What is We Use Coupons ?

We Use Coupons(WUC), are all about coupons!! We use coupons is an online community full of people who use coupons and discuss when and where to use them. We hope and encourage you to take part in the conversation. If you have a question, join and ask one of our many members, who will be happy to give you advice about almost anything!

The objective of this forum is to provide a platform for you to learn how to use coupons as well as post deals you find anywhere and everywhere. It does not matter if you are novice or a veteran, use two coupons or use hundreds, we all share one common goal and that is to save money at the grocery store!

Beating High prices - The Why and How of Couponing.

Section 1.  Why Use Coupons?
Section 2. Where do I Find Coupons?
Section 3. The Stores and Their Pricing Methods
Section 4. How to Organize Coupons!
Section 5. How to Use Coupons
Section 6. Doubling a Coupon's Value?
Section 7. An Overage, Lucky You!
Section 8. Trading Coupons
Section 9. Rain Checks
Section 10. Savings Isn’t That Hard

Section 1.  Why Use Coupons?

Coupons can seem overwhelming. You have no idea where to find them. Then you have to clip, organize, and match them up to products and sales. I thought the same thing before I started using coupons. My weekly grocery bill was around $100-$120. I was usually buying things that were on-sale usually purchasing the store or off brand products. Now I am spending around $40-$50 each week on groceries and sometimes less. I am buying almost all name brand products, and my cabinets are so full I have asked my wife if we can convert one of the spare bedrooms into a large “pantry.”
The simple answer to ‘why use coupons’ is this: you save money. Lots and lots of money. I never imagined that I could walk out of Wal-Mart or any other large grocery store only spending a few dollars and getting ALL my essentials. Coupons are cash in paper form.

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Section 2.   Where do I find coupons?

Coupons are everywhere! If you’re not looking for them, you often don’t even see them when they’re right in front of your face. So where can I find them?

First and most obvious: Newspapers. Every Sunday your local newspaper should have the coupon ‘inserts’. An insert is a book of coupons. The 3 common inserts in the Sunday paper are SmartSource (SS), RedPlum(RP), and P&G Saver(PG). Let’s start with the P&G Saver. This comes out once a month on the first Sunday of the month. Many people look forward to this insert because it can have very valuable coupons that make many items free or nearly free. SmartSource and RedPlum usually come out every week with varying quantities of coupons in each. The only exceptions to these timelines are holidays. Holidays interrupt the schedule, so check our ‘insert scheduler’ to see how many inserts will be in the paper.
On a frugal note, the newspaper is generally more expensive on Sundays, so find a store that is selling it for a dollar. Usually stores like the Dollar Tree or even your local grocery store sometimes have newspapers for $1.00. I usually buy 4 or 5 papers every week because if something is free, I can buy it five times to maximize my savings.

Second: The Internet. There are so many good websites, but I would start out by searching smartsource.com and coupons.com. These and many others have online coupons that you can print. You are usually allowed to print two copies of these coupons but no more. The first copy is intended for you to use; the second copy is allowed in case of printer malfunction. The second copy must be obtained by hitting your back button on your browser after you print the first one. If you try to print more usually the screen with say, “Sorry, you have printed the maximum number allowed.” If you really want to print more, go to a different computer. Many people go to libraries because there are many computers all of which will give you a yield of two each. Retailer’s websites like Food Lion, Target, and others have online coupons. They put out new coupons every week for you to print and use only in their store. Many stores like Albertson’s will honor their competitor’s coupons. Other stores like Kroger are starting to allow you to load coupons onto your Kroger cards. Ask your retailer to find out if they have any special programs, and don’t forget to register at your retailer’s website.
A word of caution: Many people have been scanning coupons or copying them on color photocopiers. Because of high fraud rates, many stores are now refusing to take internet printables. It is illegal to copy or scan coupons. Don’t do it because it hurts everyone when stores crack down on coupon usage.

Third: Tearpads. Have you ever seen coupons in a pad form at the store usually in one of the aisles? That is a tearpad. When I go to the store I keep my eyes open for them because I have found some of the best coupons there. When I see a good tearpad, I usually take 5-10 coupons, always making sure to leave many behind for others. Always be kind and leave some behind!

Fourth: Peelies/Blinkies. Peelies are coupons you peel off boxes. Blinkies are machines that spit out coupons and are usually situated around the product featured on the coupon. These are always found in your stores and never anywhere else. Blinkies are not very controversial. I stand at the machine and wait for it to spit out 5 or 6 coupons and go on my way. Peelies which are peeled from boxes are a little touchier. Many people will say that it is unethical to take peelies off a product without buying that product. Others will tell you to take as many as you’d like as long as you will buy that product in the future. Do what you feel is right. I have read that over 35% of people still do not use coupons even when they are taped to the boxes.

Fifth: Sample Displays.Many stores will have a sample day, usually Saturday or Sunday. Many times there are very good coupons at those displays. Make sure to ask the person attending the table if you could take a couple extra coupons.

Sixth: By Mail. Contact the manufacturer of all the products you buy. Check the back of the boxes and bags to find the 800 number. Tell them how wonderful (or terrible) their product is, and ask if they have any coupons or coupon booklets they send out. Often the manufacturer is eager to put these in their customers’ hands.

Seventh: EBay/Coupon Clipping Services. Many people swear by these. Usually these are the most effective if you have a specific coupon you are looking for. Buying non-specific coupons on EBay doesn’t usually help much. But, if you’re looking for a BOGO coupon that could save you $40 or $50 then maybe it’s worth looking into.

Finally: Trading/Coupon Trains.On WUC you can join coupon trains and trade coupons with other members. We often have many people that are trading with each other by checking the wishlists of other members and making offers. This is one reason you should always clip and save every coupon! You never know if someone may want it, and if they do, you could reap the rewards. Coupon trains are very simple to join as well. Check out our Trading and Trains section to learn more!

Section 3.  The Stores and their Pricing Methods

Let’s begin by talking about Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart employs a pricing strategy called “always low prices.” How they accomplish this is simple: Wal-Mart uses its massive buying power to generate enormous sales volume. When they sell a lot of something, even though the profit on that item is small, it adds up quick. Wal-Mart very rarely ever has a sale.

Most other stores use a method called high-low pricing. This includes grocery stores like Kroger, Albertsons and Publix and also drug stores like Walgreens. The high-low pricing model attempts to pull shoppers into their stores with low prices on some products (very often lower than Wal-Mart) and then sell other items with higher profit margins.

So why not just shop at Wal-Mart all the time since you’re more likely to get lower prices? If we buy one box of Cheerios from each store, the box of Cheerios always costs the same (in this case $2.89) at Wal-Mart because they have “always low prices.” At Kroger, the same box is $3.39. That is a $0.50 difference. Now when we present our $0.55 off coupon to the cashier at the checkout watch what happens. The final price for the box of Cheerios at Wal-Mart is $2.34, and remember Wal-Mart does not double the coupon. At Kroger, that same box of Cheerios is now about the same price, $2.39. This happened because Kroger doubled our coupon. They know their prices are higher than Wal-Mart’s, so they give us an incentive to shop there.

But wait; remember the high-low pricing method that many stores utilize? Watch what happens when Kroger’s box of Cheerios goes on sale. The price drops below Wal-Mart’s “always low price” by $0.29 cents. This is hardly a reason to run out and stock up on cereal at Kroger, but when we use a coupon with the low sale price, the savings becomes substantial. That $0.29 becomes a savings of $.74 per box. In other words if you had a large family and bought 4 boxes of cheerios at Wal-Mart, you could buy 6 at Kroger for the same price.

When stores utilize high-low pricing, the key to saving is to shop and stock up on the low prices. Often if you buy when products are on the low price, you will get the items for free or nearly free. Truth be told, I shop more now in my local grocery stores than I do at Wal-Mart because they have much better sales.

Section 4.  How to Organize Coupons

Now that you’ve started clipping and collecting coupons, you need to keep them organized. There are four popular ways to accomplished this:
-Accordion Style File Folder with Dividers
-Three Ring Binder with Baseball Card Holders
-Multiple Envelopes
-4x6 Photo Album

Accordion File Folder: They can be purchased at almost any store. This is probably the most popular way to organize coupons because it is so portable. The limitation with this method is quantity. If you have lots of coupons to organize then you will have to separate your coupons into two or three different folders. Some people have one folder per store.

Three Ring Binders: This is a great option for visual people because you can ‘see’ your coupons. It also will hold many more coupons. This works the best for me. My binder (pictured above) weighs 12 lbs. It sits nicely in the cart for easy access while I’m shopping. I often get stares, glares and occasionally an “Oh my Gosh! That’s Awesome!!” I sort my binder by category of product, and put multiples of the same coupons in the same baseball card holder. It works great for me. If you don’t have old baseball card holders laying around, you can purchase them at an office supply store or go to a comic book store. Comic book stores will often have many card holder sheets at very cheap prices.

Envelopes: This method works well if you don’t have many coupons to manage. Some people label their envelopes by store, and some label by category of product. Whatever fits you best!

4x6 Photo Album: This works a lot like the three ring binders. Photo albums work well for visual people, but usually don’t have as much space as the three ring binders.

If you have any other organizing methods that work for you, let us know about them!

Section 5.  How to Use Coupons

Now you’ve organized your coupons, and you’re in the store. Let’s discuss some general rules for using coupons:

1.You can only use ONE manufacturer’s coupon per item. This is almost always true. Often the coupon will specify that it is a $1.00 off 2 items. You must buy two items and can only use 1 coupon for those 2 items.
2.Generally, depending on the store, you can combine one manufacturer’s coupon with a store coupon for the same item. This is the rare instance where you can use two coupons on one item.
3.Beware and read your coupon. Many coupons will say ‘any’ product. Look for the smallest product because the margin of savings will be better. Many coupons are specific about quantity or weight. Make sure to use coupons correctly.
4.Generally you can use as many coupons in one transaction as you’d like unless the coupon says otherwise. The stores usually do not have coupon limits, but they do usually have a limit on the quantity of items you may buy at sale price for example “limit 4.”
5.Never give a cashier a coupon that you know will scan when the matching item was not purchased. That is called coupon fraud! This hurts the cashier, other coupon users, and you. You could be jailed or fined.
6.Watch and know which stores double and which do not. Often stores will double the first two of an identical coupon and honor the rest at face value. Know your store!

Section 6.  Doubling a Coupon s Value

Did you know that if you have a $0.50 coupon in many stores it will double to a dollar? That’s right. That little pathetic $0.50 coupon becomes a powerful dollar, and if you buy the item at the right time, that coupon can make the item free or darn near close.

Let’s talk about doubling. In theory doubling might seem very simple, but in practice it can be very confusing.
In my personal experience, coupons that have a face value of $1.00 or higher never double. This means that if you have a coupon with the face value of $1.00, it will always stay the same. Likewise, if you have a $2.00 coupon it will always be $2.00 and so on.

Many grocery stores across the country do what is called a true double. This means that any coupon with a face value of $0.50 or below is doubled. If you have a $0.20 coupon, it becomes $0.40 at the register. If you have a $0.50 coupon it becomes $1.00 at the register and so on.
So what happens to a $0.55 coupon? That’s the tricky part of doubling. Coupons with a face value from $0.51 to $1.00 are subject to your local stores’ policies. Many stores will do an incomplete double. This means that the coupon will double up to $1.00 but not over $1.00. For example, if you have a $0.55 coupon, the store will give you $0.45 and “incompletely double” it to $1.00. This varies greatly and depends completely on each store’s policy.

Why do stores double or triple coupons? One word: incentive. When a store doubles a coupon, that specific store eats that double. That store knows that when you’re in the store, you will most likely buy milk, eggs, and other essentials along with that item on which you used a coupon. Stores also want to build brand loyalty, so the more you are in that store, the more you feel attached to the brand. For example, if you go to a different Wal-Mart than you usually shop at, you might feel like you are unable to find the things you need. You get comfortable in the store you’re at the most, and doubling gives you incentive to get you into the store so you become a loyal customer.

So which stores double coupons? Again, this varies from store to store and from region to region. In my experience, one thing remains constant; drug stores never double coupons, neither does Wal-Mart or Target. Usually the stores that double are slightly higher priced grocery stores like Kroger, Publix, Meijer and Safeway.

How many coupons are doubled in a single transaction?This again varies greatly from store to store. Lets say I have ten $0.50 Tide coupons. I want to buy 10 bottles of Tide Detergent because they are on sale. If I go to my local Kroger, they will double the first 8 identical coupons that are identical. I have many other coupons in that transaction that will double, but only the first 8 of the tide coupons will double. That means that 2 of the Tide coupons won’t double, and I’d be wise to separate the transaction in order to maximize my savings. At my local Meijer, they only double the first two identical coupons, so in order to maximize my savings, I’d have to split up the Tide coupons into 5 different transactions. I could use other coupons that are different, and they would double fine, but only the first two identical Tide coupons would double. Some stores have unlimited doubles! My best advice is to test each store. Find out if they double, what the face value doubles to, and what their double limit is. Asking the customer service representative is a good idea too. In my experience though, they often have no idea, but it never hurts to ask!!

Section 7.  An Overage! Lucky You!

Most people have never heard of an overage, and I hadn’t either until I started looking for them. When the final value of the coupon is less than the actual price of the product, it is called an overage.

Here’s an example: French’s mustard was on sale for $0.75 a bottle. I had a $0.50 coupon which doubled to a $1.00. The difference was $0.25 in my favor, so it was a $0.25 overage.

Another example: Pert Plus shampoo was on sale for $2.50 a bottle. I had a coupon for $3.00 off, so I got a $0.50 overage. Each store is different when it comes to overages. It really depends a little on lucky and a little on store policy and often it varies down to the cashier. The bottom line is this: you have no right to receive the overage. If you do, consider yourself lucky to get it!!

Remember, when you receive an overage, you are not stealing. The manufacturer of the coupon will reimburse the store for the face value of that coupon. When stores decide not to accept a coupon because it “exceeds the item’s price,” ask them to adjust the coupon down. They usually will. The store will still get the face value of that coupon, and you can’t complain; free is still good!!

Section 8.  Trading Coupons

Trading coupons at WeUseCoupons.com is a great reason NEVER to throw away coupons. You may not need them, but someone might. Usually a trade is stated in one of two ways: (1) Post in the “In Search of”(ISO) forum which lets people know what you’re looking for or (2) respond to a post by someone looking to trade specific coupons. Many people often trade stamps or internet coupons as well. Trading is a great way to obtain the specific coupons that are valuable to you.

Section 9.  Rain Checks

What happens when you get to the store and discover that a hot item you wanted to buy (with a coupon of course) isn’t in stock? Most of the time, the customer service center will write you a rain check. A rain check usually looks like a regular receipt, or has the stores logo on it, but it allows you to buy the same item at a later date for the sale price it’s at now. Rain checks usually last for 30-45 days and can be combined with your coupons. Some stores like Target have even sweeter rain check deals.

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