Couponing 101...To Use or Not To Use

As you know by now, I'm pretty much into clipping and saving with coupons.  Coupons is like cash, why pay full retail when you can use these babies toward products you buy?  BUT, just because you clip coupons, doesn't mean you should always use them.  For instance:

* Product is not something you normally purchase.  
* Product is not on sale

These two things should always be kept in mind when using coupons.  I'll admit, when i started clipping and using coupons, I would always find a way to use them, just because I could save $0.50 to $1.00.  But I now know better.

Don't use a coupon on an item that you would not normally purchase or use.  This is just wasting not only your time, but your money. (The only exception I have to this, is if you can get the product dirt cheap or free).  The only time I would use a coupon on something I normally would not buy, is if I could get it free or if it was just for pennies spent.

Another thing I've learned...Wait until the item goes on sale.  This is when you can maximize that coupon saving.  Grocery stores have certain months when items go on sale and this is the best time to find those coupons ahead of time, and use them once they hit rock bottom.

When I see that my coupon is about to expire, I may or MAY NOT use that coupon, based on what the retail price is of the item.  If I can get an off brand cheaper, I will purchase the store brand before I will use the coupon on a name brand item that will not save me money.

Depending on what region you live in, most stores posts their sale bill on Wednesdays of each week.  Every Wednesday morning, this is my priority.  I go to both my local grocer store's sites and view their sale bill for that week.  Then I go through my batches of coupons (I have an envelope for each store) and see what coupons I can match with items on sale.  If I don't have a coupon, I will search for the ones I want on Coupons.com, Couponaholic.net and befrugal.com.

These are just a few of my tips. If you have any questions about how to save using coupons, best time to use them or more tips, please feel free to comment or email me.  I look forward to your comments.