New to couponing?
Coupon Policies – It is always a good idea to be knowledgeable about your store’s coupon policy. Some cashier’s are very apprehensive about accepting certain coupons, very possibly because the store may have accepted fraudulent coupons in the past. I have printed the coupon policies of the stores I visit most often and carry them in an envelope in my purse in case a problem were to arise. The biggest thing to remember is to BE POLITE at all times. If all else fails, you can always ask to speak to the manager and, if necessary, call the Corporate Office.
Internet Printable Coupons – If you haven’t started printing internet coupons yet, you are really missing out! These coupons generally offer a bigger savings than the coupons you clip from the Sunday inserts.
Some things to keep in mind with these type of printable coupons:
- Most printable coupons may be printed twice (or more!) before they are reset. So if you are looking to buy more than one of these products, go ahead and hit your “go back” button and try to print it again!
- If you think you might ever use them, print them right away! Most of these coupons are set to print only so many times and are pulled as soon as they have a designated number of prints. These are the questions I ask myself when deciding whether or not to print a particular coupon:
- “Would my family use this product if I could purchase it for next to nothing?” If so, I print the coupon in hopes of pairing it up with a sale. If not, I ask myself the following question:
- “Would I like to donate this product to my Local Food Shelf if I could purchase it for next to nothing?” If so, I print the coupon in hopes of pairing it up with a sale and save my purchase receipt for tax purposes.
- “Would my family use this product if I could purchase it for next to nothing?” If so, I print the coupon in hopes of pairing it up with a sale. If not, I ask myself the following question:
- Some grocers now require that coupons be printed in COLOR to make it easier for them to spot fraudulent coupons so check with your local grocer to find out if they have this requirement.
- Worried about using too much paper? If you print more than one at a time, they will print 3 to a page.
Common Abbreviations – I am sure that your head is spinning with abbreviations right now. Before long, they’ll be like second-nature to you and will require little thought, if any. Here is a list of the most common abbreviations:
| Sunday inserts. These are few different inserts that can come inside your Sunday paper. Here are some abbreviations and the corresponding insert: |
| F4S | Kellogg’s Fuel for School | |
| GM | General Mills | |
| PAR | Parade | |
| PG | Proctor & Gamble brandSAVER | |
| RP | Red Plum | |
| REL | Relish | |
| SS | SmartSource | |
| USA | USA Weekend | |
| V | Valassis |
| When I refer to these inserts in my posts, I use the abbreviation followed by the date of the insert. If you look closely on the spine of each insert, it will list the name of the insert, the date, and the circulation area. I really notice a difference in the various inserts here in northern Minnesota compared to the inserts in the Twin Cities area. For that reason, I always try to get my hands on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune inserts every Sunday. |
| Magazines. Some of the best coupons are printed within your favorite magazines! Here are some abbreviations and the corresponding magazine: |
| Manufacturer Coupon Booklets. Many manufacturers publish their own coupon booklets that are mailed to you at your request. |
| CAG | ConAgra Foods. This is a home mailer that includes coupons for many great brands. Request your ConAgra Foods coupon book from Simple and Delicious. | |
| FLD | Farmland Foods. Request to be added to the Farmland Foods Coupon Mailing List. | |
| HMS | Home Made Simple. This is a home mailer that includes coupons from many of your favorite brands including Cascade, Dawn, Febreze, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, etc. Request your Home Made Simple coupon book that includes more than $27 in savings | |
| KSS | Kraft Smile Savings Booklet & Calendar. This home mailer includes two $20 rebates and $50 in coupons on Kraft favorites including Capri Sun, Easy Cheese, Nabisco, Planters, and Ritz Bitz. Register at Nabiscoworld.com to receive your booklet. |
| NPC | Nestle Planning Calendar. This home mailer includes many money-savings coupons on all your Nestle favorites. Request your Nestle Planning Calendar for the 2009/10 School Year |
| Store Coupon Booklets. Many stores publish their own coupon booklets and offer them for free. When used correctly, these can really boost your savings! If the coupon is a store coupon – in other words, it has the store logo or name on it and it does not say “manufacturer coupon”, then you can use that store coupon along with (or stacked with) another manufacturer coupon! |
| CAS | Co-op Advantage Savings. This booklet is mailed to members of various natural foods co-ops. Check with your local natural foods co-op to see if they participate in this coupon program. | |
| WB2S | Walgreens Back-2-School Coupon Book. This coupon book is available at the front of the stores where the weekly ads are located. |
| Other Abbreviations. Wow, there are enough abbreviations in the couponing world to make your head spin! Here are some of the most popular ones: |
| B1G1 | Buy 1, Get 1 Free. | |
| BOGO | Buy One, Get One Free. | |
| BTFE | Box Tops for Education. | |
| CAT | Catalina Coupons. These are the coupons that print out at the register. | |
| GC | Gift Card. | |
| MIR | Mail in Rebate. | |
| NPL | No Print Limit. This means that you can print as many of these coupons as you would like. | |
| OOP | Out of Pocket. | |
| RR | Register Rewards. These are actually Catalina coupons that print up separately from your register receipt after you purchase a qualifying item at Walgreens. Register Rewards can be used like cash on your next purchase. | |
| WAGS | Walgreens. | |
| WYB | When You Buy. |
| Other Lingo. There is some other lingo that is used from time-to-time in regard to couponing. Here’s a few that will be a little less confusing: |
| Blinkies | Blinkies are small coupon machines that are found in many stores that automatically print off coupons. | |
| Hangtags | Hangtags are coupons that hang from the product. | |
| Peelies | Peelies are coupons that are found on the product itself. | |
| Stack | Use more than one coupon together. | |
| Tearpads | Tearpads are pads of coupons that usually hang on the shelf near the product. |
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