Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck

Each day this week, I will do a post on couponing basics.

Once you have all of your coupons, the most cost-effective way to use them is to combine them with a sale and stock up of things at extremely low prices. By doing this, you will not have to buy them again until they go on sale again. However, just because you have a coupon, does not mean that you should go out and use it right away. There are things that you buy frequently that you must purchase regardless of it being on sale, but save most of your coupons for sales. Here are some other ways that you can maximize your savings and save your sanity.

• Pick a few stores to focus on and don't feel discouraged if you miss a sale or a great deal. The nice thing about shopping is that there will always be more sales and coupons. It can be very overwhelming when you start couponing, because you want to take advantage of every deal. However, this is not realistic, so pick stores that work for you and do not worry about the rest.
• Stack your manufacturer's coupons with store coupons. In-store coupons can be found in weekly ads. Stores that issue their own coupons will let you use a manufacturer's coupon in conjunction with their store-issued coupons.
• Use 2 coupons on buy-one-get-one-free sales. When a store offers B1G1 free deal on a certain item, you can usually use one coupon for the full-price item and another for the free item.
• Use a coupon on an item with a mail-in-rebate. When a company offers a mail-in-rebate on an item, they reimburse you for the pre-coupon price of the item.
• Be aware of deals that print catalinas. Often catalinas will print on items that are on sale and that you have coupons for. These deals are not always advertised, so checking blogs help find them. Catalinas are usually good for a certain dollar amount off your next shopping order.
• Albertsons has in-store coupons that will double the value of your manufacturer's coupon up to $1. They are also called "Twice the Value Coupons" or "Doublers." When these coupons are issued, they are found in either their Wednesday or Sunday ads. The coupons that are issued in the Sunday paper are usually valid from Sunday-Tuesday of that week, while coupons issued in their main Wednesday ad are usually good for a full week. Using these Doublers with your manufacturer's coupons in conjunction with their sale items can result in 75%-95% savings. The catch is that you can only double 2-3 coupons per transaction. If you want to double more coupons than that, they must be done in separate transactions. Depending on the store, you can do 1-3 transactions at a time before you drop the groceries off in your car and come back in the store.