Tips on Coupon Shopping

Whether you are an Extreme Coupon Shopper or just looking to save $20 on a weekly night out with your family, spending a few minutes doing your research will pay off!

Online coupons: I would not think of making a purchase without doing an online search for a coupon, discount or rebate. We use coupons at the restaurants we frequent as well as at the hotels with stay in when traveling. You can almost always save money on items you buy, both online and at the store.

Make sure when you are using an online coupon, the discount of the coupon gets applied before you check out. If you change anything on your order, you often have to add the code back again before clicking place order.

Store coupons: The most popular way to save money is with coupons. Store coupons can be found in the local paper on Sunday, inside the pages of several major magazines (All You and Taste of Home are two of my favorites) and you can always find printable coupons to print at home on your printer.  The rule for print at home coupons is usually 2 prints for each computer you own.  You will need to read the policy of each store that you want to use print coupons. The acceptance rules are a varied as the number of stores to shop.

Rebate and Cash Back Sites: Again, just a little research goes a long way. I found an offer from Lowe’s for 10% back in the form of a rebate for all my purchases made for improvements when we bought our new house. The rebate capped at $500. So you bet everything we needed that could be purchased was purchased at #Lowe’s! I used the $500 to purchase a new front load Frigidaire front load washing machine! I had to pay the tax and delivery fees.

There are other sites that offer cash back on purchases. Some will send a debit card (Staples and Lowe’s) while others send an actual check or store coupon for the rebate amount (Office Depot)

A Word of caution when combining coupons with rebate offers. Most sites will allow you to EITHER use the discount code prior to purchase OR participate in the cash back/rebate offer. Most do not allow you to earn from other sides of the offer.  Make sure you read ALL the fine print on coupon offers.

Discounts: Be brave and ask for discount!  This is one that was hard for me until our family took the Financial Peace classes at our church. This class will show you how to get out of debt and stay out! However, one of the points made in the class was that if you are paying cash for an item, ask for a discount! If you like a product, service or location and can’t find a coupon; try sending them an email and ask where you can locate one for them. Many times, you will receive a coupon in the mail, or perhaps a free item or ticket just for sending an email letting them know you like their product/service but make it a habit to always look for coupons.  Look at it this way…. What is the worst thing that will happen?  They will say no.

Take advantage of free shipping:  Several stores, even local ones, offer free shipping. Office Depot will deliver for free next day if you purchase over $50. This is a no brainer for me! When I need paper or other heavy items, I can order online or on the phone and they bring it to the door the following day. Thank you! ~ #Office Depot!

When shopping online, watch for the change in shipping charges. Some sites offer a flat rate shipping charge and others offer a low rate for purchases up to a certain amount. Cross that magic line by even a few pennies and you could be paying twice the shipping charges!

And of course, the earlier you shop the more time you have to search for the best deal. Waiting until the last minute will cost you money!

Another note of caution: You may have read that purchasing online will save you money because you are not charged sales tax. While this may be true depending on where you live, please check with your state sales and use tax department. Many states require you to claim purchases on items from online sources and pay the appropriate sales or use tax.

Disclaimer: This post does not contain any affiliate links. I did not receive any compensation for this post. Opinions are mine and they may vary from yours or others.