Everyone wants a bargain so that they can have more money in their pockets. Collecting coupons is one strategy that people can use to save money on groceries. Coupons are tickets or documents that are usually issued by the grocery store and can be redeemed for one to get a discount on the purchase of a certain item. In addition, coupons are very specific about the brand and external features of a product. A retailer won't give a shopper a discount on an item that doesn't match the coupon's description. Coupons also have expiration dates, meaning that they have a limited shelf life. Despite this drawback, coupons can help a person save hundreds of dollars every month on grocery shopping. However, collecting coupons is not as easy as it sounds. A person might think that saving coupons is all that it takes, but that's not the case. One has to follow certain guidelines to become good at couponing.
5 Steps to Take to Start Couponing
- Make time for it
- Find the coupons you want to use
- Classify the coupons into groups
- Know what overage means
- Know the stores and plan accordingly
The Strategies Explained
If a person is starting out on couponing, they have to take the activity seriously by making time for it. They can spend anywhere between 1 and 2 hours just searching and collecting coupons. After some practice, it can take less than an hour if the person gives the activity their full attention.
After creating time for the activity, the person has to find the coupons wherever they are. They can visit local bulletin boards, look for them in the newspapers, locate them in store flyers, or search for them through coupon websites and apps. Online seems to be the way to find the most coupons now.
Once the person finds the coupons, he or she has to organize them for easy retrieval. They can be grouped according to their date of expiration or brand. Additionally, the coupons can be pinned on a plastic board, stored in an office file or cabinet or any other place that the collector finds relevant and safe.
A person also needs to know how they can use a coupon to their advantage. On rare occasions the total value of the redeemed coupons surpasses the actual price of an item. This scenario is known as a coupon overage. When an overage happens, the owner of the store owes the buyer money for the extra value. The additional amount can be used to buy other items.
So that couponing can benefit the collector, they have to know the coupon policies of various stores around their area. For example, does the shop accept both the manufacturer's and store's coupon for the same item? If it does, they can use the policy to gain overage. It's also worth noting that not all stores accept coupons; therefore, the person has to do some research.
Couponing can help the shopper save thousands of dollars every year on grocery shopping. These people have to stick to certain couponing guidelines if they are to be successful at the activity. Something worth noting is that couponing takes time, and the person collecting coupons should be patient when looking for them.