You may have noticed a new feature on our website—a link to coupons you can clip online and print from your own computer. Unfortunately, clipping the coupons isn’t enough to save big these days (especially if you leave the coupons on the kitchen counter as you dash out the door to the grocery, as I have been known to do)!
To take your savings power to a whole new level, here’s a quick primer on coupon clipping, or Coupon 101, if you will, to help you increase your buying power.
First up, different types of coupons:
1. Custom coupons – Also known as “Catalinas,” these coupons print from a special machine (sometimes called a Catalina machine, hence the name of the coupon) at the checkout counter. You trigger these printouts when you purchase items the store is promoting that week. Catalinas or custom coupons typically offer you a few dollars off your next shopping trip at that particular store.
For example, you might see a sign like this posted by the toothbrushes, advertising a deal on one particular brand: “Buy $10 or more in Oral B toothbrushes, get a custom coupon for $2 off your next visit.” The coupon that prints at checkout for the $2 off your next visit to that store is the custom coupon.
2. Peelies – Coupons attached to the package. You have to peel off the coupon to redeem it at the register, thus the name “peelie.” Please note that the cashier is not obligated to peel the coupon and redeem it for you. If you want the savings, peel you must!
3. Blinkies – Coupons dispensed from a machine located on a shelf near the promoted product. (Hint: you’ll recognize these machines by the red blinking light at the top.)
4. Online coupons – Coupons that you can explore online. Simple click on a link to the coupon website, select the coupons you want to use, and click “print.” You’ll be able to take these printed coupons right from your computer’s printout to the store.
Of course, it’s not enough to know where to find additional coupons. The key to mega-savings is learning how to combine these coupon strategies and when to use the coupons for maximum impact. Tune in tomorrow for a coupon technique that can double or triple your savings each time you shop.
More Coupon Lingo to Learn
Talk to serious coupon clippers for any length of time, and you’ll think they’re speaking another language—with acronyms and abbreviations galore. Learning the lingo will take your ability to “super save” to a whole new level.
OYNO – On Your Next Order
IP – Internet Printable
AR – After Rebate
DND – Do Not Double
YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary
WYB – When You Buy
FAR – Free After Rebate
RC – Rain Check
MQ – Manufacturer’s Coupon
MIR – Mail In Rebate
DB – Coupon Data Base
Have a great coupon strategy you’d like to share? Please tell us all about it in the comments section below!
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