If you're new here, you may want to have these bargains delivered right to your email or subscribe via RSS feed. If you are new to couponing, check out my series the "15 days of Couponing." Thanks for visiting!
Stores and manufacturer’s give us such great deals there is not reason to abuse the system. I encourage everyone to follow these “commandments” when it comes to couponing. We play within the rules and it makes it easier for everyone. When people start abusing the system, stores and manufacturers cut back or give the honest couponers a hard time!
- Thou Shall Not Used Expired Coupons. Unless it is your stores policy to accept them. Sometimes they will not beep even with expired.
- Thou Shall Use the Coupon for the Item is intended.
- Thous Shall understand the requirements & restrictions on the coupon. Read the coupon language carefully. Sometimes there is a certain number you have to purchase or a specific variety is only included on the coupon.
- Thou Shall Not Decode the Coupon to misuse the coupon.
- Thou Shall Not Alter Coupons.
- Thous Shall Not Make Copies of Printable Coupons. Making copies of printable coupons is a big “no no”.
- Thou Shall Not Clear the Shelves.
- Thou Shall Question Any FREE coupon items for legitimacy. The old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Thou Shall Not Misuse the Self Checkout System.
- Thou Shall Use Your Couponing Powers for Good Only!
The 15 Days of Couponing will guide you through the art of couponing. It is a skill that you can learn and maximize to the full potential to help your family and help others. So if you are interested in cutting your grocery budget in half or more, check out the 15 Days of Couponing Series!
Day 1: We all have to shop! Why not save money while doing it?
Day 2: The Language of Couponers – Translated!
Day 3: Where Art Thou Coupons?
Day 4: Know Thy Coupon (What does that fine print mean?)
Day 5: When to Use Your Coupons
Day 6: Buy Groceries, Pay for College with Upromise eCoupons
Day 7: eCoupons the Alternate to Clipping
Day 8: Don’t Get Mad, Get a Rain Check
Day 9: Advance Your Couponing Skills with Rebates
Day 10: Stockpiling
Day 11: Organize your coupon stash
Day 12: Surviving the Checkout Lane
Day 13: How to Handle Coupon Rejection
Day 14: Ten Commandments of Couponing
So now that you’ve gotten to the checkout lane, what do you do if your coupon is rejected? For the most part, I’ve never had much trouble. There has been a few instances like at Walmart or a particular CVS in a neighboring town with a grouchy cashier. I’m not the only one who refuses to shop at this particular CVS because of one cashier! Why torture myself, ya know! Throughout the course of your coupon shopping, you will come across one of “those” cashiers. It is a given.
I like to scout out my favorite cashier. I will wait wait extra to have a favorite check me out. I try to scout out a coupon friendly cashier before entering that lane if I don’t see one of my favorites. I have my own methods of trying to decide who will be coupon friendly by appearances if I don’t know. Nothing scientific just based on past experiences. You may also want to reference Surviving the Checkout Lane to get hints on how to stay organized so you can be confident you purchased X item which makes X coupon!
So what do you do if they say nope, can’t take this coupon. First, please remain calm. You will get a better result if you speak in a rational tone and in a respectful way. Remember, the cashiers have to answer to their managers, who have to answer to their managers, etc. They all just want to follow store policy and make sure that all coupons are utilized properly so the store is able to be reimbursed for the coupons.
If the cashier refused to scan the coupon, you should ask they try to scan it. If it doesn’t scan, it doesn’t mean the coupon is not valid. It just may be a coding error. Make sure your language matches the coupon. Some cashiers may try to say you have to buy the product pictured on the coupon. That is not always the case. Companies usually show a higher priced item on the coupon but many of the coupons I use state “any abc brand product.”
Decide if it is worth it to speak to the manager. Don’t forget your time has value. It is probably not worth my time to speak to a manager over (1) .25 coupon. I know that most deals come around again and my pantry is stocked so I don’t sweat the small stuff as much anymore. You have to determine how much your time is worth.
Be assertive not nasty when speaking with the manager. Usually managers are more informed about the coupon policies than cashiers. It never hurts to ask for a manager.
Having a corporate coupon policy is always helpful. Just remember a store has the right to refuse any coupon or change their policy at any time. You, however, have the right to contact their corporate headquarters.
Don’t be afraid to ask to remove an item off your receipt if they won’t accept your coupon. I’ve done this before for items I may not have bought at the price without the coupon before. If it is an item we need, I will still buy it and move on.
Final note, don’t be nervous about using your coupons. When I first started out, I got all clammy when I showed up at the cash register with a wad of my coupons. Now it is second nature and doesn’t bother me a bit. It also helps to arm yourself with coupon knowledge. The more you know, the more confident you will be in your couponing abilities.
The 15 Days of Couponing will guide you through the art of couponing. It is a skill that you can learn and maximize to the full potential to help your family and help others. So if you are interested in cutting your grocery budget in half or more stay tuned for the next edition!
Day 1: We all have to shop! Why not save money while doing it?
Day 2: The Language of Couponers – Translated!
Day 3: Where Art Thou Coupons?
Day 4: Know Thy Coupon (What does that fine print mean?)
Day 5: When to Use Your Coupons
Day 6: Buy Groceries, Pay for College with Upromise eCoupons
Day 7: eCoupons the Alternate to Clipping
Day 8: Don’t Get Mad, Get a Rain Check
Day 9: Advance Your Couponing Skills with Rebates
Day 10: Stockpiling
Day 11: Organize your coupon stash
Day 12: Surviving the Checkout Lane
Day 13: How to Handle Coupon Rejection
Spend a little time before heading out on your next shopping trip to stay organized and save time & money. You will get a feel for what works for you after awhile but here’s my before, during, and checking out strategies. All it requires is a less than $10 pocket file organizer and multiple envelopes. Use envelopes from bills/credit card offers you don’t use.
- Use my “printer friendly” version of my deal page.
- Look through the pages and cross out the items I know I don’t want/need.
- Search for the coupons by insert and then clip the coupons of the items I’m interested in.
- Write the # of items I want of each item by the item, check off the coupon to use as I find them so I know they are clipped.
- I then organize my coupons by aisle. I paper clip the multiple coupons together and then put the list and the coupons in an envelope.
- As I am shopping, I gather the items I want to purchase. As I am doing this, I find my coupons and place them in a separate envelope so I will be ready for checkout.
- For coupons I don’t use either because they are out of that particular item or I decide we don’t need it while in the store, I just place those in the back “To Be Filed.
- I do a quick double check of my coupons as I’m standing in line just to make sure I didn’t miss any coupons.
One additional thing I have been doing is carrying a 8 1/2″ x 11″ clear envelope. I place loose coupons, coupon booklets, and ads in this envelope. This has helped me a save a little extra because I usually find a few items on clearance or unadvertised deals which match up to my loose coupons.
Here’s the coupon wallet I use while shopping. I leave my purse in the car and put cash or my credit/debit card, loyalty cards, gift cards in the outside pocket. I have extra coupons in different sections in my coupon wallet in case I find something that isn’t on my list that I need, unadvertised sale, or clearance.
As you get more comfortable with using your coupons, you will find it a little easier to shop with your children with your coupons. Good luck to you!!!
The 15 Days of Couponing will guide you through the art of couponing. It is a skill that you can learn and maximize to the full potential to help your family and help others. So if you are interested in cutting your grocery budget in half or more, read yesterday’s edition and stay tuned for the next edition!
Day 1: We all have to shop! Why not save money while doing it?
Day 2: The Language of Couponers – Translated!
Day 3: Where Art Thou Coupons?
Day 4: Know Thy Coupon (What does that fine print mean?)
Day 5: When to Use Your Coupons
Day 6: Buy Groceries, Pay for College with Upromise eCoupons
Day 7: eCoupons the Alternate to Clipping
Day 8: Don’t Get Mad, Get a Rain Check
Day 9: Advance Your Couponing Skills with Rebates
Day 10: Stockpiling
Day 11: Organize Your Coupon Stash
Day 12: Surviving the Checkout Lane
Day 13: How to Handle Coupon Rejection
To keep ya’ll here, I’ve read you should use words like “Easy”, “Proven”, “Effective”. Well, there isn’t really one method that is the easiest or proven when it comes to coupon organization. Everyone has their own preferences on what works best for them.
I’ve tried several methods and have my own system. Sometimes it isn’t perfect. Sometimes it isn’t pretty. It is what works for me.
So today I’m going to give you some ideas and maybe it will help you develop your own system on what works for you.
Does this look organized to you?
No, probably not. This is actually a picture of me working on my “masterpiece” while getting organized for a mega shopping trip. It looks ugly but I assure you there is a method to my madness.
I use the weekly insert method instead of clipping every single coupon every week. Meaning, I take my Sunday newspaper inserts, use a Sharpie and mark the date of the insert on the front page. This is a really fun project for my 7 year old son since it does involve the sacred Sharpie marker. If you use my weekly deals, you will notice I put the insert date and type in the coupon spot – this is to help those who use the insert method.
I do clip some coupons. I clip coupons I know I will use right away such as “Free” coupons or items we are always buying. I place these in my black coupon organizer which I will tell you about in the next edition of the 15 days of couponing.
At one time I was then placing them in a 12 pocket file organizer like the one shown to the right. However, I soon realized this was not large enough and it was annoying having to mess with the velcro when I needed an insert quickly.
So now I use these open file organizers. It looks messier but it works better for me as I can fit more inserts and reach them quicker to clip.I still file them by date but I don’t take the time to write it on a label. I just use the front of the insert as a guide.
Coupon organization is probably one of the biggest frustrations rookies have. I’ve put together a list of the advantages of each method. Use this as a guide to help you decided which method may work best for you. Just as with any other organization system, it does require constant updating to keep it organized or you will have a big mess like this.
Advantages of the Insert Method:
- You don’t spend hours clipping, sorting, and filing every single coupon every week even the ones you don’t need.
- Easy to find the coupon you need when you use the Hot Coupon World Coupon Database or the Taylor Town Preview.
- You don’t have to try to guess which category you filed a coupon that good fit into several categories.
- You don’t “lose” coupons in your stash that state “any” product of a certain brand which could apply to medicine, baby, etc.
Advantages of Clipping each Week:
- Sometimes you find coupons in your weekly insert that the databases didn’t tell you about or had down for a different week. Sometimes different areas get different coupons at different times.
- You will have coupons clipped when you find a spectacular clearance deal.
- Coupons are already clipping for trading, giving away, etc.
- You spend less time right before your shopping trip pulling coupons our of your coupon binding instead of finding them then clipping them.
People who clip each week usually use a coupon box or a 3 ring binder with plastic sheets to organize their coupons by category. I did that when I first started couponing and I couldn’t keep up with clipping every week and once I even had a child empty out my entire coupon binder by flipping it upside down!
Coupon Pros or Newbies: How do you organize YOUR coupons?
The 15 Days of Couponing will guide you through the art of couponing. It is a skill that you can learn and maximize to the full potential to help your family and help others. So if you are interested in cutting your grocery budget in half or more, read yesterday’s edition and stay tuned for tommorrow’s edition where I will show you my little black coupon binder and how it helps keep me organized before, during, and after shopping!
