Online Couponing In A Day

FOR

DUMmIES‰

by Beth Montgomery

Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies®

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 1: Understanding Your Local Stores and Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Polish Up on Your Local Store Policies ................................... 6Coupon policies ............................................................... 6Price-matching policies ................................................... 7Price-guarantee policies ............................................... 10Special savings programs ............................................. 10

Deciphering Sales and Circulars ............................................ 12Translating the lingo ..................................................... 13Sale cycles ...................................................................... 14Unit prices ...................................................................... 15Loss leaders .................................................................... 16

Chapter 2: Finding Coupons Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21The Different Types of Coupons ............................................ 22

Manufacturer coupons .................................................. 22Store coupons ................................................................ 23

Finding Coupons Online .......................................................... 24Printable coupons ......................................................... 24Digital coupons .............................................................. 26Mobile coupons ............................................................. 28Cash-back coupons........................................................ 29Cash register coupons offers ....................................... 30

Couponing Terms and Abbreviations ................................... 32

Chapter 3: Avoiding Online Coupon Fraud . . . . . . . . . . .37Identifying a Standard Coupon ............................................... 38Understanding the Fine Print ................................................. 39Spotting Fraudulent Coupons................................................. 43Common Mistakes to Avoid .................................................... 47

Chapter 4: Using Coupons to Maximize Your Savings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

How Coupons Work ................................................................. 49Rules of Stacking ...................................................................... 51

Store loyalty cards ......................................................... 51Manufacturer coupons .................................................. 51

Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies viStore coupons ................................................................ 52Money-off-money coupons ........................................... 52Cash-back coupons........................................................ 53Stacked to the max ........................................................ 53Buy-one, get-one sales ................................................... 54

Rolling Rewards to Make Money ............................................ 55Types of rewards ........................................................... 56How to work rewards .................................................... 57

Rebates ...................................................................................... 60Finding rebates .............................................................. 61Using rebates .................................................................. 61Tips for organizing rebates .......................................... 63

Chapter 5: Preparing to Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Creating a Grocery Price Book ............................................... 65Using the Shop-to-Stock Method ............................................ 66Organizing Your Coupons ....................................................... 67

The clip-’em method ..................................................... 68The don’t-clip-’em method ........................................... 70

Couponing with a Meal Plan ................................................... 72Why plan ahead ............................................................. 72Menu-planning made simple ........................................ 74Saving with a detailed shopping list ............................ 74Devising a plan of attack ............................................... 76

Chapter 6: Going Online to Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Online Communities ................................................................ 79

Types of online communities ....................................... 79Using online communities ............................................ 81

Shopping Online ....................................................................... 82Coupon codes ................................................................ 82Cash-back programs ...................................................... 83Earning rewards ............................................................. 85

Chapter 7: Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Next Steps Checklist ................................................................ 87Online Resources ..................................................................... 88

Finding coupons online ................................................. 89Avoiding coupon fraud ................................................. 89Going Online to Save ..................................................... 90

Introduction

S ince coupons made their debut in 1887, they’ve only grown in popularity and now are available for almost

everything you do and buy. As the world around us advanced from cassette tapes to MP3s, coupons weren’t left behind in the dust. They evolved into printable coupons, digital cou-pons, and now mobile coupons.

The Internet has become the place for deal seekers to gather together to share deals, find savings, search out coupons, and learn new tricks. For a newbie, this world can seem intimidat-ing. Without help, couponing can often become a source of frustration and end up as more work than it’s worth.

This book gives you the tools you need to start couponing and join the online saving adventures without feeling like an outsider. It also strives to give you the confidence to start saving big.

What You Can Do in a DayCutting your budget and perfecting your money-saving tech-niques take time. I won’t lie to you. However, this book is designed as a crash course to get you started, with a bit of an edge, and help you understand where you need to go next.

You can read through the entire book in one day (or two if you’re taking your time). Then, as you start on your coupon-ing journey, this book can serve as a guide for you to refer to when you need your memory refreshed or are ready to take your savings up to a new level.

Realistic ExpectationsAfter hearing stories of extreme couponing, consumers assume they can grab a pair of scissors and suddenly pay $3.86 for $1,732 worth of groceries. This isn’t the case!

Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies 2So-called extreme couponers achieve these savings because couponing is their life. It’s a full-time job. They buy things they don’t need, just because they are cheap, and sometimes even use methods that are unethical or illegal.

I will not teach you how to do this. Instead, this book focuses on realistic couponing, where you can expect to save fifty to seventy percent on the average. Plan now to start slow. After you finish this book, pick one or two changes you can easily make immediately and start there. As you get more comfort-able, try new tips to increase your savings.

Foolish AssumptionsFor this book to be possible, I had to make a few assumptions about you and what you already know. These are the assump-tions I’ve made:

✓ You’ve seen a coupon before. Maybe you haven’t used one, but you could easily spot one in a lineup.

✓ You have a computer and the basic skills to use it. You can turn it on, browse the web, and even print documents.

✓ You are familiar with e-mail. I assume that you have an e-mail address that you can use to register for e-newsletters and saving sites.

✓ You can navigate a web form. You understand how to register with websites and sign up for e-newsletters.

Icons Used in This BookIcons emphasize a point to remember, a danger to be aware of, or information that I think you may find helpful. Those points are illustrated as such:

Tips are little bits of information that you may find useful.

This icon warns you of dangers or things to avoid.

Introduction 3

Remember icon will offer gentle reminders and alert you things you should keep in mind while couponing.

This icon directs you to the companion website for the book — www.dummies.com/inaday/onlinecouponing — where you can find videos and articles relating to online couponing.