Saving on Groceries by Using Coupons

The current economy is making it harder and harder to make ends meet. You have gone over the budget and have trimmed as much excess as possible, but you still need to save more. How can you do it? One way is to save money on groceries by using coupons.

Manufactures distribute coupons for their products in several different places. One place to find a large amount of coupons is in the Sunday newspaper. If you live in a large area with more than one local newspaper, consider getting a subscription to each one. If you have just one local newspaper available in your area, have two copies delivered to your house or buy two or more at the store. All You magazine is also known for having a large number of coupons available in each issue. The magazine is available by single issue at Wal-Mart or through subscription via their website and at a discounted price through Amazon.com. Also look for coupons in the grocery store, on coupon printing websites, printed on product packaging, and on manufacturer websites. Ask friends for their unused coupons or request them through your local Freecycle group.

Different stores have different coupon redeeming policies. Some stores will double or triple the amount listed on the coupon, though they may limit the number of coupons you can use in this way. Other stores will accept recently expired coupons. Call the stores in your area to find out their coupon redeeming policies.

Once you have your coupons and know the store policies, look through all the sales flyers for the stores in your area. Most stores have their sales posted on their website or will send them out in the local newspaper. Look for sales on items that match your coupons. Doing this will maximize your savings. If you pay close attention to the sales and match them to your coupons, you can frequently find deals where you save anywhere from 50% to 100% on a product. For instance, it is not uncommon for national brand cereals to go on sale for 50% off, giving a $3.00 box of cereal a sale price of $1.50. If you have a coupon for $0.50 off that brand of cereal and your store doubles it to $1.00, you will end up paying $0.50 per box as your final price. When you find a good deal like this, buy as many as the store policy will allow. This is why you want to have multiple copies of each coupon whenever possible.

As a final step in saving money on groceries, plan your meals around your coupon and sale matches. For example, if ground beef is on sale, and you have a coupon and sale match on pasta, consider making spaghetti for dinner one night that week.

It may take extra time to shop with coupons, but the savings you will see will make it well worth the effort.