Saving Money Mommy's Tuesday Tip- The Basics

I've met a lot of people lately who are just starting out with couponing.  What I want to do this week is cover some basics on what you need to know in order to save money. 

Here are the definitions of a couple of types of coupons you will come across:

Manufacturer's Coupon- A coupon distributed by the manufacturer of a particular product.  The store where you used the coupon mails the coupon back to the manufacturer to get their money back.

Store Coupon- A coupon distributed by a particular store.  The store does not get their money back for these coupons.  It will state Store Coupon, Retailer Coupon, or the name of the store on the coupon.  It will not say Manufacturer's Coupon.  You may use Store Coupons in conjunction with Manufacturer's coupons.  Some stores accept competitor coupons.  For example, Target has a lot of store coupons out there.  Some Publix stores will accept the Target store coupons.  If you're not sure, ask a manager.

NOTE- Don't get confused by the Manufacturer's Coupons that say "Redeem Only at ______".  If it says Manufacturer's Coupon, you should be able to use that in any store that accepts coupons. 

You may NEVER use two manufacturer's coupons on one product.

When an item is BOGO (Buy One Get One Free), you are allowed to use 2 manufacturer's coupons because you are getting 2 items.  Let's say that Cheerios is BOGO this week, and you have two $1.00 off manufacturer's coupons.  This is how it would work:

$4.00 Cheerios
$0.00 Cheerios (BOGO)
-1.00 manufacturer's coupon
-1.00 manufacturer's coupon
FINAL PRICE for two boxes would be $2.00

Now let's pretend that your grocery store had a Store Coupon in their weekly sales circular for $1.00 off one box of Cheerios.  You would want two of these coupons if you were buying Cheerios this week.  This is how it would work:

$4.00 Cheerios
$0.00 Cheerios (BOGO)
-1.00 manufacturer's coupon
-1.00 manufacturer's coupon
-1.00 store coupon
-1.00 store coupon
FINAL PRICE for two boxes would be FREE

I hope this quick tip on some of the basics has helped those of you who are just starting out on this incredible journey into the world of couponing and saving money.  Please email me if you have any questions.  I would also love to hear from you if any of my tips has helped you save more money.

Go out today and get a great deal!