Bargain Discount Shopping: Finding And Using Coupons Effectively

By MySpendingPlan.com Editorial Staff

Coupons are a great way to save money, and not just on groceries as most people believe.  In fact, coupons can help you to save on baby products, beauty products, cleaning supplies, medicines, snacks, dairy items, and even on your restaurant bills.  And not just savings, but coupons can also give you free stuff and free samples.  Below we show you where to find coupons (online coupons included) and also how to use them so that you can stretch your dollar to the maximum.

Where To Find Coupons

• The internet is a great place to look for coupons - check out our grocery coupons printer, for example.  Many vendors offer online coupons on their websites that can easily be printed or saved for use.  In addition to these free online coupons, you can even buy physical coupons on the internet.  There are even people selling coupons on eBay.  Not only can you get coupons that will give you high discounts, but these will also be sorted and categorized properly.  However, when buying coupons through eBay and other sites, make sure the shipping costs so high as to offset your coupon savings and also make sure that you’re not buying online coupons that you can easily find for free.
• The next place to look would be the Sunday newspaper.  Many papers include an extra insert just for coupons, so make sure that your insert is intact. 
• Don’t throw away promotional mailers and fliers without looking through them.  Many of these can contain coupons which offer good savings, free samples, and other bargain discount shopping offers.
• When shopping at stores or malls, make sure you pick up those free in-store circulars and leaflets.  These circulars often announce great deals and shopping discounts.
• If you frequent certain shops and stores, enquire if they have a mailing list (online or offline).  If so, put your name on the mailing list.  You’ll be surprised at the great shopping coupons that will come your way and you’ll also be able to know exactly when the rock-bottom sales are taking place.

Using Coupons Effectively

• Sort your coupons by category and then file them in order of expiration.  Do not clip and file coupons simply because it seems like a good offer.  If you do not buy the stuff that the coupon is for, don’t just cut it out to add to your collection.  Most people find it very difficult to find the coupons that they actually need in a very large collection and thus get fed up and miss out on the coupon savings altogether.
• Shop at stores that often double or triple your coupons.
• If you have friends or neighbors who collect coupons, swap coupons with them.  This way, everybody gets to have the coupons that they actually need in order to save money.
• Most people shop with their coupons at the local discount store as they think that saves them the most money.  However, shopping at your local grocery chain or the store that has the higher prices is often a better bet as these stores run many advertisements, which when combined with your coupons can translate into huge savings.
• Don’t buy a more expensive brand simply because you have a coupon for it.  Even after using the coupons you may still end up spending more money than you would have if you stuck to your regular cheaper brand.
• Ask for free samples or free stuff with your coupons.  Many vendors will oblige so as to keep your business.
• Ask if your local store will honor a competitor’s coupon.  Many companies and stores simply do not have the time or the money to have their own coupons, but don’t mind offering discounts on other coupons if it means getting a new loyal customer.

Thus, you can save a lot of money by using your regular coupons and online coupons effectively.