Day 2: How to use coupons

(If you missed Day 1: How to Start, Click HERE)    I know you have all been dying to read day 2 of my beginners guide to couponing, so here it is!!An important part of couponing is knowing how and when to use the coupons that you have clipped. The key factor here is matching the coupons with your stores’ sales and promotions. You cannot use the coupon when you NEED the item. Waiting until it goes on sale for rock bottom prices will allow you to get it for FREE or extremely cheap!Before you go shopping make sure you take a look at your store’s coupon policy. Many stores are cracking down and changing their coupon policies, so be sure you know what coupons they will accept and if they will double your coupons. (Click here to go to Coupon Policy)  Doubling coupons means that your store will double a single coupon up to a certain value. This means that if you have a coupon for $.75 it will double to $1.50 off. In my area, I know that Giant Eagle and Shop ‘n Save will double coupons, but only up to $.99. This means if you have a $1 coupon it will NOT double to $2. (Walmart does not double coupons!)Another way to maximize your savings with your coupons is to stack manufacturer coupons with store coupons. Many drugstores will allow you to stack coupons. I know that Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS and Target will stack coupons. This means you can use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 store coupon on 1 item! You are NEVER allowed to use more than 1 manufacturer coupon on a particular item.Rite Aid takes it a little bit farther and will allow you to stack 1 Rite Aid Valuable coupons, 1 Rite Aid Manufacturer coupon and 1 Manufacturer coupon on a single item! To make sure you are able to use all 3 coupons on 1 item before you go shopping, you can check the beginning number on each UPC code of your coupons. Rite Aid Valuable coupons start with "48," Rite Aid Manufacturer coupons start with "49,"and Manufacturer coupons start with "5." (For more information on drugstores see Drugstore 101)It will take time to figure out when items are at rock bottom prices. Trust me, you will realize over time when you have over paid for items! You may think that getting an item for $1 is a good deal, but you will soon find out that FREE is better. (I will never pay for toothpaste again, you can always get it for free!). I know that today's article is short, but figuring out your stores' coupon policy is a lot of work! They have many restrictions on BOGO coupons and internet coupons, so make sure you know what they accept before shopping!  Tomorrow we will take a closer look at Coupon Lingo!