Coupons 101

Coupons 101...Short and Simple

I just love coupons!

I love to post about great coupons that I come across while searching the net. Coupons come in many forms, and can be used a few different ways, but they all do the same thing... SAVE YOU MONEY!

Below I have put together some simple straight to the point tips about coupons and how to use them.

Printable Coupons: Coupons you print from your printer and use at your local grocery or department store. *Hint* I have noticed that most printable coupons also go with great in-store sales/promotions so you get even greater savings.

You can always get great FREE printable coupons from our site anytime by visiting here or sites like:

Coupons.com CoolSavings RedPlum SmartSource

Coupon Inserts: Coupons that come in newspapers, magazines, or in the mail and can be used at local stores.

eCoupons: Stores like CVS, Krogers, and Food Lion have eCoupons. ECoupons are paperless coupons you load to your smartphone or Store Savings card for use in-Store. Services like Cellfire, and SavingStar help you with loading and keeping track of your eCoupons.

Online Coupon Codes: Coupons that can only be used at online stores. Most of theses codes are entered during the check out phase of your shopping. Most stores only allow you to use one code at a time.

You can search for online coupon codes right here on our site.

Click here to view a listing of online stores.

Coupon Abbreviations and Lingo

What does that mean?

If your a pro at using coupons or new to the whole thing, sometimes the words can get confusing. So I put together this list of some common used coupon lingo and abbreviations that you may see while looking for coupons.

Coupon Abbreviations:

AC - After Coupon
BOGO - Buy One Item get One Item
B1G1- Buy 1 Item get 1 Item free
CPN - Coupon
FAR: Free After Rebate
GC - Gift Card/Gift certificate
IP - Internet Printable coupon
MFG - Manufacturer
MFR - Manufacturer
MIR - Mail in Rebate
NED - No Expiration Date
OOP - Out of Pocket
RC - Rain Check
RR - Register Reward (Walgreens)
WYB - When You Buy
YMMV - your mileage may vary. Means all stores may not accept or participate.
$1/1 - Save $1 on 1 Item

Sunday Paper Insert Abbreviations:

Inserts - coupons in your Sunday Newspaper
GM - General Mills
K - Kellogg?s
P&G - Procter & Gamble
RP - Red Plum (sometimes also called Valassis)
SS - SmartSource/Super Saver

Common Used Words:

Blinkies - small coupon machines found in many stores that spit out coupons and blink.
Catalina - Printout coupons from the register
Peelies - coupons you find on the product itself (peels off)
Printable Coupon - print coupon at home/work
Stack - the use of two or more coupons at the same time for the same product.
Tearpads - Usually coupons that hang on shelves near the product

Coupon Clipping Services: If you don't have the time or the patience to search or clip-out coupons you can always use a Coupon Clipping service. Coupon Clipping services like www.thecouponclippers.com will do the work for you. Also if you need extra coupons of a certin kind and you have already printed out your limit they are good to purchases extra coupons as well.

***Important things to remember when using coupons***

1. Please be aware of expiration dates. You never want a great coupon to expire before you get to use it. So keep them coupons organized and ready!

2. Always check you stores local ads. I have noticed in most cases that you can find the coupons available to print also go along with in-store sales so you get even more savings.

3. Store like Ebates and Walgreens offer store bucks and cash back. They also offer great coupons and rebates so if you do a lot of shopping there you want to sign up, so that you can get the most for your money.

4. Does your local store "Stack" coupons? Its is always good to know the coupon policy of the stores you use, coupon policies always change. Coupon Policies usually can be found on store site.

Here is a quick list of some store coupon policies:

Family Dollar Stores

Giant Eagle

H-E-B