupons for items you typically buy. In other words, don’t buy something simply because you have a coupon.
Make sure the coupon makes the purchase cheaper sometimes. For example, buying a store brand is still more affordable than buying a name brand with a coupon.
Don’t be afraid to take multiple coupon books or store flyers.
Use coupons that take a percentage of the price off on more expensive items if possible.
When learning how to coupon, start with one store to get your system down, then move on to others you shop at
Don’t be in a rush when shopping. Instead, make sure you have enough time to check and double-check your coupons and final receipt.
Couponing Is a Skill
Like any other skill you learn, learning how to start couponing will take time and practice to take advantage of fully. Above has simply been a guideline for how you might want to learn how to start couponing. Everyone is a little different and will have a different way of going about it. Find what works for you and stick with it!
How To Start Couponing: Final Thoughts
Learning how to start couponing can be a great way to save a lot of money. Once you start looking, you’ll find that there are coupons everywhere. Being organized both before and during your shopping is vital. You’ll also need to make sure you know all the lingo and coupon policies of the stores you shop at. Start with just one store and build yourself up from there. Once you have a good system in place, the sky is the limit!
