There are a myriad of places to find coupons these days but, no matter how many you find and redeem, it can remain a challenge to seriously cut our grocery bills.
More and more common are the legendary stories of the “super shoppers” who use coupons to buy a cartload of groceries for $6.00. While that would be awesome — and certainly something to aspire to — most of us are content seeing our coupons subtract a few dollars from our total at the checkout stand.
Let’s face it, most coupons we come across are for less than $1.00. A dollar saved is great but it’s a far cry from getting us that oh-so-affordable cartload. Where are the big-time coupons that can really make a difference in our grocery bill hiding and how do we find them?
One source for coupons of significant value are associated with your store’s loyalty program. Many stores offer savings to regular customers who have registered information with the store. These shoppers receive a card which identifies them as a loyal customer. These customers often receive coupons in the mail offering big savings on their grocery spending, for example, $15.00 off when you spend $150.00. These big dollar coupons are generally offered only to customers enrolled in the store’s loyalty program.
Check your store’s website for particularly valuable coupons. Sometimes grocery stores offer coupons right from their site when you register with your loyalty card account number. They are not necessarily printable coupons, either. They may be “electronic” coupons which means that you activate them on the website and that activation is recognized when you have purchased the items and use your loyalty card during checkout.
Catalinas are coupons that print at the checkout based upon your purchases. Sometimes you earn them by purchasing a certain number of a particular product, such as, “Save $2.00 on your next grocery purchase when you buy three boxes of Cereal X.” These coupon offers are not always advertised in sales circulars, so it’s important to read the signs advertising the Catalina offers on the shelves next to the qualifying products.
You needn’t necessarily be a loyalty program participant, however, to find some significant savings opportunities. Other stores may offer coupons of similar value through the mail. Many of us receive “general delivery” envelopes and shopper’s magazines addressed to “Resident” stuffed with coupons for local businesses. Your local grocery store may include something like a $5.00 off coupon off your purchase in these packets.
Occasionally you will come across a coupon for a free item, usually in the newspaper or a magazine. Sometimes it is contingent upon the purchase of another item or items, sometimes it is just plain free. Pay close attention to the price of the items you need to buy in order to qualify for the free item. If those prices are inflated, your free coupon is not as valuable as you may think.
When you take the time to seek out the bigger-value coupons, they are not as difficult to find as you may think. Obviously, the more the coupons are worth, the faster our savings will add up. We may not get that $6.00 cartload of groceries but we will make a dent in our overall grocery expenses.
Where do you find your big savings coupons?
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