Families can save a lot of money when purchasing groceries by using coupons. Families may wonder whether or not the time searching and clipping coupons is worth it; it is. By simply learning the wheres, whats, and hows to using coupons, families can stick with grocery budgets and therefore, possibly be able to apply the saved money to paying off other bills or apply it to a fun activity (i.e. eating out, movie night out, small vacation, etc.).
Where to Locate Grocery Coupons
Families can find coupons in numerous places. Listed below are some places where families can locate grocery coupons:
- Purchase a newspaper
- Print coupons off of the Internet through a variety of websites (i.e. Red Plum, Smart Source, etc.)
- Swap coupons with family, friends, coworkers, etc.
- Purchase high demand coupons (i.e. baby diapers, baby formula, health and beauty products) for a low price on the Internet
- Obtain store coupons from within the store
- Sign up for emails and newsletters for highly used products; most companies will either email or mail out coupons for products to families
- Collect coupons that are mailed out
- Collect coupons that are printed out at the store (i.e. many stores have a printer that will print coupons at the cash register)
- Obtain coupons from store aisles (i.e. some stores have coupon holders adjacent to certain products that shoppers can obtain coupons from)
- Sign up on a variety of websites that provide samples and coupons when families provide opinions on new products
- Look for coupons in magazines
What to Do With All Grocery Coupons
Once a family has obtained coupons, it is important to determine which organizational method to use. There are a wide array of methods of how to go about this. Listed below are a wide array organizational methods that a household can choose from:
- Purchase a large index card box and label the tabs inside according the different categories of groceries (i.e. meat, frozen meals, dairy, etc.)
- Purchase an accordion-style file folder and label according to categories of purchased items
- Use a large binder and place plastic inserts inside to place coupons (i.e. can use plastic baseball or business card holder sheets; use label stickers to label each category)
- Use a plastic shoe box and insert paper tab dividers to identify each category
- Choose two organizational tool listed above for at home and to use in the store (many times families will come across unadvertised specials or clearance items that a coupon can be used for)
How to Use Grocery Coupons
When a family has a collection of coupons established and a organizational method chosen, the family may believe it's time to go shopping. This is not always the case, however. In order for a family to get the most "bang for the buck" or in the case the most out of the grocery coupons, it is important that the household members know how to effectively use the grocery coupons. Listed below are some tips for families to effectively use grocery coupons:
- Find coupons for products that are on sale
- Locate manufacture and store coupons for the same product (hint: check with the store to make sure that the store will accept two different coupons for the same product and whether or not there is a limit of how many times this can be done for each product)
- Contact stores to find out which stores do double and triple coupon days (i.e. store that participate in this may have limits on how many coupons a person can use per visit, identify the maximum amount of the coupon that can be doubled or tripled, and identify how many coupons can be used per product)
- Make sure to have a portable organizational coupon container to take to the store
- Use coupons on clearance items when applicable
When families use grocery coupons, a lot of money can be saved. The money saved can then be applied to family vacations, bills, or fun activities. For more ideas on how families can save money, please read the article Save Money and Become a Super Shopper.
Tracy Criswell - Tracy Criswell is a stay-at-home mother of four, ages two to nine. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mother over a year ago, she was a ...
