So, hopefully by now you’ve all noticed my tip of the day in the upper right hand corner (right under my picture!). I wanted to make sure these were all in one place, accessible through a separate category. The newbies can read up on what was missed and all you old pros can have a refresher anytime you need it! So to view a running list of all of my Couponing Tips of the Day, just click on Tip of the Day Archive on the right sidebar.
Some of the better ones are worth repeating, so don’t be surprised if you see one you’ve already read. I have several couponing tips in the works, but I am bound to run out of ideas soon. If you have a couponing tip you would like to see featured, please email me at couponkatarina@gmail.com. If you’re tip is chosen, you will receive an envelope of coupons!
2010
Fri, Mar 26 | All You Magazine – Did you know that in the contents section of each month it gives you a whole list of what coupons are inside? Just cut out that list and keep it with you so you always know what coupons you have!
Sat, Mar 27 | Printing “Bricks” Coupons – You can usually print a bricks coupon twice by doing this: print the first coupon. After you get the message that your coupon has printed, hit your browser back button (I hit mine 3 times) until you see the computer/printer picture again. It will automatically print a 2nd coupon!
Sun, Mar 28 | Printing Coupons with Big Ads – Some coupons print with a big ad, which is a great advertisement for the manufacturer, but a big waste of ink for us! Assuming you have no other print jobs in your queue, just hit the cancel button on your printer after you see that the coupon has printed. Coupon prints – no wasting of ink!
Mon, Mar 29 | Start a Coupon Swap – No one can possibly use every single coupon that comes their way. Swap with coworkers, friends, family! While some have no use for those diaper, hair dye, pet food and Depends coupons, others do! Everyone saves when you combine forces!
Tues, Mar 30 | Don’t throw away those inserts! After you’ve clipped your must-have coupons for the week, FILE the leftover coupon inserts for future deals. You may think you’re never going to need those diaper coupons, but then you see they’re going to be $3.00 at CVS and you just happen to need a baby shower gift! You’ll be so happy with yourself for hanging onto those inserts! I file mine consecutively in a chic little accordion file (complete with a handle!). They’re organized, I don’t have to clip EVERY Single coupon each week and I never miss out on a great deal or freebie!
Wed, Mar 31 | Redeem vs. Redeemable – When a manufacturer coupon states “Redeem at Walmart”, you MUST use it at Walmart only. If it states “Redeemable at Walmart”, this means you CAN redeem it at Walmart, but it is also redeemable at any other store that accepts manufacturer coupons.
Thu, Apr 1 | Did you know that even when a coupon states “Do Not Double”, most stores follow their own doubling policy regardless of what the coupon states? The manufacturer is not losing any money because the doubling amount comes from the store. (thanks for the tip idea, Jody! You will receive a coupon packet!)
Fri, Apr 2 | Manufacturer Coupon vs. Store Coupon. How can you tell the difference? READ THE BARCODE. All manufacturer coupons start with a 5 or a 9. Store coupons you can spot a mile away, as they many times begin with several zeros, or letters. For example, a Rite Aid Store Coupon will almost always start with “RC”. Even if a store coupon says “manufacturer coupon”, it still could be a store coupon if the barcode says otherwise. This is important because you can combine a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon. You cannot use 2 manufacturer coupons on one item.
Sat, Apr 3 | Filler Items at Walgreens. When using a Register Reward to Pay for your Walgreens items, make sure you have an item to “attach” your RR to as it is considered a manufacturer coupon. Instead of grabbing a candy bar at checkout, plan ahead and purchase something useful like an inexpensive food or household product. I always give you a few ideas at the end of my Walgreens matchups each week. Also, keep in mind that Walgreens coupons do NOT count in your item to coupon ratio, so those items also make great filler items.
Sun, Apr 4 | CVS Kiosk. Before you do any shopping, always go to the kiosk and scan your Extra Care Bucks card. Coupons will print out for you to use that day or anytime before the expiration date. These are often referred to as CRTs (Cash Register Tape).
Mon, Apr 5 | “One Per Purchase”. When a coupon states “limit one per purchase”, what that means is you can only use one coupon per item (which is a silly thing to say because that’s true for all manufacturer coupons!). This does NOT mean you can only use one coupon for your total order…that would be “limit one per transaction“, which I’ve never even seen. As long as you have enough items, you can use one coupon per item, or “purchase”.
Tues, Apr 6 | Chances are most of your friends and family are not using all of their coupons. Speak up and ask if you can save them from the trash! Some of my friends & family give me their extra coupons and I repay them with some of the free stuff I got from using them! Seems like a fair deal to me!
Wed, Apr 7 | Price Matching. This term means you can take a competitor ad into another store and they will match (or beat) that price for that specific item. It’s great because many times the smaller drug stores will have a great sale but don’t stock much, which means they run out quickly. Just take their ad into Walmart (or Target, etc.) and get it for the same price!
Thur, Apr 8 | Buy One Get One Free (BOGO). When using a buy one get one free coupon, you can still use a coupon for the item you are paying for. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile now, you’ve seen the scenarios. If a cashier gives you a hard time, just explain that you are using the coupon for the item you are paying for. Nowhere on that coupon does it say you have to pay full price for the item!
Fri, Apr 9 | Magazines. Several magazines feature a few coupons per month…don’t let those get away! I cannot say enough about ALL You magazine, which features 40+ coupons each month. Check my Magazines category for the latest deal on this mag and more!
