Maximize Your Savings with Double Coupons

Are double coupons worth it? The argument can go either way. Many grocery stores are offering double coupons all the time or just on select days. Doubling coupons is always better then just getting the original coupon amount deducted from the purchase price, but retailers and manufacturers can be tricky. There is more to getting the best price on an item than just a doubled coupon.

Stores can limit doubled coupons to a certain dollar amount. Some grocery stores will state that they double coupons up to ninety-nine cents. This means that the most money you can get off an item is $1.98. If it is a coupon worth one dollar then it will not be doubled. The stores cover the additional money when a manufacturer's coupon is doubled.

In order to capitalize on double coupons you must first do a little research. You will need to find out the prices of the items that you would like to buy. Once you find out the prices then you can decide if using a doubled coupon will actually save you money. Some stores will increase their prices to help offset the money that they are giving away for the doubled coupons. We have a local discount chain in Ohio. I have discovered that buying a name brand fabric softener at the store that doubles coupons will cost me $1.03 more than if I bought the item at the discounted store with just the discount of the coupon at face value.

One other national chain store doubles coupons up to $2.00 about once a month for four days. I normally try to take advantage of this offer on coupons that are worth more than a dollar. I will buy items such as over the counter medicines, shampoos, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other health and beauty aids. With the higher double coupon amount, I actually pay much less for these items then at a discounted store. These are also items that you can stock up on and not worry about expiration dates. I have gotten deodorant for forty-nine cents and toothpaste for free with these doubled coupons.

When shopping with coupons do not forget to check the prices of store brands or private label brands. These store brands may be less expensive even without a coupon. I recently bought microwave popcorn. I had a coupon for a certain brand that when doubled would give me eighty cents off of the product. Another brand of popcorn was on sale and was $2.00 cheaper then the brand that I had the coupon for. I saved my coupon and bought the brand that was on sale.

In order to maximize your savings you will need to watch when a product goes on sale. It is ideal to purchase an item on sale with a doubled coupon. Sometimes you have to plan ahead because it does not always work out that when you need item it is on sale. You can plan ahead by checking the stores' ads and reviewing the coupons that you have clipped weekly.

Manufactures are aware of the discount limitations that grocery stores put on doubled coupons. Since the manufacturer does not want to the stores to lose too much money you may see coupons that offer $1.00 off of two products. This forces the buyer to purchase two items and not receive the added benefit of a doubled coupon. After all, if a grocery store is earning less of profit then the store is not buying as much product from the manufacturer.

Manufactures may also place a "Do Not Double" statement across the top of the coupon. Since the stores are covering the cost of the doubled coupon, the only logical explanation for this statement is the manufacturer is offering the store a way out of discounting the extra amount. The store does have the choice on whether or not to go ahead and double a coupon that says "Do Not Double".

Doubled coupons are only worth their savings if you know the prices at your local stores, catch items when they are on sale, and pay attention to the cost of store brands.