Couponing 101: Doubled Coupons

If you live in a larger city like I do, you're lucky because there is more grocery store competition--stores compete to get get your business.  One of the ways they do this is by offering to double manufacturer coupons.

Here, most stores double coupons up to $.99, which is fantastic!   If I have a $.75 off coupon, I know it will actually take $1.50 off the price of that item.

I've got a few pointers for you to get the most out of your coupons.

First of all, try to not be brand loyal if possible.  Maybe you love Colgate toothpaste and always buy that brand. Well--could you try Crest, too?  If so, maybe you'll have a $.75 coupon for Crest, AND it is on sale for $2.50, AND your store doubles coupons.  That tube of toothpaste will now only cost you $1.00--probably quite a bit less than the full priced Colgate you usually buy.  You can see that if you save $.50 - $1.50 (or more sometimes) on several items, that might be a $10.00 savings off your bill for just making a few changes in your preferred brands.  Over the course of a year, that $10 per week adds up to $520.  That can be vacation money, a down payment for a new car, the new TV you want...

Make sure you scan your store loyalty card as soon as you can--hand it to the cashier right away, or even in the middle of your order.  The stores usually only double coupons if they scan your shopper card FIRST.  If they scan your coupons first, then scan your card, the coupons will not be doubled.  If that does happen, just head over to customer service and they should be able to refund you the amount of the doubled coupons.

Even if your store doubles coupons, not all coupons will double.  Some coupons are coded to NOT double.  Look on the bar code on the back of the coupon.  If the first digit is a 5, there is a good chance the coupon will double.  If the first digit is a 9, the coupon most likely will NOT double.

Once you know which stores double coupons and which ones don't, make a plan about where and how to shop.  Let's say your town has a Walmart and a Kroger store.  You usually shop at Walmart because they have lower prices on most things.  But, Walmart does not double coupons.  Is it really cheaper?  Here's an example--Mott's applesauce sells at Walmart for $1.89.  At Kroger it sells for $2.09.  Walmart seems like the better deal, right?  Well, you also have a $.35 coupon for Mott's applesauce.  At Walmart, the total would be $1.89 - $.35 = $1.54.  At Kroger, the total would be $2.09 - $.35 -$.35 (doubled coupon) = $1.39.  So the applesauce that started out as $.20 less at Walmart ends up costing $.20 more than at Kroger when you factor in the double coupons.  I know it's a lot to think about, but just try to keep these things in mind when planning your shopping trip.

Ironically, the more stores you shop at, the more you'll save, IF you stick to your list.  Each store has loss leaders each week.  Loss leaders are the items on the front page at deep discounts meant to draw you into the store (where you'll aimlessly wander about tossing items into your cart, they hope). Make a list of the stores near you and the best priced items for that week.  Look for coupons to match.  Head to as many stores as you can to get those loss leader items.  Choose one store to purchase all your non-sale items.  Maybe you'll head to Kroger for the meat sale and to get the cereal and applesauce that is on sale and you'll use coupons and double them.  Then, maybe you can hit Giant Eagle to get the loss leader crackers, milk and half off bagged salad  that are advertised on the front page and you'll use coupons and double them.  Then, you may head to Walmart for your toilet paper, vitamins, chicken broth and diapers because those items are not on sale anywhere but you need them and Walmart has the best price.  Maybe you've spent an extra half hour by going to three stores, but you've saved $50 by getting your meat, applesauce, milk, cereal, crackers, and salad for super cheap.  $50 for that half hour is worth it, right?  Also--you don't have to do all your shopping at one time.  Maybe you'll make it a habit to hit Kroger on the way home from the library on Tuesdays, and you'll go to Giant Eagle on Thursdays on the way home from piano lessons, and then you can run to Walmart on Saturday afternoon.

So, be flexible in your brands, scan your shopper card as soon as you can (before you hand over those coupons), check the bar code so you know which coupons won't double, and plan your store visits around the loss leaders/coupon deals.  This may seem overwhelming at first, but once you start getting bags and bags of groceries for less than $10, and cut  your grocery budget in half, you'll KNOW it is worth it!

Happy couponing!