A solid coupon strategy can help you save up to 30 percent off your shopping. Here’s some online coupon tips that can help.
1. Stick to coupons for things you really use. Trying another brand is fine. Buying something you know you won’t or shouldn’t eat or use is a waste.
Americans tend to throw out about 27 percent of consumable food, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While this includes grocery stores and restaurants, the family refrigerator is also a culprit. One quick way to slice into your food bill is to buy only what you need.
2. Pick a couple of favorite coupon sites and hit them regularly.
Be sure to hit them early in the month, because sometimes manufacturers instruct the issuers to cap the number of coupons they distribute. Get there early and you get first pick. And don’t be afraid to check back several times a week to see if any new coupons are added. New coupons and offers are sometimes posted everyday.
3. Target the manufacturer sites of your favorite brands. It takes a little more time than just visiting several coupon issuers. But this is a great way to find coupons for the products that you regularly use.
And if you’re willing to provide your e-mail and/or snail mail addresses, you can often receive additional coupons.
4. Layer coupons with store specials and sales.
It’s also a good idea to find out if any of your favorite stores will match their competitors’ offers.
5. Visit store sites. Yes most of your department stores and grocery stores have online flyers. Shoppers can use these sites to find out about weekly specials, as well as store coupons.
The same goes for drug stores and big-box retailers. Many times you can combine those store coupons with manufacturer coupons to save even more on one item.
The big challenge for coupon clippers has been in finding grocery stores that will accept internet printed coupons. Unfortunately this is because of the tremendous amount of fraudulent theft that occurred in the early days of posting internet coupons. This sent companies back to the drawing board to find new controls so that grocery stores could feel safe about accepting this new form of promotion.
Good News!
The good news is that through the years more safety measures have been put in place and more grocery stores, such as Wal-Mart and Target, are now accepting more internet printed coupons.
With online coupons, sometimes there are important restrictions, qualifications or other fine print associated with an offer. Before you participate, read and understand all rules and restrictions associated with the offer.
Coupons, coupon codes, promo codes, sales and discount links may expire unexpectedly without any notice. When you see a good deal, take advantage of it quickly, because it may be gone before you know it.
