Use Coupons? Don’t Forget To Do This

But unless you do the following, you could be missing out on perfectly good coupons that could help you save even more.

If you don’t clip coupons because you think it’s outdated, you should start. Because as you use coupons to save money each week, those savings could stack up to a significant sum at the end of each year.

And if you do clip coupons, you’ll need to follow these tips to ensure you maximize your savings. Because while the tips may seem standard and pretty obvious, many people ignore the details that can help them get the biggest discounts.

Tips to Make the Most Of Your Coupon-Clipping Experience

1. Research store policies.

Do you tend to limit your shopping to a handful of stores? If so, you should get acquainted with their coupon policies, so you don’t miss out on savings.

Does the store allow for overages? This is where your savings surpass the cost of the product, which can result in a discount on your overall bill. Stores like Dollar General and Walmart may allow for overages, which may entice you to look for coupons you can use there more often.

What about using coupons on sale items? While many stores don’t allow you to stack savings in this manner, others like Family Dollar and Target might.

By knowing store coupon policies, you can narrow your shopping to specific places that can offer the best savings. And it can also help you avoid the mistake of not using coupons on clearance items when it’s actually allowed.

2. Keep expired coupons.

A coupon’s expiration date may keep you from using it when it could still be perfectly good. Since manufacturers sometimes offer grace periods on coupons, you may still snag savings after an expiration date has passed.

What’s the moral of the story? Keep expired coupons and try to use them in stores. You may be surprised that they’re still functional thanks to grace periods. And if you have old store coupons, try using them as well. A store manager or cashier may let it slide, so they keep you as a loyal customer.

3. Always read the fine print.

It’s easy to get caught up in a coupon’s graphics and overlook the fine print. For example, a coupon may showcase just the liquid form of a detergent in its picture. But if you read the fine print, you may notice that the coupon applies to the powdered detergent as well.

4. Figure out where you can use it.

A manufacturer usually doesn’t care where you buy a product, as they just want you to make that purchase. Still, you may see a coupon from a manufacturer that showcases a single store, such as Target. By seeing “redeemable at” or “available at” Target, you may assume that the coupon is only good at that store. In actuality, however, the wording suggests that you can get the discount at Target and other stores too.

Compare that wording to “redeemable only at,” which indicates that you can only use the coupon at the selected store.