Most of us are used to thinking of coupons as something you stumble upon, but sometimes we might resort to buying coupons or decide to buy coupons with good deals. Checking the newspaper, you find one for the brand of chicken you pretty much live on. The kid next door is selling coupon books for charity and there happens to be one for $10 at a hair salon you’ve been wanting to try.

Lots of different types of Web sites have popped up to facilitate this new mode of bargain hunting, but they all have one thing in common: You pay them so you can save somewhere else. You’re making an investment. The thing about buying coupons online is that it’s just so easy, and the deals can be so appealing, you can end up buying a coupon you don’t need. Or even really want.

So with all that information in mind, let us see how you can save some money for yourself by buying coupons.

Do Coupons really save you Money?

For some people, buying coupons is a way of life. It’s a simple and easy way to save money on the grocery bill and put that hard-earned cash to use somewhere else—like saving up for your next family vacation. And for others, it’s just a great way to save a dollar or two on something they were already in the market for.

Coupons are a great way to save money on things you were already going to purchase. So, if you’re in the market for some home décor but don’t feel like spending an arm and a leg, you might go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels because you know they have weekly coupons. You’re already going to buy the picture frame, so why not get it at a lower price?

But does it really save you money?

Buying coupons is only worth what you save, the time you spent looking for deals, and the value you place on the item you purchased. Coupons are a form of advertising that stores use to lure you into spending money on something you may or may not have needed.

By providing a sense of urgency (the sale is almost over) or touting their sale as the biggest of the year (giving you a very bad case of FOMO—Fear of Missing Out), they know it’s only a matter of time until you spend your hard-earned cash on those “must-haves.”

Seems like a win-win scenario, right? You get to walk away with a new pair of shoes and the nice feeling that you even saved money.

But the question is: Did you actually save money buying coupons? The answer really depends on if you actually needed what you purchased. That’s where your budget comes in! If you budgeted $250 for groceries but spent half of that on a new set of pots and pans—you had a coupon—did you really save money?

Should you buy Coupons Online?

Some sites sell coupons in bulk (like 20 coupons for $1 off General Mills cereal); you buy them and they send the coupons to you. You can find coupons on auction sites, too. Other companies offer coupons for dining, manicures, activities, and travel (and pretty much anything else), and after buying the coupons you receive them by e-mail once you pay.

Sometimes there’s a gimmick, like, “We need 400 people to buy this deal before the coupon is activated!” Oooh, exciting. Will I get to have my $20 worth of pastries for just $10?

However it works, there’s one thing to keep in mind: You’re only saving money if the coupon is for something you would have bought anyway — and if you actually use it.

When considering purchasing coupons online, always consider:

• Is this Web site legitimate? (Type the name into Google and look for any complaints.)
• Is this coupon for something I need? Something I want? If it’s the latter, is the savings substantial enough to justify the purchase?
• Does the coupon have an expiration date, exclusions, limitations or any other fine print that could get in the way of getting the savings you’re paying for? Can you transfer it if you don’t end up using it yourself?

If the coupon you’re eying passes the value and utility tests, you could end up with a really nice deal on your hands. A little tip: If you do a lot of online buying coupons, you might consider a “coupon board” (either physical or digital) with coupons and their expiration dates, and make a plan to use each one you bought. If you don’t use the coupon, you’re just throwing your money away.

How can you Save money with Coupons?

1. Buy the local Sunday paper. Each Sunday, manufacturers put coupon fliers into the papers. In some towns, the fliers may come on Saturdays, but whatever day your local newspaper has coupon fliers in them, buy at least one copy. This way you will have access to all the coupons that are coming out in your area.

2. Clip ONE of every coupon. It sounds crazy, especially if it’s a product you don’t use. But regarding sharing, you may have clipped a coupon for diapers that your neighbor could use, and they may have a coupon for cat food that you could use, and in this way, you can share the wealth of coupon savings. File them in your large coupon holder . . .

3. Have a large coupon holder. If you are going to clip one of every coupon in your newspaper week after week, then you will need a large container to hold them all. Some people use shoe boxes with cardboard dividers, or if they want something sturdier they use plastic Sterilite containers.

Toolboxes and long craft boxes work well too. Other people, including many of those featured in the show Extreme Couponing use binder notebooks with clear plastic windows so they can see their coupons more quickly than digging through a box. Whatever system you think will work best for you is the one you should use.

4. Have a smaller coupon holder. You should organize ahead of time, with a separate divider for each store you are going to. That way, all the coupons you will need for that store will be available to you in one organized section. You can use envelopes, or purchase one of the small accordion style coupon holders in grocery stores for this purpose.

5. Shop at more than one store. In this way, you will be able to take advantage of all the stores in your area and get the best deals on everything you buy. This works well if you have a lot of grocery stores and pharmacies in your area. If not, go to the ones that make the most sense gas wise.

6. Make a shopping list. On Sundays, sit down with the store fliers, and go through each one to see what the sales are and what you want to purchase that week for your family. Make a list, and compare it to the coupons you have just gotten that day, as well as the ones you have clipped and hopefully filed in your coupon holder.

Not only should you shop with a list, but stick to it. Although it’s tempting to pick something up that happens to look delicious, it won’t help you stay on your budget. The only time you should purchase anything that’s not on your list is if there is an unadvertised store special that is a great deal.

7. Bring ALL of your coupons with you to the stores when you go shopping. You will need to have access to ALL your coupons whenever you go shopping. You might find an unadvertised special, and you don’t want to be caught without your stash of coupons because you won’t be able to take advantage of the sale without them. By the time you run home and get your coupons, the shelves will probably be cleared.

Keep your smaller container or envelope for that store you are in at the top of your coupon holder for easier access. Note: if you use a toolbox or craft box, it will fit easily into the child seat in the front of the cart . . . which leads to the next tip . . .

8. Never go shopping with your children: You love your kids, but you know how excited they get in a grocery store to see their favorite foods, cereals, candy, toys, etc. And it’s hard to keep them busy and to have them not ask for all the things they want. It can drive a mom or dad crazy when they are trying to stay organized with their coupons and match sizes of products to the coupons in their hands when kids are trying to have conversations with you about the newest brand of something they just saw an ad for on TV. It’s easier to save and stay organized if you leave the kids home with a parent, relative, or a neighbor…you can always return the favor and watch her kids someday.

9. Make a budget and stick to it. If you really want to save money, you need to be careful to not go over budget. Decide how much you want to spend on groceries each week, and stick with it. If you have extra money some weeks, put it aside so another week you can use it to stock up on a special.

10. Shop with cash. You will be much more likely to stick with a budget if you know you only have so much cash to spend and you are paying with cash. The freedom of using a debit or credit card can get shoppers into trouble because they don’t actually see the cash leaving their hands and figure they have enough money in their accounts to handle a few extras. Over a few months, those extras can add up, and break your shopping budget. To make this easier, shop with a calculator to keep track of purchases as you buy them.

11. Shop every week. Just as you want to be able to take advantage of every store, you also want to take advantage of every sale at the stores. Even if you just go in for the specials to a few stores, it will be worth it if you can save money on those products.

12. Stock up on sales, so you’ll never have to pay full price. If you see your regular brand of deodorant that is regularly $2.99 and it’s on sale, and you have a coupon that will make it 99 cents (or less) stock up on as many as you can. Or at least enough to get you through to the next time that product goes on sale. Most items go on sale on a cyclical basis every four to six weeks.

By following this system, you will never have to pay full price for it again. If you do this with all your groceries, you will see huge savings by the end of the year. If you need storage room, build shelves in your basement, store items in every closet, under beds, etc.

13. Make sure to combine sales with coupons whenever possible. Having a coupon for something, or being able to buy a product on sale is a great way to save money. But if you combine a coupon with a sale, you’ll save even more money. Do this every week, and you’ll see the savings mount up.

14. Call the 1-800 number on most of the products in your house. Tell the company you like their products and were wondering if they have any coupons they can send you or put you on a mailing list. Often they are so happy that you aren’t calling to complain, they will oblige. It’s so nice to get coupons in the mail rather than more bills!

15. Get your friends, neighbors, and relatives to save coupons for you. Most people don’t pay attention to the coupon fliers, or only take a few out and then recycle the fliers. If they know someone else can use them, people are happy to save their extra coupons for you. This will be especially helpful if you have relatives from other states who are willing to exchange coupons with you.

If you live in a state in which coupons are doubled, then 50 and 75 cent coupons will be useful to you. If your relative lives in a state that doesn’t double coupons, then they will want the $1.00 off one item coupons . . . trade to get what will save you the most money. People close by can save the whole fliers for you, but with people out of state, you can save postage by just getting a list from each other of the products you buy on a regular basis.

Conclusion

Like we have seen in this article, buying coupons can save you money when you are buying your favorite products. However, make sure to do a proper check and visit as many stores as possible to get the best deals.