You don’t have to spend a lot of money when you go shopping. If you understand how to use coupons wisely, you can save yourself a lot of money. Knowing the best sources for great coupons is a must. This guide will provide you with all the information you need to know about saving money with the power of coupons.

TIP! When you take a coupon in to buy a product, look to see if the coupon gives you the top deal. Sometimes, it will save you more if you purchase the store brand or generic version, instead.

Never purchase an item simply because you found a great coupon for it. A lot of the time, people spend more than they save because they’re buying things that they don’t need and will never use. Just use coupons on items you plan on buying to begin with to avoid unnecessary spending.

Make sure you’re familiar with the coupon policies at every store you frequent. You want to know if you can double or triple your coupons or how strict their expiration policy is. Gather as much information as possible to garner the highest possible savings.

TIP! Always do your grocery shopping from a list whenever you use coupons. You will also want to keep your coupons handy so that you can check the item off the list and make sure you have the coupon to go along with it.

Don’t use your coupons right away. Provided your coupons don’t expire, it’s a great idea to hold onto them until you can make use of them during a sale on the same items for which they offer savings. By doing this, your savings could be doubled, which will make your item extremely cheap. At times, you could even obtain the item free of charge!

Make sure that you understand that coupons do not last forever. There are coupons out there that might only be good on a given day. Other coupons may expire a month from now. Check your coupons each week to see if any are close to expiration. Group together all the coupons that are close to their expiration date. That will help you get the most out of your coupons.

TIP! Take advantage of the grocery store competition and use the coupon strategies to your advantage. Coupons that one store takes may be honored by a store that they compete with.

When you are going to clip coupons first do a little ad shopping so that you can match coupons to what is on your shopping list. You might just see that visiting multiple stores can score some big savings over going to a single store.

Try to match your coupons to the stores sale ads. That way, you will save as much as possible. Generally, coupons will not expire before the item goes on sale at a store near you. Coupons that are combined with sales can really save you much money on your grocery bill.

TIP! Collect all of your coupons and bring them along when shopping even if you’re not going to use them. You don’t know if there is an in-store sale, and you might want to run out and bring the coupons in.

Spend enough time clipping or printing the coupons you need. When saving money by using coupons, you need to put in time and effort. However, if you really want to save some money at the store, you will make the time to make it all work. On a typical day, you need about 30 minutes to complete your clipping and organizing.

Don’t allow couponing to use up time that you don’t have. It is easy to let the coupon quest take up a big chink of your free time. Try and calculate how much you save after the first month you use coupons.

TIP! Contact your local newspaper office and inquire about any available couponer’s discounts. Some newspapers will let you get the weekly paper for as little as a dollar an issue if you have a Sunday subscription.

Some stores offer the doubling and tripling of coupons. Take the time to call up stores or ask fellow shoppers where you can take advantage of this practice. You can get information and pointers from your family members and friends, as well as colleagues, and even your neighbors.

Even if you’re in possession of a certain coupon, you don’t have to buy that item. Many people overspend with coupons because they think they have to buy every item they’ve got a coupon for. Although this could be an excellent deal, if you aren’t going to be using the products, then you’ll be losing money.

TIP! If you have a coupon for an item that is going to go on sale, then you could save even more money by making use of coupon-clipping services for ordering numerous copies of the coupon. These services can be found often in coupon websites.

Always remember to grab your coupons whenever you go out shopping. Otherwise, they can not help you. People oftentimes forget their coupons when they go shopping. Put yours where you will see them to avoid this.

Make a grocery list, and then look online for coupons you can use. You’ll more than likely find some coupons on things that you were going to buy anyways. If you’re not able to, you can modify what you’re getting and save some things for another time.

TIP! “Dumpster diving” is a legitimate way to get your hands on a lot of coupons. This does not mean you have to dive into the garbage; simply put on a pair of gloves and search through papers to find what you are looking for.

Shop regularly at stores that allow you to use double coupons. Instead of saving a mere quarter on a product with a coupon, you can save fifty cents instead. This could prove useful for costly products that only provide lower value coupons, for example mouthwash or dish cleaning soap. Some coupons are not able to be doubled so read the fine print.

Only purchase what you have room for. If your coupon is for an item that is perishable or frozen that you can’t use during a certain time period, you should either give them to a family member or friend or just don’t purchase it.

TIP! Search for coupons online prior to making any type of online purchase. Simply go onto the search engine of your choice and enter the store’s name with “coupon”.

This article will show you how to effectively use coupons to save. There is a lot of information out there to help you be successful. Keep all of these tips in mind while you learn to utilize coupons to save on grocery bills.