Each and every day, in thousands of supermarkets across the United States, smart shoppers are
saving millions of dollars by cashing in coupons.
If you're not currently using coupons, it's time to get on the bandwagon.
Hello, everybody.
I'm Jackie Zieman, and I'll be your guide as we explore the world of supermarket couponing.
You can use this tape for shopping trip after shopping trip for big savings.
During the course of this video, we will learn the six steps to successful couponing.
Where to find coupons.
How to organize your coupons.
What to do before you shop.
How to shop with coupons.
Rebate and refund plans.
And what to do with all the money you'll save.
And at the end of each chapter, we'll recap the important information you'll need.
And remember, this video is a reusable reference guide.
Don't watch it just once.
Be sure to refer to it time and time again.
And when you do, you can go straight to the chapter you need by setting the counter on
your VCR to zero.
And fast forwarding to the information you want to review.
Last year alone, over 140 billion coupons were issued to the consuming public.
But only three to four percent were ever redeemed.
Now, if you spent just 15 minutes each week and used the six steps to successful couponing,
you would have earned over $1,000 in tax-free cash for your efforts.
That works out to over $75 for each hour of your time.
So let's get started and take a look at the first step to successful couponing.
Finding and collecting coupons.
The most abundant source of coupons is your local newspaper.
Many newspapers designate a day of the week for their food section issue.
The special section is usually filled with manufacturer's coupons.
Make a note of the day when your paper's food section comes out.
Many supermarkets offer in-ad coupons.
These are special coupons, which are only redeemable at that particular store.
These coupons often tie in with a promotional or sale item, resulting in even greater savings.
Sunday newspapers usually contain special advertising supplements.
The coupons in these sections alone may add up to over $30.
Women's magazines like Red Book, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and Woman's Day are filled
with valuable coupons worth many times their cover price.
We're all familiar with the term junk mail, but these home mailings often contain valuable
coupons for goods and services.
A smart shopper will always take a few moments to open this type of mail.
Discarding this mail without reading it first would be like throwing money into the garbage
can.
Many types of coupons are available right in the supermarket.
The sides of cereal boxes usually contain valuable coupons good on your next purchase
of the same item.
This bottle of barbecue sauce has a peel-off coupon worth $0.25, which can be redeemed
when you purchase the product.
These soft drink bottles have scents-off coupons around their necks, worth $0.30 each at the
checkout stand.
Shelf talkers like this are often placed near the product in the store.
If you choose to purchase the item, just tear off a coupon and you will receive the discount
in the checkout line.
Successful couponing takes only a few minutes each week, and it can become a family activity
with everyone getting involved.
Children can earn their allowance by helping the family save money.
And don't forget, you can swap coupons with your friends.
So let's review our first step in successful couponing.
Check your local paper's weekly food section as well as the Sunday edition for manufacturer
and supermarket coupons.
Many magazines contain valuable coupons.
And mailings are also a great source of coupons.
Don't forget all the coupons you'll find in the supermarket.
Make couponing a family activity and trade coupons with your friends.
Because there are so many coupons available for so many different products, it's important
to develop an efficient method of organizing your coupons.
There are three basic methods of organizing coupons, alphabetically, by expiration date,
or by product category.
One of the simplest methods of organizing your coupons is to alphabetize them by brand
name.
This allows you to quickly locate a coupon for a particular item.
Many coupons have an expiration date which, by law, must appear on the coupon.
The expiration date is the last possible day that the coupon can be redeemed.
A filing system based on this date ensures that you will use the coupon before it expires.
Perhaps the most logical method of organizing your coupons is by product category.
Beverages, breakfast foods, and personal hygiene products are just a few of the many product
categories for which coupons are available.
Finally, if you frequent the same supermarket, you may want to arrange the categories in
the same order that you come across them while shopping.
For example, if you start in the laundry products section, then move to juices, then to soups
and sauces, arrange your coupon files in the same order.
This will save you time while shopping.
Coupon organizers can be very helpful.
This one holds hundreds of coupons and organizes them into 30 major grocery categories.
This coupon holder can be used for the coupons that you will use while shopping.
A coupon organizer is a valuable tool for the smart shopper.
Now let's review the second step to successful couponing.
Develop a system of organizing your coupons.
Alphabetize them, arrange them according to expiration date, separate them by product
categories, or arrange the file cards in the same order that you come across the product
while shopping, and keep your coupons in an easy to use coupon holder.
Many of the products that we use every day can be purchased with the help of coupons.
Let's look at just a few of these products used by a housewife on a typical day.
Most families start their day with breakfast.
Let's see where we can save some money with coupons.
This pancake mix was purchased with a 50 cents off coupon.
The pancake syrup coupon saved us 25 cents.
The orange juice coupon saved us 15 cents.
Even the margarine was purchased with a 30 cents off coupon.
This adds up to a total savings of a dollar and 20 cents.
Laundry products are a common source of coupon savings.
We saved 75 cents on this box of detergent.
The bleach was purchased with a 50 cents off coupon.
And we saved 25 cents on the fabric softener with this coupon, resulting in a total savings
of one dollar and 50 cents.
Restocking the bathroom using coupons can save the average family hundreds of dollars
a year.
We saved 50 cents on this bottle of shampoo.
The toothpaste saved us 25 cents.
And we saved 10 cents on this bar of soap.
This adds up to a total savings of 85 cents.
As you can see, coupons are an easy way to save a lot of money on items we use every
day.
But in order to save on the items we really need, we must follow the third step to successful
shopping, what to do before you shop.
Before shopping, it is very important to make up a shopping list.
Check around the house to make certain that you aren't running low on any items.
Once you have a complete list of the products you need to purchase, take a few moments and
look through the weekly food section of your local newspaper.
Here you will find special sale items available at different stores.
Combining a coupon with a sale price results in the greatest savings.
After you have checked the newspaper for specials, select all the coupons you will be using.
Be sure to double check the expiration date.
Most coupons expire at the middle or the end of the month.
Some coupons have no expiration date at all.
These coupons are redeemable as long as the product is being sold.
Be sure to read the terms of the coupon carefully.
Some coupons specify the size or quantity you must purchase in order to use the coupon.
So remember, it's important to prepare carefully before you go shopping.
Let's review step number three.
Make out a detailed shopping list before you go to the store.
Check the newspaper for weekly sales and specials.
Select all the coupons you'll be using.
And be sure to check the expiration dates and the terms of the coupons.
Now you're ready to go shopping.
Make certain that you bring all of your coupons with you to the supermarket, an unadvertised
special and one of your valuable coupons might result in tremendous savings for you.
The fourth step to successful couponing is how to shop with coupons.
Using your shopping list as a guide, select the products that you wish to purchase.
If you have a coupon for that item, recheck the terms and make sure it has not expired.
After you place the product in your shopping cart, put the coupon in a separate holder.
This will save you time in the checkout line.
Remember, many products contain coupons which you can redeem on your next purchase.
Look for these as you shop and keep an eye out for unadvertised specials, they can result
in even greater savings.
Don't forget that in-store coupons like neck hangers and shelf talkers can also be found
for the products that you wish to buy.
Once you're in the checkout line, be sure to let the checker know that you have coupons
to redeem.
After all your items have been totaled, hand the checker your coupons.
Now the fun begins.
You'll be amazed at how much money you have saved.
It can be credited directly to your bill or you can receive it as tax-free cash after
your purchase.
Be sure to save your cash register receipt.
It may be necessary in the next step to successful couponing.
Now let's review what we've learned in our fourth step to successful couponing.
While shopping, match the coupon to the product.
Double check the coupon's expiration date and make sure you have read the terms of the
coupon carefully.
Keep an eye out for unadvertised specials and in-store coupons.
And remember to save your cash register receipt.
Another way to save money is through the use of rebates and refunds.
These are incentives which product manufacturers use to enhance sales.
Like coupons, they usually require that you purchase a product, but instead of receiving
cash back at the checkout stand, a refund or rebate is mailed directly to your home.
The fifth step to successful couponing is the use of refunds and rebates.
Rebate and refund coupons can be found in newspapers and magazines.
They often appear next to normal coupons.
You can also find them on a special bulletin board in your supermarket, on the shelf near
the product, or inside the product package.
Most rebate and refund offers require a proof of purchase.
The form of proof differs from product to product, so make certain that you read the
terms of the offer carefully.
Many rebates also require that you send in a cash register receipt with the price of
the item circled.
Since you may need the receipt for several different rebates, a photocopy is usually
acceptable.
The smart shopper always keeps an eye out for rebate and refund offers, reads them carefully,
and evaluates whether they make good financial sense.
The advantages of rebates and refunds aren't always evident.
Here are two brands of peanut butter priced the same.
The smart shopper has coupons for each one.
At first glance, the 75 cents off coupon looks to offer the better savings, but the smart
shopper has a rebate coupon worth $1.75 for the peanutty brand.
Let's see how the savings stack up.
The Florida's finest brand costs $2.79.
A 75 cents off coupon brings the total price down to $2.04, a savings of 27%.
The peanutty brand also costs $2.79.
A 30 cents off coupon brings the total price down to $2.49, a savings of only 11%.
However, the $1.75 rebate offer after subtracting 25 cents for postage brings the total price
for the peanutty brand down to 99 cents, an impressive savings of 64%.
Rebates and refunds can save you hundreds of dollars.
Combined with regular couponing, the average family can save well over $1,000 a year.
So let's review the fifth step to successful couponing.
Look for rebate and refund offers in newspapers, magazines, at your store, and inside product
packages.
Be sure to read the requirements of the offer carefully and save the proper proofs of purchase.
With a small amount of time invested and using the previous five steps of successful couponing,
an average family of four should be able to save at least $25 per week at the supermarket.
That adds up to $1,300 of tax-free income in one year.
This brings us to the last step of successful couponing, what to do with all the money you'll
save.
You may want to apply your savings directly to your food bill.
The supermarket checker will be happy to deduct the total coupon amount from your bill, and
you'll pay a lower total price for your groceries.
You may elect to receive cash back for redeeming your coupons.
This money can be put aside in a special interest-bearing savings account, and at the end of the year,
you could have enough money for a trip to Hawaii, or to buy a new stereo system, or
a home computer.
Some couponers establish a college fund with the money they save each week.
And if your children help collect coupons, you may want to pay them an allowance out
of the money you save.
As you have seen, saving money with coupons and rebates is easy.
All it takes is a little time, a little effort, and the six steps to successful couponing.
Collect your coupons, organize them, plan your shopping trip, shop smart, utilize rebate
and refund offers, and have a plan for the money you'll save.
Using these steps, you'll be well on your way to collecting your share of the millions
of dollars offered each year through coupons.
It's a fun and easy way to save money every time you shop.
Just think, the dollar you spend for the Sunday paper will provide you with the coupons to
save enough money to fill this shopping cart with groceries.
So be a smart shopper.
Use coupons.
I'm Jackie Zeman, and I'll see you at the checkout stand.