Shopping Guide

Using coupons when you are shopping can be a very effective way to save money and make your budget stretch further. When you start to get the hang of collecting coupons and using them for your purchases, you will rarely ever have to pay full price for an item again. This can save you quite a lot – which is money that you could spend on other things or place in your savings account for a rainy day.

A coupon is a special offer that allows you to save money when you purchase a certain product. This might mean that you can spend less on the items that you have to stock up on regularly, or that you can afford an expensive item that you might not otherwise buy. There are coupons available for everything from breakfast cereal to toilet paper to big screen televisions and shampoo, so that you can always find a way to save money on the things you want.

Many Different Types of Coupons

There are so many different types of coupons to choose from and each type offers a slightly different deal. For example, there are some coupons that offer a two for one deal, while others have promotional codes that will allow you to save a certain amount of money on a product. Some will have expiry dates after which they cannot be used, while others can be used at any time.

One of the most popular types of coupons are the online variety. There are a lot of coupons available online for a range of different products. You can download and print them off, or use them when you are shopping online.

Advantages of Using Coupons

There are a lot of advantages to using online coupons when you are shopping for the products that you often buy:

  • You will save more of your hard earned money, which you can spend on other products or put into your savings.
  • Finding coupons online is much faster and easier than searching through the newspaper and it will save you time.
  • You will often be able to get free items when using coupons – and who doesn’t love free stuff?
  • When you shop online you don’t have to worry about standing in line or making your way through a crowd at the shop.
  • When you get a great deal on a product that you use often, you can stock up on it and save yourself money in the long term.

How to Use Coupons

Coupons are usually quite easier to use. The merchant wants you to shop with them, so they will make using a coupon easier so that you are more likely to use it. Once you get the hang of it, collecting coupons will become a relatively easy hobby that will offer you a lot of benefits.

When you are using coupons, make sure that you are choosing the right one for your needs. Usually you can only use one coupon per offer, so you have to think carefully about which one you want to use. For example, if you have a coupon that gives you 25% off and one that offers you free shipping, you will need to decide whether the price of the shipping or 25% of the product price would amount to more. Since you can only use one coupon, you should use the one that gives you the greatest discount.

For this reason, it’s very important to look around and make sure that you have found the best possible coupon for your situation. Often a merchant will offer several coupons that are valid during the same period, so it’s worth taking the time to look around and see which one offers you the better deal.

Very rarely a merchant will allow you to use more than one coupon at once and get a higher discount. However, when this does happen you can enjoy huge savings, so make sure that you keep your eye out for these types of deals.

Pay Attention to the Restrictions

When you are using coupons, each one will have its own restrictions for its use. For example, you might only be able to enjoy free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Or, the coupon might only be valid for a specific region or until a specified expiry date. This information should be provided on the coupon itself, so that you know exactly how you can and can’t use it. After a while you will become experienced at using coupons and you will be familiar with the usual types of restrictions.

Tips for Using Coupons More Effectively

Here are some tips that you can keep in mind that will help you to use coupons more effectively when you are shopping:

  • Make a list before you go to the store or before you start online shopping, so that you can remember what you came for and avoid buying things you don’t need.
  • If you have a coupon for something and the store doesn’t have it, you can get a rain check. This will allow you to come back another day within a specified period and get the item for the sale price.
  • Usually if a coupon offers you 10 items for $10, you can still get one item for $1. Read the fine print to find out whether or not you need to buy the full amount to get the sale price.
  • When you are shopping in the store, pay close attention to the price register so that you can see whether everything has rung up at the correct price. Sometimes the cashier might miss something, so you can be there to point it out.
  • If you spot a problem on the price screen or on your receipt you should point it out to the cashier before you leave the store, not afterward. It is much easier to fix it right away.
  • If you are shopping online you should also check your order over carefully before you press submit. Look closely to make sure that all discounts and coupons have been applied.
  • To help you keep track of where you have found the best deals online, you can create a Bookmarks folder on your browser and use it to save the links to the coupons you have found.
  • If there is a special coupon that you want to use before it expires, you can set up a Google Calendar alert or some other alarm to remind you a few days before so that you can purchase the item.
  • Make sure that you check online for coupons during holidays and special days such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, etc. Many retailers will release special coupons during the holidays.

Instructions for Using Online Coupon Codes

If you are shopping online but you have never used an online coupon code before, don’t worry. They are quite easy to use. First of all, perform a search on our website for the product that you want to buy and you will discover all of the coupon codes that are relevant to that item.

When you have found the coupon code that you are looking for, highlight the code and press ctrl-C to copy it. Then, go to the merchant website and add the item to your shopping cart. When you are going through the checkout process you will see a box near the order total that says, “Coupon Code” or “Promo Code” or another variation on this. Put your cursor in this box and press ctrl-V to copy the code into it.

If the code is correct you should see the discount automatically applied to the balance. You can then fill in your credit card information and complete the purchase.

Sometimes online coupons will not have a code, there will simply be a direct link to click. When you click on it your savings will be automatically applied as you proceed through the checkout with your purchase.

Have Fun Coupon Shopping!

Coupons offer you a lot of opportunities to save money, whether you are shopping for electronics, appliances, groceries or other items. Taking the time to find the right coupons can really be worth it, especially when you find great savings on those special items that you want or need. If you have any questions about the coupons available on our site, please feel free to contact us at any time. In the meantime, have fun and happy shopping!