Coupons 101 - Buy On Sale

One of the easiest ways to maximize savings at any store is to buy items when they are on sale.  However, coupons come out every week.  There is always a temptation to run out and buy something just because you have a coupon.  The great thing about coupons is that the expiration date for many of them are weeks out.  So holding on to a coupon till there is a sale is very possible.  This simple practice can help maximize your savings.

Example: A few weeks ago there was a $.50 off any Act II Popcorn product.  Through "coupon collecting" from family members, I was able to get (8) coupons.  There are several sizes at my local Schnucks grocery, a 3-pack retailsfor $1.60 and a 6-pack is normally priced at $3.00.  Though I love popcorn, I held on to these coupons for a few weeks until I noticed that the grocery put Act II 3-pack on the 10/$10 sale.  I purchased (8) 3-pack Act-II boxes (normal retail $12.80; sale price $8.00) and used all (8) coupons in the transaction.  My OOP dropped to $4.00 ($.50/box or $.17/bag).  I love popcorn, but I especially love cheap popcorn.

Here are a few other ways to make sure you take advantage of sale prices.

• Many retailers run specials like 10/$10 (10 items for $10).  Many people believe you have to buy 10 items to get the same price, but in fact, many retailers use this to encourage shoppers to buy more items.  At many local retailers, this simply means that all items listed in the 10/$10 are priced at $1 each during that sale week.
• Take advantage of ad-matching.  Retailers like Walmart are becoming more agressive at matching sales as they are now matching B1G1 sales (new Walmart ad-match policy here).  Many retailers want your business, even if that means they have to match a competitor.
• Use coupons on sale items!  Just because it is on sale doesn't mean that you can't use coupons.  If you are able to stack coupons it will be like a bonus.  Many of the free items I get are sale items stacked with coupons.