Using Your Coupons

You’ve learned how Coupon Sense works – now, it’s time to put it in action! Our savvy shoppers rely on these key strategies to make the most of their coupons and savings.

Stockpile Shopping – Most people shop each week for the items they need just for that week alone. Savvy shoppers however take the stockpile approach. If you can get a product – especially items like canned food, cleaning supplies and household goods – at a rock bottom price, buy in multiples. This way, you save time and money, and if there is ever an emergency, you can know you’ll always have those most-used items on hand. A fundamental piece of stockpile shopping is to get multiple coupons. Why get just one tube of toothpaste, when it is free? With multiple coupons, you could get three free tubes of toothpaste. Plan on buying a few newspapers each Sunday or ask friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members if they mind giving you the coupon inserts they don’t use.

Wait for deep discounts – Hold your coupon until the item it represents goes on sale at a deep discount. The secret to saving big and getting items for free or nearly free is to use coupons only on items that have been deeply discounted. For example, if you have a coupon for Ragu spaghetti sauce that gives you a $1 discount, you could use that coupon on a regular priced jar at $2.79. But if you waited until the item is on sale for $1 a jar, your final price is zero. And, if you had six of the same coupons and you waited for the sale, you could get six jars of Ragu for free. Now that’s a good deal.

Watch the sales cycles – Did you ever notice there are themes within supermarket sales campaigns? Some weeks, sales focus on paper goods and deli products, while the next week discounts are for frozen foods and toiletries; that’s because the grocery store sales trends run in categories, most often on a 12-week cycle. This means on any given week, you won’t be able to get every item you want at a great price. However, when you stockpile at deeply discounted prices and buy more of an item than you need at the moment, you’ll be able to weather the sales trends without ever overpaying for the items you use most.

Policies and Etiquette

Each grocery store chain has its own policy for coupons. To learn about the policies in your area, check with each individual store — we promise it will save you from any unnecessary headaches in the long run.

Here are the most common coupon policies:

Face Value – Coupons are accepted at the value listed.
Double Coupons – Coupons are accepted and the value is doubled up to $1. For example, a $.35 coupon is now worth $.70 and a $.50 coupon is worth $1. If you have a coupon with a face value of more than $.50 but less than $1, the maximum value of that coupon would be $1.
Triple & Quadruple Coupons – Coupons are accepted and their value is either tripled or quadrupled up to $1.
Double Dollars – Coupons are accepted and their value doubles up to $2. In this case, a $.35 coupon is worth $.70, a $.50 coupon is worth $1, a $.75 coupon would be worth $1.50 and a $1 coupon is doubled to $2.
Three Coupon Rule – When a store increases the value of a coupon by doubling, tripling or quadrupling the savings, the number of like-coupons will often be limited to three. For example, if you have a $.35 coupon for Crest Toothpaste, a grocery store will allow you to purchase three tubes of toothpaste and use the exact same coupons in one transaction. If you have a fourth coupon for the same item, the cashier may allow you to use it, but only at the face value of the coupon.

Please remember that CouponSense promotes couponing with integrity. With the high level of savings you can achieve using our shopping system, there’s no need to push the guidelines of acceptable shopping behavior.

• Use only one coupon per item.
• If a coupon is doubled, limit purchase to three of the same item.
• Do not try to redeem coupons past the expiration dates.
• Check the free coupons for the maximum retail value.
• Keep in mind that most stores allow coupon redemption up to the cost of the item and not beyond.

We encourage all our members to follow the rules set forth by each grocery and drug store as well as all manufacturers and to be respectful and polite to cashiers.

Requesting a rain check

There will be times when the items you want are out of stock. No need to worry about missing the opportunity to buy at a deep discount. Instead, just ask your cashier for a rain check. Typically valid for 30 days, rain checks allow you to come back at a later date and purchase the item at the sale price. If you have coupons for the rain checked item, it’s a good idea to attach the coupons to the rain check when you receive it so you have everything you need the next time you go to the store.

“Don’t pay more than” list

We’ve created this go to list, outlining good and great pricing for some of the most purchased items. Keep in mind some prices may vary per area, but our members love this, as it helps create a baseline for judging what and when to buy.