Amazing Coupon Queen Saves 97% On Grocery Bill
Sure, I use coupons, and I’m decent at it, but for me watching this video of the “Coupon Queen” is like a little kid enrolled in her first karate class watching an expert ninja.
Total before coupons: $152.86
Coupon savings: $144.70
Total after coupons: $9.43
Most of her large coupons come not from Sunday newspapers, but from rebate offers. (If you have Rite Aid stores in your area, I can’t recommend their Single Check Rebates system enough—especially if you use coupons on top of the rebates.) It’s an amazing thing to behold.
Coupon Queen Scam
I’m never ashamed or embarrassed to use coupons. I think of my coupons as cash. They are cash to shoppers and they’re cash to the stores where we shop, too.
Whether I use a dollar manufacturer coupon or a dollar bill, the store will receive a dollar for that purchase — but I will spend a dollar less because of that $1 coupon.
That said, have I raised a few eyebrows in the checkout lane when I’ve managed to reduce a $130 grocery bill to $7 and change? Yes, I have.
I don’t often have issues with cashiers — but on occasion, everyone does. I always try to be as pleasant as possible when I hand over my stack of coupons. It’s important to note that I use coupons correctly. I don’t use expired coupons at stores that don’t accept them and I don’t try to “slip in” a coupon for an item if it’s not the correct size or type specified.
Following these simple rules of coupon etiquette can go a long way with cashiers, too, if they regularly see you in their store using coupons correctly.
Your $1 coupon for a certain brand of apparel likely would have worked not just on the T-shirts made by this manufacturer, but also on the company’s underwear, socks and sweatshirts.
It’s a common misconception that shoppers are limited to the exact item displayed on a coupon. Not true. The coupon’s fine print will always detail which products the bar code will cover.
In this case, because the coupon’s text didn’t specify a certain kind of apparel, the bar code was coded to work on any item from this manufacturer.
Any time I have an issue similar to the one described above, I ask, “Could you try to scan it? The register will let you know if the coupon isn’t coded to work on this item.” Nine times out of 10, the coupon will scan and you’ll be on your way.
Using Expired Coupon Queen
I receive many letters from readers who share the same sentiment. They want to use their expired coupons… somehow! Here are notes from two readers:
“I enjoy reading your column and was wondering if you have ever had any success using expired coupons in stores?”
“Why can’t a store take coupons that are only expired by a few days? If my coupon expires today, surely the store is not turning it in for redemption the same day. If their window to redeem is bigger, can I use expired coupons longer, too?”
Last week we discussed why coupons have expiration dates to begin with. Manufacturers and stores want us to use them within a specified time frame.
When it comes to expired coupons, I am a big believer in following the store’s policy. Most retailers across the country will not accept coupons after the printed expiration date. The obvious reason, of course, is that the store itself will not be reimbursed for the coupon should they submit it for redemption after it expires.
It is true that the store does have a little more time to redeem that coupon than we do. If a coupon expires today, the store has a window ranging from several weeks to several months to submit the coupon for redemption. Remember, the coupon’s expiration date is designed to get shoppers to purchase products within a specified time.
However, there are actually some stores that will accept expired coupons. Typically, these stores will accept coupons up to 60 days after the expiration date, when they can still submit those coupons for redemption. A store that accepts expired coupons provides a nice incentive to shoppers. You can extend the window of time to use a given coupon a little longer, and you also increase your chances of matching that coupon to a good sale in the store.
To learn whether or not your store accepts expired coupons, visit the store’s Web site or customer service counter and read the coupon policy. A store’s coupon policy is one of a coupon shopper’s biggest and best tools. You may be surprised to learn that your store accepts expired coupons in some circumstances.
If your store does not accept expired coupons, it’s important that you do not try to use them there. Attempting to bend or break the rules at your store is never advisable. Cashiers remember frequent customers. It can give stores and staff a bad impression of “those coupon shoppers” if you are caught trying to pass expired coupons. Never cut the expiration date off a coupon to try to fool a cashier. It’s fraudulent to do so. Many cash registers now read an encoded expiration date automatically, so this dishonest ploy typically won’t work anyway.
Where I live, I am lucky enough to have one store that accepts expired coupons. The policy is an incentive to shop there.
People often ask what I do with my expired coupons. The answer may make you smile, but it’s true. I keep any high-value expired coupons in a file crate in my garage, just in case this particular store has a great sale on those products. Trust me, there have been some fantastic sales that had me digging in the crate to find valuable, old coupons that I was glad I hung onto a little longer. I don’t recycle any of these coupons until they, too, have passed the window of redemption at this store — months after their actual printed expiration date.
No stores in your area accept expired coupons? There is one other way to use those old coupons instead of tossing them out. I’ll share the tip with you next week.
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Intriguing , I am curious what the statistics are on your first point there…