Using Coupons

Now that you have them all clipped, most people say "Now what?". I would recommend keeping them organized and in a container which you can carry with you at the store. The best advice I can give is to really evaluate what the coupon's worth is. I don't normally buy a product just for the brand name, so if you can get a better deal on a different brand WITHOUT the coupon, go for it!

Here are a few more tips for using the coupons:

• Use the coupons with a sale or a Buy 1, Get 1 (aka BOGO) deal. This week my grocery store has Snuggle fabric softener for $3.00 and there is a $3 off coupon that was in last weeks paper. Since that would make it FREE, its a great deal.
  
• Since I have been using coupons for so long, I have set price points I use for products. With coupons, you should never have to pay more than 50 cents for items like toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, etc. Obviously this varies by regional stores and sales, but using coupons really cuts back on household expenses. Also, you can get great deals on cleaning supplies.
• You can pair a BOGO sale with a BOGO coupon for 2 FREE items! Here is an example: Walgreens has Cover Girl makeup BOGO 1-2 times a month, and there are always BOGO coupons in the Sunday papers. I usually pair those together and get 2 free face powders or eye shadows.
  
• Another way to use these coupons is to use 2 coupons. This is where some people can get confused. Examples are the best to explain. Olay had a coupon for BOGO Quench lotion with a $3 off coupon attached underneath. At Target the lotion was $4.97. You can use the BOGO coupon for $4.97 off, plus the $3.00 off coupon because you are buying one item. So for $1.97 you have 2 lotions.

There are thousands of different scenarios, but the main point is to really pay attention to prices and sales, especially at places like Target and local grocery stores. Target has a lot of deals now that you get a $5 gift card for buying items. These are great to use with coupons! Once you really start paying attention to deals, you will see that every store has sales patterns. It sounds like a lot of work, but its really simple once you get the hang of it.

Ok, enough for now. Most of this is pretty much common knowledge, but I hope you learned at least something new!

XOXO,
Ashleigh