Couponing is more popular – and more necessary, for many families – than ever. The more you coupon, the more important it is to make sure that you’re following accepted etiquette. You’ll leave a positive impression with your fellow shoppers, your local cashiers, and other couponers. And you’ll help encourage stores and manufacturers to continue to provide coupons.

Here are some basic rules you should follow when practicing the art of couponing:

• Read the fine print. Organize your coupons before you shop. Make sure you understand exactly which product sizes and variations are valid for purchase with each coupon. For example, if the coupon is for a 20-ounce bottle of orange soda, don’t plan to use it with a 12-ounce can of root beer. Even if it’s an honest mistake, the cashier may think you’re trying to pull a fast one.
• Don’t use photocopied coupons. Unless the store is providing them, using photocopied coupons may be considered coupon fraud, which is against the law.
• Don’t use more than two coupons per item. The general rule is that you can use one store coupon and one manufacturer’s coupon per item. If you try to use more, chances are you are violating store policy or the terms of one of the coupons you are already using.
• Never take a coupon insert from a paper you haven’t paid for. Unfortunately, coupon theft is on the rise. Some people are stealing coupon inserts either from store newspapers or from newspapers other people have already paid for. Saving a few bucks isn’t worth your integrity.
• Know the store’s coupon policy. Your grocery store, retailers and local merchants will all have different coupon policies. Some may allow you to use coupons for items that are on sale, but others won’t. Some may give you cash back if your coupons exceed the value of what you’ve purchased, while others may not allow this. They will all have different rules around rain checks. Familiarize yourself with the store’s policies so you don’t have an issue when you’re in the checkout line.
• Don’t take more than your share of coupons. If the store has tear pad coupons or coupon dispensers, take one or two, not five or ten. Leave some for your fellow couponers and other customers.
• Avoid peak shopping hours. If you show up at 5pm with the crowd that’s trying to buy groceries for tonight’s dinner, you’re going to make the cashiers’ jobs that much more stressful. Shop when the store tends to be less crowded, such as later at night or early in the morning.
• If you can’t use it, give it away. If you discover while at the store that you can’t use a coupon but it is still valid, leave it for someone else who may be able to make use of it.
• Don’t clear the shelves. While many couponers love the thrill of getting a vast amount of items for nothing (or next to nothing), only do this if you can actually use that vast amount. Don’t be greedy and leave the shelves bare; be considerate of your fellow shoppers and take only what you know you and your family will actually use.
• Survey the checkout line. If the person behind you has one item and no coupons, and you have 20 items and 20 coupons, let them go ahead of you. This common courtesy will help give you and your fellow couponers a good name.
• Always be kind to the cashier. Even if you find that the checkout person has an attitude about your coupons, smile graciously and thank them for their help. They may have had a run-in with an unfriendly couponer or someone who tried to trick them into honoring coupons that weren’t valid.
• Have your method of payment at the ready. This is especially important if a line has formed behind you while the cashier was scanning your coupons. Your fellow shoppers – and the cashier – will appreciate anything you can do to streamline the process.
• Use the customer service desk. If you have a disagreement with the cashier about how you are using your coupons, politely ask them if a manager might have additional insight. If the manager does not assist you, finish your transactions and bring the issue to the customer service desk.  If the customer service desk won’t help you, and you believe you are still in the right, follow up with a polite letter or phone call to the company that owns the store.  You’d be surprised how often you will receive a response if you keep things civil.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you and your fellow shoppers will have a more pleasant experience. And, just as important, you’ll help make sure that couponers everywhere get to continue to do what we love – find great deals.

About the Author:
Rebecca Lisanne Wells is a writer, editor, and web consultant. Her writing often focuses on consumer interests, web best practices, and American literature and culture. Rebecca has written for Monster.com, Fidelity Investments, Zooba.com, The National Gazette, CareScout, and numerous web development and design agencies. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

For everyone who loves cooking, technology and freebies, this is the deal for you! At Amazon.com, you can score your own free digital copy of “The Everything Soup, Stew, & Chili cookbook” if you Have a Mac computer or The Kindle Application. You don’t need coupons or to make purchases to get this deal! Hurry over and download your copy before they go back to the original retail price of 15.99!

Here is the link:

Everything Soup, Stew and Chili Cookbook

Forget the images of hoarders being bashed on reality TV. That isn’t the art of stockpiling. Rather, stockpiling involves strategic planning and shopping to ensure your family’s food supply for the short and long-term. It doesn’t turn you into a doomsayer or a religious zealot, although several religious including the Latter Day Saints “encourage” followers to stockpile and offer some excellent resources on how to get started. What the stockpiling mentality will do for your family is better prepare you to weather a natural disaster or a financial downturn such as the main bread winner becoming unemployed. It is a method of making purchases that capitalizes on market trends and offerings to make your dollar go further in covering your needed purchases.

Storage Space

Obviously you will need an appropriate space to store the items you intend to stockpile. However, next to your home entertainment center in the living room probably isn’t the best spot unless that’s all the room you have. Otherwise, you’ll be constantly reminded of the stockpile and won’t get to enjoy the peace of mind the tucked away resource is aimed at bringing to your life. A basement – as long as it isn’t prone to seepage – truly is your best bet because:

1. It is cool and dark. Heat and light can add to food deterioration.
2. Generally speaking, underground basements provide protection against tornadoes that can pick up your entire stockpile and spread it across several miles.
3. Most basements have enough room to set up metal shelving units.

Some people use a portion of their garage to stockpile. This is alright for paper products and toiletries but not the best solution for food storage particularly if you live in a warm climate.

In setting up the physical storage itself – such as a shelving unit – be sure to select a level and easy-to-access spot. If you have to climb over your holiday decorations and the artificial Christmas tree to get to your stockpile, you won’t be as motivated to maintain your surplus.

What To Stockpile 

Sounds pretty simple, but the correct answer to that question is this: Buy what your family eats. It doesn’t matter how much of a deal you scored on it, if your family won’t eat spaghetti from a can or lima beans, you haven’t made a money-saving choice. Certainly nutrition needs must be a factor but that food has to get past their mouth to do any good. If you are accessing your stockpile in a natural disaster, that’s not an opportune time to begin new eating habits. Here is a basic list to start with:

1. Canned fruits and vegetables including canned potatoes
2. Granola and nuts
3. Cereal
4. Baby food (if applicable)
5. Canned soup
6. Tuna and canned chicken (excellent sources of protein)
7. Powdered milk and powdered potatoes
8. Rice (white lasts longer; brown is more nutritious)
9. Bottled water in gallons
10. Freeze dried foods

How Much To Stockpile

 The answer to this question again depends on how these factors play out in your family:

1. How many members?
2. Heavy, moderate or light eaters?
3. How long can your family maintain a survival situation?
4. Is your stockpile for short term emergencies or for a long-term scenario?

The larger your family, the more food you’ll need. If your family has a more than hearty appetite, you need to plan for that. If a natural disaster or war were to occur, how long could your family hold out in your home? Would you want to live in your home for six months to a year or is your stockpile only for a short duration of one week to a month?

How To Organize Your Stockpile

How you store the food is just as important as the idea of building a stockpile. A monthly rotation of foods is the ultimate in stockpiling. This keeps expiration dates in check and allows you to age items out of your stockpile into your regular pantry for usage. Some people use a three or six-month cycle for rotating goods.

Placing dry goods such as cereals, protein bars, snacks, etc in sealable plastic containers eliminates insect infestations. There’s nothing as icky as critters crawling in your corn flakes. Do the same for canned goods if you are concerned that water damage might occur or if you live in a flood-prone area. Avoid buying items in glass container. But if you must, place cardboard between the rows of glass jars to minimize clanking.

How To Start

Unless you’ve won the lottery or have a significant amount of cash burning a hole in your pocket, the process of establishing a stockpile is going to take more than just one or two grocery shopping trips. Just outright purchasing an entire stockpile in one swoop defeats the purpose of stockpiling – which is buying goods in bulk at a lower price. Focus one or two items each shopping trip based on sales to build your reserve.

Key steps to take:

1. Write a complete list of all items used in a month as your beginning guide
2. Monitor grocery sales flyers to identify when various items are on sale
3. Combine sale prices with coupons when purchasing
4. Chart prices to identify trends
5. Record your savings as future motivation

Coupons and Stockpiling

This really boils down to basic math. If tuna fish is on sale at a price of 10 cans for $10 – which is a common marketing ploy used by supermarkets – and you have five coupons for 50 cents off each, you just bought that tuna for 25 percent less than the sale price.

The trick with coupon usage in stockpiling is to either have a well-developed coupon inventory or be able to quickly access the coupons that match what is one sale.

Here is where eBay enters the picture with its section devoted strictly to coupons. Catch here is that you aren’t actually paying for the coupons themselves: that is illegal. Instead, you are paying the person offering the coupons for their time spent in collecting them. Many offerings include multiples of the same coupon. Use the “Buy It Now” button to eliminate waiting time on bidding along with a Paypal account so your coupon purchase is sent to you without delay. This means you may be heading to the store toward the end of the sales cycle, but that shouldn’t be an issue as most stores re-stock or will offer a raincheck.

What Not To Do

Remember, the point is to save money on and build up a reserve of useful items. Don’t:

1. Store items that quickly spoil
2. Don’t skip a regular check of expiration dates
3. Don’t buy things most members of your family won’t eat
4. Don’t buy more than you have room to store

When traveling, it is helpful to understand the local lingo to communicate and find your way around. Likewise, in extreme couponing, there is a list of terminology that beginners should be aware of in order to understand how to make the most of their coupons for maximize savings prior to putting them to practice.

I’ve listed common coupon terms and abbreviations in alphabetical order for easy reference:

BOGO or B1G1: Buy One Get One Free

B2G1 or B2GO: Buy 2 to get one free

Blinkie: Machine with a flashing light that spits out coupons

Brick: Printable Coupon

Catalina Machine: A marketing tool that manufacturers use as an incentive to shop

CAT: A coupon that prints from a Catalina machine.  These coupons are good on your next purchase.  Mostly found at Walgreens and grocery stores.

CC: Competitors Coupons

CPN: Coupon

CRT: Cash Register Tape CRT (You get coupons on the bottom of you cash register tape in some stores)

Double: When the store doubles the face value of the coupon

DND: Do Not Double

DNT: Do Not Triple

ECB: Extra Care Bucks (CVS Stores)

E-Coupons: Electronic Coupons downloaded to cell phones or Loyalty Card

ES: Easy Saver (a rebate booklet)

EX or Exp: Expiration date

FAR: Free After Rebate

Free Item Coupon: Coupon that makes the item absolutely FREE

GM: General Mills coupon insert found in most Sunday papers

HOT: Hot deal or hot coupon

Inserts: Loose coupon booklets found in the Sunday paper

IP: Internet Printable Coupon

IVC: Instant Value Coupons (found in Walgreen’s rebate booklet)

MIR: Mail In Rebate (For a check to be sent, you need to mail proof of purchase and the UPC code)

MFR or MQ: Manufacturer’s Coupon

NED: No expiration date

OAS: On any size (Some coupons specify the size product to Buy, e.g. 200g packet, while some don’t)

OOP: Out of Pocket

OOS: Out of Stock

OTC: Over the Counter (Refers to drugs and medicines that are available without a prescription)

OYNO: On Your Next Order (You can enjoy a discount on your next online order)

OYNP: On Your Next Purchase (You can enjoy a discount on your next purchase)

Overage: When the face value of the coupon is more than the purchase price you save more than the item actually costs

P&G: Proctor & Gamble insert

PDF: Coupons that do not require installation of a printer/No Print Limit

Peelie / Peelies: Coupons that are on the front of a product and can be peeled to be used on your current shopping trip

POP: Proof of Purchase – used when sending in a MIR

PSA: Prices starting at

Q: Coupon

RA: Rite Aid Pharmacy

Rain Check: A written slip of paper that entitles you to purchase restock items that has run out at sale price

Rebate: A deduction from an amount to be paid or a return of part of an amount given in payment

RP: Red Plum insert

RR: Register Reward

SCR: Single Check Rebate

SC: Store Coupon

SS: Smart Source insert

Stacking: Refers to using a store coupon and an manufacturer’s coupon on the same product

Stockpile: The place where you keep all of your bulk or extra items

Stockpiling: To store lots of extra items not needed immediately

Store Coupon: Coupons that must be used in a specific store

Tearpad: A pad of coupons that is found on a store shelf or hanging in front of a store shelf

UPC: The Universal Product Code is found on the product packaging and is typically needed for MIRs

WAGS: Walgreens

WYB: When You Buy (Ex: Get 1 gallon of free milk WYB 4 GM  cereals)

YMMV: Your Mileage May Very (This means that each store and location may have different rules)

Extreme couponing takes shopping to a whole new level. It requires ongoing time and commitment to sourcing, selecting, printing, clipping, and organizing coupons. An experienced couponer knows how important it is to get organized and strategize the shopping trip beforehand. Below are the most effective methods for organizing your coupons.

The Three-Ring Binder

Steps:

1. Clip both online and offline coupons and sort according to store and categories such as Dairy, Frozen Food, Meat, Sauces, Canned Food etc.

2. Purchase baseball card sleeves from Walmart or Office Max and use label stickers to specify stores and categories.

3. Place coupons in the sleeves in their corresponding categories, sorted by expiration date.

The baseball card sleeves keep coupons intact and visible while labels help you quickly find the coupons you need.

The Filing Box

Steps:

1. Place your entire coupon insert into one section of your filing system, organized by date.

2. Use an online coupon database to find more weekly coupon inserts, add to the corresponding file.

3. Retrieve the coupon inserts and cut relevant coupons as you need them.

4. Bundle coupons with paper clips and add them to your filing box, organized by store or shopping trip.

5. Grab the clipped bundle of coupons from your filing box to take on your shopping trip.

This method is quick and easy because you only clip coupons as you need them, however is less visible and easy to scan than the three ring binder.

Small Tabbed Expansion File

Steps:

1. Use a small tabbed expansion file with a flap.

2. Label the flaps according to store and store sections.

3. Place in coupons according to labels.

4. Use coupons that are about to expire first.

5. Take the whole file with you when shopping.

This method is used exclusively for one shopping trip. Empty unused coupons, replace expired coupons and re-slot new and unused ones according to labels in preparation for the next shopping trip. The small expansion file is less cumbersome and can be conveniently carried around.

There is no best method for filing, it’s all about finding what is best for you. Consider your level of commitment, organization style, and attitude. You can always combine the filing methods mentioned such as using an accordion file, a filing box and a tabbed expansion file to eventually carry to the store. Try each one out to see which one works best for you.

To extreme coupon, bargain shoppers rely on many sources. They procure coupons from various places and combine them when shopping for the best deals. Clipping coupons from multiple sources will ultimately provide bargain shoppers with wider options such as a wider variety of products and deals in the form of buy-one-get-one-free, $1-off deals or discount offers.

1. The Internet

The internet is the most convenient and readily accessible tool that bargain shoppers can tap into for coupon procurement. You’ll need just three main essentials – the computer, internet access and a printer.

I’ve put together a list of great coupon sites that aggregate manufacturer offers from across the USA that can then be selected and printed in minutes. Yes, this is where your printer comes in handy.

Before I present you with the list, I’ll let you in on a little secret. As a coupon hunter, you should know that there are two categories of coupon sites:

• major websites that started the coupon craze and feature most of the coupon deals on the internet
• smaller websites that are fed by the major websites

An informed coupon hunter should look at major sites but also pay attention to the smaller sites operated by savvy bloggers for great curated deals:

1. Coupons.com (embed http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/)

Why go for Coupons.com?

Coupons.com gives users access to a huge selection of coupons that can be easily searched by product and grocery store. Generally, users are limited to one coupon per product, unless otherwise stated, from the list of products featured online for up to 60 days. While coupon enthusiasts are not required to sign up for membership to use the site to procure the featured coupons, signing in as a member will give savvy shoppers an added advantage by gaining access to high value premium coupons for more savings.

2. SmartSource.com (embed http://www.smartsource.com/)

What does SmartSource.com offer?

A very reliable website, SmartSource.com is a merger between local store sales and a wide variety of online and offline deals to help consumers make massive savings. Coupon enthusiasts are provided with a great selection of coupons by typing their zip codes that yield deals specific to users’ area, including offers found in the local newspaper.  Users can also benefit from new coupon alert emails, exclusive coupons and free samples.

3. CouponMom.com (embed http://www.couponmom.com/)

What does CouponMom.com offer?

CouponMom.com is not only my favorite coupon website but it also is the most talked about on television. What makes it stand out from other sites is the availability of the Virtual Coupon Organizer which is an interactive online grocery coupon database listing grocery coupons featured in the Sunday newspaper as well as from other sources by region.  The free printable coupons are updated daily featuring the best deals from 43 grocery chains and 7 national stores. A lot of time can be saved by using this tool to sort by coupon issue date, by expiration date or by custom search. In addition, the ‘Grocery Deals by State’ tool allows users to browse grocery store sales where the coupons from the circulars are already matched with the local grocers’ sales for that week! Awesome, isn’t it? The website also offers free Coupon Mom tutorial downloads for beginner and advanced shoppers who are keen to be more proficient in couponing. Now, since when has shopping evolved into a seriously skilled activity?

4.  RedPlum (embed http://www.redplum.com/)

What does RedPlum offer?

RedPlum offers visitors free exclusive deals based on their zip codes. The online-version of the Sunday paper insert is available on this site. RedPlum does not limit itself to just groceries but extends its services by providing consumers with home improvement and furnishings offers, gift ideas, travel deals, fashion tips and savings advice on housing, pets, groceries among others in the ‘How to Save Money’ section.

5. ValPak (embed http:// www.valpak.com/)

What does ValPak offer?

ValPak is a coupon site that I have been using for a while. Offering a wide array of products from grocery to dining, beauty to home and garden supplies, ValPak offers a list of national manufacturer coupons organized by zip code. New coupons are updated daily, so a daily visit is essential. In keeping up with technology, ValPak delivers electronic coupons straight to the iphone from which consumers can redeem offers. To strategize while shopping, I use the search function to look for coupons from local businesses by keyword, name and category. The site also sorts coupons by distance which saves me time in planning my shopping trips between stores.

2. Facebook

If you are an ardent Facebook user, liking and following the Facebook page of your favorite coupon sites will give you the benefit of accessing news feed updates on new coupons on a daily basis. That way, you can quickly access relevant websites to retrieve coupons you’d like to use.

3.   Sunday Newspapers

Sunday newspapers have been the second most popular resources for grocery coupons after the internet. In view of this, it makes sense to subscribe to the Sunday newspaper as it is relatively inexpensive. You can find one to four coupon inserts in the Sunday Paper each week namely SmartSource, Redplum, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever. Do take note, though that not every newspaper will have the same coupon inserts within the same city.

Here are a few tips to take note of prior to clipping your coupons:

1.  Check the front page of the coupon section for the value of offers contained, for example, ‘Save $55 in this SmartSource’.

2. Check if there are specific brands featured that week. For example, Unilever and Nestle typically publish their quarterly coupons for all brands in a single edition of RedPlum.  On the other hand, Kraft and Kellogs publish coupons for their brands together in SmartSouce.  General Mills and Betty Crocker coupons come out at various times, but typically are featured together in SmartSource.

3.  Check for ultra-high value, free items, or hard to find coupons.

The next thing to note is to ensure that you receive the best coupon inserts for maximum savings. This includes multiple copies of coupons for the purpose of bulk buying for even more savings. Consider the following pieces of advice to get the most out of newspaper coupon inserts:

1. Thoroughly check your local paper

Go through your paper carefully if you have it delivered to your home. If you are lucky, extra inserts many find their way into the paper during the sorting process.

2. Call your newspaper agent

If you don’t receive your regular inserts, call the paper on the same day and request that your paper gets delivered. Since the inserts are after all money in your pocket, ensure that you get your money’s worth.

3. Grab free papers

Many papers that are given free to the public subscribe to the inserts. You can help yourself to the papers guilt-free if you find outstanding coupon inserts in them.

4. Buy a second paper

Purchase a second paper if you find good coupons you’d like multiple copies of. In this case, you should ensure that the savings you obtain from the coupon inserts far outweigh the cost of the newspaper.

5. Drop by your Local Store

If you visit your store just before closing time, ask the store keeper for coupon inserts from the day’s paper. Usually stores return unsold paper for credit with or without coupon inserts. Trying your luck by asking your local store assistant or store keeper may have you end up making huge grocery savings.

6. Make friends with the staff at your favorite café

Make friends with the owner or wait staff at the coffee joint or café you habitually visit and ask if they could keep coupon inserts from the papers for you.

7.  Ask people you know

Some people don’t bother to use coupons so asking your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues may be the easiest way to get the coupons you are after.

8.  Start a coupon exchange club

Gather a few people you know who collect and use coupons and form a coupon exchange club. This way, you can collect multiple copies of the product you intend to purchase by simply exchanging the ones which you won’t use with those you find valuable.

9.  Coupon recycling

Recycling coupons is a great way to save the environment. Place a coupon collection bin in your workplace where unused coupon inserts can be recycled for use by coupon fanatics.

4. Magazines

I swear by the magazine ‘All You’ for its plethora of manufacturers coupons which can amount to a value of up to $90/month. ‘All You’ magazine is available at Walmart or by subscription. Here’s another secret. If you subscribe to ‘All You’ online, you will receive 51% cash back. Now, that’s big bang for your bucks considering it costs under $1 an issue. Smart savings, isn’t it? If you happen to subscribe to the Sunday paper, ‘Parade Magazine’ comes with coupons too, albeit not as jam-packed with coupons compared to ‘All You’.

5.  Email

Take advantage of the internet and send coupon requests via email to your favorite stores. Many are happy to send their downloadable coupon booklets to you.

6. Stores

Check out store circulars in your local store for store coupons. Pick them up prior to planning your week’s meal to stretch your dollar.

Extreme couponing has become a popular alternative to paying retail prices, and helps families save money in a turbulent economy. As featured in the reality show on TLC, it is possible to cart away groceries worth $500 or more for sometimes as little as $5! In the process, you can stockpile enough goods to last you through tough economic times like layoffs, medical bills, and other unforeseen financial events. The trick is knowing how to coupon effectively.

Here’s how:

1. Gathering

You need to first set aside several hours a day to hunt for new coupons. You may be swarmed by free coupons in the mail, newspapers and on the internet. I depend quite heavily on online coupons, so the bulk of my time is spent looking through coupon websites. My advice is to first gather as many coupons you can from various sources, then sort through them one by one. In addition, I go to various websites that upload electronic coupons directly to my store rewards cards.

2. Filing

Use a proper filing method to store your coupons systematically to keep tabs on expiration dates and maximize your coupon stacking. Don’t be in a rush to use the coupons immediately. In order to use coupons effectively, you will often have to use them at a later date to combine with store sales. Be aware of the coupon expiration date, however, as you don’t want useful coupons to go to waste.

3. Listing

Make a list of multiple coupons you have and plan to combine store coupons with manufacturer ones to maximize savings. Take advantage of stores that double or triple coupons for even bigger savings. Write your shopping list and ensure that you have the right coupons for the items included.

4. Stacking coupons

You will need to organize your coupons so that different types of coupons in the form of sale coupons, store coupons and manufacturers’ coupons can be combined. Combining coupons is known as ‘stacking’ and is one of the main strategies used by experienced couponers to save big bucks. Mastering this strategy is key in reaping the maximum rewards.

5. Bulk buy at bottom prices

It is essential to know when prices hit rock bottom. A general rule of thumb is the 6-8 week cycle. I take note of which essentials go on sale at what price at this time so that I can strategize my shopping. For instance, when the price of chicken fillets hits $1.99/lb, I grab two months’ worth of chicken and store it in the freezer until the next sale as I know that is the lowest price for that item. Keep a record of prices during sales to help you determine the best time to stock up.

6. Combine Sales with Coupons

This strategy has been touched on again and again simply because it is the most widely used to maximize savings. For example, when my favorite store is having a sale, I use my $1-off coupon to purchase sour cream sold at 50% off its retail price. At $0.95 sale price, I manage to walk away with the item for free.

7. Bulk buying

To further take advantage of the above-mentioned offer, I use multiple $1-off coupons to stock up on 3 16-oz containers of sour cream. You may end up not having to pay a single cent if you use coupons for small items than for bigger ones.

8. Loyalty program

Sign up for store loyalty programs to take advantage of store sales. The reason why you should sign up is because some stores won’t allow non-members to shop at sale prices. You won’t be able to use your coupons unless you become a member.

9. Familiarize yourself with your local stores

Look for coupon friendly stores in your area. Some stores accept coupons but they don’t double or triple and limit their offers to store brand items. Sometimes, pricier stores can afford to take bigger losses with their sales. They use the huge sales and store promotion strategy in the hope of luring people into the stores to pick up non-sale items as well. Understand the marketing strategies used in the various stores and what kind of deals they offer before you decide on which stores to shop.

Consider the coupon tips I’ve gathered from my shopping experiences below:

• Manufacturer coupons up to a certain value are doubled at some grocery stores.
• You may use one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon per item.
• If the store is out of any item you planned to buy, ask customer service for a rain check.
• Most sales are on a six-to-eight-week cycle. Buy in bulk and stock up on frequently used items during this period. Maximizing coupons during store sales will stretch your bucks even more.
• Be brand flexible whenever possible as some brands have better sales and coupons.
• Sign up for a new e-mail address mainly for coupon use as there is a likelihood of getting a lot of junk mail.
• Pick one or two grocery stores and one drug store. Shopping at more than two stores can be a waste of time, energy and effort.
• Wait for a sale after clipping coupons.

To make couponing a success, you have to be organized, apply the proper shopping tactics, and use your coupons at the right time. Consider this an investment in your financial future. Happy couponing!