How To Coupon: Is It Worth Reading the Fine Print?

1 Comment | Written on March 23, 2012 at 9:00 am, by

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This week, my grocery store had another combination deal. With the purchase of four General Mills products, you got a coupon for a free gallon of milk. Two things happened that I want to share.

 

First, my store flyer only pictured cereal with the deal, but upon looking closely, I saw that I could also choose fruit snacks or granola bars. It turns out, the fruit snacks were on sale. Not only did they cost two dollars a box less than any of the cereals, I had coupons to boot. So, I bought four boxes of fruit snacks (for about $9 less than the cereal would have cost me), and I still got the free milk.

 

First point: always read the fine print. Your store flyer might only show the priciest option to get the deal.

 

Here’s the second thing: when cashing out, my free milk coupon didn’t print. I was in a rush, so I was tempted to forget it. But it was a free gallon of milk, so I took a moment to locate a staff person and get my coupon. This reaffirmed the importance of checking receipts and following up on mistakes. This mistake was easy to catch, but sometimes it’s not as obvious. My store frequently offers deals that result in instant money off my order. This type of promotion appears on my receipt as “personal thanks” savings, so I always check to make sure it’s there. More often than you’d expect, it’s not. My store gives me the amount in cash when this happens — and they’re most helpful if I approach them moments after my transaction.

 

Second point: always check your receipts, and resolve mistakes immediately.

 

 

 

Shop smart and save! Check out more tips on couponing and savvy shopping!

 

 

 

Get free affordable meal ideas for your family!

 

 

 

 

One Response to “How To Coupon: Is It Worth Reading the Fine Print?”

  • pointer democrat says:
    February 9, 2013 at 10:25 pm

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    Reply

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