Introduction to coupons

Terminology

You're going to get alot of terms and abbreviations thrown around when entering the world of coupons, so I've started a list of the most common to help guide those newbied (like I was/am!). I've asked these questions so you don't have to!

Term/acronym	Explanation
$X/X	this refers to the coupon amount in dollars i.e. $2 and the amount of the product you need to buy e.g. 1 - so $2/1 means 2 dollars off 1 of the product
$X/ $X	$X off when you spend (wys) $X, for example Dollar General often offers $5 off when you spend $25
All digital	normally applies to Dollar General and Family Dollar, this means that you only need to use the app or website to add the coupons and no paper coupons are required for these deals - very newbie friendly
Bonus cash	Normally refers to the cash you receive for the next spend at Rite Aid
Cashback	We have a whole section dedicated to this, see here ~~coming soon~~
CRT or crt	specific to CVS, Cash Register Tape which are the coupons that print at the red machine, at the end of your receipt or add to your CVS card
DG	Dollar General, the store
DM or dm	Direct Message, on Instagram
DQ	Digital Coupon, usually via the stores phone app or on a webite
ECB	CVS ExtraCare or ExtraBux rewards, the money that you'll receive on your account for the next spend
GC	Gift Cards
Glitch	When a store or online site has a glitch you'll have to act fast. Here, something goes wrong for the store and results in a reduced price or additional points for the buyer. For example, say the store has a special offering 2 items for $250, however when you add those 2 items to the cart, it results in the total being $150 - this is a glitch. Some are honored i.e. the store dispatches, however others are cancelled before shipment. It's worth a shot
IP (or IP's or IPS)	Internet Printable coupons
Money maker or just "mm"	Kinda obvious, but this is where you actually come out ahead in the transaction i.e. you receive more in rewards than you paid out, sometimes you don't have anything out of pocket and get rewards
MQ	Manufacturer coupon, usually found on the manufacturers website
NLA	No longer available, sometimes also called "dead" i.e. the deal is dead
OOP	Out Of Pocket, the amount you'll actually have to pay in cash/credit
PQ	Paper coupon, found in newspapers or in-store
RA	Rite Aid, the store
RMN	Retail Me Not, see below for how to get the coupons
Roll	Roll is the term used to describe using the previous rewards (for example CVS ExtraBux on the current transaction i.e. roll the money forward
SS	Smart Source, usually with a date so 11/11 SS is the Smart Source) November 11 coupon
Stack or Stacking	When you can use more than 1 coupon in a single transaction, you stack coupons i.e. many websites only allow a single coupon to be used (or even in-store), however when you stack coupons it means you can use more than one
Trans	Transaction, some deals require multiple transaction i.e. trans #1 buy X, trans #2 buy Y
Wags	Walgreens, the store
wys	When you spend...some coupons have a requirement to spend a certain amount
YMMV	Your Mileage May Vary, it means you might be able to get the deal, you might not

Read this first!

The most important rule of couponing is as follows:

Do not run and try and get every deal you see. First and foremost, couponing is about SAVING money by stockpiling items you need at a low price, so you won't have to pay full price when you actually need them. So think about what you use on an ongoing basis and go from there!

Couponing can get addictive and the competitiveness is real! And stay healthy!

Where to get or clip coupons

Sunday newspapers

If you like the old school method, lots of US Sunday newspapers contain coupons which you can cut out and use - super easy!

Question

I'd like get a list going about which newspapers have coupons, so please leave a comment below with your state, city (if you're OK with that) and the newspaper name which contains the coupons. Thanks!

Retail Me Not (rmn) coupons

If you're old school and want the paper coupons delivered to your door, check here to see if there are any local publications which provide them. Otherwise, you'll have to print them at home, [go here] (https://www.retailmenot.com/everyday) and folow the insructions (you'll need to install the coupon software)

Coupons.com

This one is online (like RMN above) and follows a similar principle, click here to go there. Top Tip alert: coupons.com updates their coupons every Sunday and also on the 1^st of the month, so check back then for new coupons.

PG Everyday

Click here print your own coupons online, same as Redplum and coupons.com

Redplum

Now found on the Retail Me Not website (see above), print your own coupons

Smart Source

Another one to add to the arsenal of coupon printing

Lozo

lozo.com contains lots of coupons, be sure to check that one out

Grocery Coupon Network

Another coupon site, use their search to find coupons that you need.

Other ways to get coupons

There are several other sources, including visiting the manufacturers website (e.g. Scotts for toilet paper) and getting coupons directly from their website. Also, some people have had success with just emailing the manufacturers and asking. Finally, as detailed below, many stores have their own apps (CVS, Wallgreens and Dollar General to name a few) which offer coupons through them.

You can also check Facebook pages run by the manufacturers for additional deals sometimes.

Summary of Coupon websites

Smart Source - (https://www.smartsource.com)
Retail Me Not - (https://www.retailmenot.com/everyday) (formerly Red Plum)
PGE Everyday - (https://www.pgeveryday.com)
Coupons(dot)com - (https://www.coupons.com)
Lozo - (https://www.lozo.com)
Grocery Coupon Network - (https://www.grocerycouponnetwork.com)

Searching for coupons

There are websites out there that allow searching across all the above coupon sites, which we've listed below. Choose the one you find easiest to use or where you most often find the coupons you're after

Hip2Save - (https://hip2save.com/coupon-database/)
Southern Savers - (https://www.southernsavers.com/printable-coupons/)
Living Rich with Coupons - (https://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/)
Coupon Tom - (https://coupontom.com/) <---- my personal favorite
Hot Coupon World - (https://www.hotcouponworld.com/coupon-database/) (interesting name!)

Dollar General

Probably the most famous in coupon circles, there are a few things you need to know about DG

Coupons expire at a fixed point, so if you use one in one week, you won't have it until after the coupon expiry date - something to watch out for as they often have deals each week
DG has a Saturday (usually) $5 off $25 spend, so make preparations for heading out on a Saturday
See previous tip, get there early on a Saturday as some stuff gets cleaned out quickly
If you're a first time Dollar General customer, you'll get a $1 off $1.01 purchase, make sure you use this before you use the $5 off $25, as you can only use 1 "$ off" coupon in one transaction

CVS

Printing your CRT's rather than sending them to your card gives you a 48hr window to use them after they've already expired
Try printing your CRT's later in the week so that they roll over to the following week's deals. This way you'll have a better chance of lowering your OOP and more options.

Tips for using coupons

Start small and work your way up
Be nice to the cashier at the register
You can ask if something applies i.e. I thought when I purchased these items there was a discount
You can change your mind if something dosen't work as expected
Learning is growing