How to be a Responsible Couponer

Couponing is a great way to save your family money and help stick within limited budgets.  There are however, people who take it to extremes and use methods that are questionable.  If you are starting off this journey or trying to get better here are my recommendations for keeping it responsible.

DON'T Steal Coupons
This shouldn't be a hard concept but apparently it does need to be stated.  If you buy your newspapers at the store, don't grab inserts from extra paper and stuff them in yours.  Yes it's stealing!  It's the same as walking up to your neighbors house and taking their newspaper.  There are plenty of ways to get cheap or free coupons without stealing or dumpster diving.  See my post 10 ways to get coupons without spending a fortune for helpful ideas and you don't have to commit a crime!

DO Work within the Policy & Guidelines
 Every store you shop at will have a coupon policy if they accept coupons.  They do this for many reasons the most important are to follow the laws in their state and to be able to keep up with the supply and demand.  Limiting customers helps make sure that their shelves are regularly stocked and they are able to restock so they not without products on a regular basis.  If they regularly have people exceeding their limits and they are out of stock on items they will lose customers.  Lost customers = lost business = less sales & lower coupon limits.

DON'T Clear the Shelves
 One of the most frustrating things for a couponer is planning out your trip to a T and getting to the store to find half of the products you want to buy are out of stock.  I'm not saying if there are only 1 or 2 of an item on the shelve that you don't take those items if you need them.  What I am saying is if you have excessive coupons and plan on doing multiple transactions to get dozens of one item don't leave the shelf bare.  Take 1 or 2 of the store's limit (for Shoprite that is 4 like coupons in one transaction) but making sure you are leaving some for other's.  Then if you really need more that 4 or 8 go back on another day and purchase more when the store has had a chance to restock.  If you really absolutely need large quantities ask at customer service if they have additional quantities in the back.


DON'T Buy More than You Can Use
The biggest error and irresponsible thing I see with couponing is people buying more than they could comfortably use within a given time frame.  Most products have a "best if used by" date.  Although products may still be safe after those dates their quality starts to decline.  Since we are in a society where food is in abundance it doesn't make financial sense to stock up on items that will not be any good before you have a chance to use them.  My personal rule of thumb is I don't stock up on more than 6 - 12 months worth of supply on any product.  This helps me in several ways.  Having too much of an item in your home makes it hard to rotate your items so that the oldest items are being used first and not expiring.  Of course paper products and storage bags don't ever expire or go bad if stored properly.  But there is no reason to hoard years worth of them when if you shop the sales cycles they will be on sale at their rock bottom prices again before you run out.

taken from SouthernCalSaver.com

DO Keep to Your Goals and Storage Areas
What are your goals when it comes to couponing?  Are you looking to save enough money to get you through a rough financial time?  Are you looking for a hobby that won't cost you much money?  Are you trying to eat healthy on a limited budget?  Fine tune and figure it out what it is you are trying to accomplish.  Stick to it!  If you started on this journey to be able to eat better on a limited budget, than don't go "buy" boxes of cookies and ice cream just because you are getting a great deal.

Also keep to the confines of your acceptable storage areas.  If you have a pantry and that's all you want to use then stick to that.  Being organized will help you fit as much as you can in limited space.  But don't kid your child out of their room so you can have more space for your hundreds of bottles of dishwashing detergent when you don't have a dishwasher.  Hoarding is not responsible.  It's detrimental to relationships but it's also going to make it harder for you in the future to coupon.  Stores can refuse to sell to you and/or accept coupons from you if they feel you are abusing them.

DON'T Sell Your Coupons or Products You've Purchased with Coupons
Selling coupons makes them void according to the fine print on all coupons.  Although there technically isn't any legislation on record that makes it illegal to sell coupons there are other ways you can be charged with crimes for doing so, the most common is fraud.  The fact that the coupon states it is void if transferred etc make the coupon worthless if you sell it. When you sell it, you do so knowing that what you are selling someone something that is only worth the scrap of paper you printed it on is fraud.  You can find a great explanation of the issues concerning the buying and selling of coupons on About.com here.

The selling of items obtained with coupons again technically is not illegal.  But there are quite a few legal issues to contend with here.  The first is that if you make a profit on these items it is considered taxable income and you are required by law to report this every year on your income taxes.  Failure to do is tax evasion.  Another issue is that if you regularly intend to purchase items and resell them you are limited to local regulations. If you sell items out of your home you need to be careful when it comes to permits.  Most towns require you to get a permit to have a Yard Sale/Garage sale etc and limit you to the number of times you can have one in a calendar year.  There are also numerous regulations concerning proper storage of items for resale, especially when it comes to food products.

In addition to legal ramifications mentioned above you are also liable for the people on your property and in your home. If someone trips and falls or gets sick from items purchased from you, you can be held legally and financially accountable.  You also need to be aware of fire codes with how many people you have entering your home.  And last but most certainly not least there is a huge safety issue.  Advertising on public forums and the internet can attract all sorts of crazy people and inviting them into your home is never recommended.

There is a lot of great information on the subject of what is right/wrong/illegal when it comes to coupons here: Coupon Information Corporation.  It is also the place where retailers and manufacturers go for information and advice.

DON'T Intentionally Misuse Coupons
Read the fine print on the coupon.  Some coupons are easy, get $1 off ANY product. There isn't really much to worry about with these.  But most coupons have specifics and they should be followed.  For example, if you have a coupon for $1 off an 15oz bottle or larger.  You can use it on any product that is that size or larger.  If you choose a smaller size and then at checkout hand the coupon anyway knowing that it is the wrong size that is fraud and is illegal.  Many times a coupon can be "coded" wrong in the system.  So even though it is the wrong size it will still go through.  People who know this and knowingly use the coupon incorrectly are committing fraud.  Is a SWAT team going to come to your house for the one or two bottles of shampoo you save a $1 on when you weren't supposed to?  No, of course not.  That doesn't make it right.  It also hurts you.  The store may not be able to be reimbursed for those coupons because they were used incorrectly or in fraudulent transaction.  The manufacturers will have lost revenue and therefore will be less likely to offer such coupons or as high values in the future.

DO Reduce Reuse and Recycle
REDUCE Most veteran couponers will tell you the quickest way to save a little money is to reduce your waste. Couponing doesn't mean buy EVERYTHING you can just because it's cheap or free.   That only creates more waste that you have to pay to get rid of. And paying for things you don't need or want will only be wasting precious money in your tiny budget. Planning your shopping trips and meal planning will help you to avoid extra and unnecessary trips to the store.  This will not only save you time but also money on "impulse buying" and gas in your car.  Also if you limit your grocery runs to the store you'll be forced to utilize more items for your pantry that you've already paid for.  Reduce your waste by bringing your own reusable grocery bags.  They are cheap or free.  Just go to some Vendor shows or Town days, anywhere they have vendor booths set up and guarantee you will see someone giving them away with their logo on it.

REUSE You can reuse the plastic or paper bags you come home with.  Plastic bags have millions of uses.  Just search the internet for "plastic grocery bag uses."  And you'll see a ton of ways.  Still have more than you can use?  Bring them back to the grocery store and use them again.  Crafts Crafts Crafts  There are million and one ways to use every darn plastic or metal contain you bring home from the stores.  Some are just repurposing them for storage of supplies and other's range to container gardening and make cute crafts and sprinkles for the summer.

RECYCLE You can also recycle your plastic bags right at the grocery store.  Most stores have a bin that you can throw your unwanted plastic bags in and they recycle them for you.  Many waste management companies also take recycling.  If yours doesn't call and ask why and tell them you want it when it's available.  It's actually a source of income for them.  They can sell the cardboard, paper, plastic and metal to companies who make recycled products. So it's a win - win.  If your waste company doesn't recycle - shame on them- but you can find a recycling center near you by searching on recyclefinder.com.  What about all those "weird" containers that you're not entirely sure what material they are, like, juice boxes and fruit pouches?  Check out Terracycle.com.  They will send you a free label to mail them all sorts of things.  It's as simple as chucking the pouch in a box instead of your trash can.  Hey who knows, maybe you can cut back your garbage pick up or cancel it all together!  Wouldn't that be nice?!


DO Pay it Forward
Sometimes it pays to buy items that you don't want or need.  I've seen some deals that are such big money makers they could pay for half of my weeks worth of groceries by "purchasing" those items.  When that happens I try to find a way to donate it.  Take a look around.  Ask at a local church.  They should be able to direct you any number of places that could take your unwanted items and put it to a good cause.  Check out Animal Shelters, Pet Rescue groups, Women's Shelters, Homeless Shelters, Food Pantry's, and local Youth Organizations.  Most are no-for-profits and can provide you with a tax receipt of your donation.  You can take that and claim it on your taxes.  There are so many people and animals that go without their basic needs because they can't afford them.  So if you do buy a little in excess, don't fret!  Find a local charity that can use it.

Couponing can not only be a money saving and wonderful thing for you but it can open doors for you to help others!  Make sure you are keeping yourself in check by having goals and stick to them.  Set boundaries for yourself.  Where is an acceptable area for you to keep a pantry or stockpile?  Stick to a budget.  Just because you can get a million things for cheap doesn't mean you should spend your kids college education to buy it all now.  Set a time limit.  What is a reasonable amount of time that you have available to spend on couponing?  Stay within that time frame.  If you've allotted 5 hours that week for all things couponing then whatever doesn't get clipped, printed or purchased doesn't get done.  There are always deals, and sales and great things available so don't give up family time.  Keep your ultimate goals in mind and set priorities and couponing can be a great way to help your family.

Couponing - The Lingo

One of the hardest things I found while learning how to coupon is trying to decipher the language of all things coupon.  I figured I would start to break down the mystical language for you.

Couponing Definitions:

$1/1  - abbreviation for $1.00 off of 1 product.

$.50/2 - abbreviation for $0.50 off of 2 products  You must buy two of this product to be able to use the coupon.  It is also considered 1 purchase.
Available At - Some coupons with have a statement or logo printed one them that say "Available at ____" This simply is advertising for the particular store mentioned.  It does NOT mean the coupon can only be used at that particular store (unless it states it is a store coupon on the top.)  These coupons can be used at any participating store that accepts coupons unless otherwise stated in their coupon policy.

Blinkies - The machines that spit out manufacturer coupons on the shelves at the store next to the corresponding product.  Some people also refer to the coupons that spit out as blinkies.

BOGO/B1G1 - refers to a discount of "buy one product and get one"  It usually refers to buy one get one free, but can be used as buy one get one half off or other discount.  There are also different variations of this like B1G3, buy one get three etc.

Catalina (CAT) - This is the machine next to a receipt printer at the register.  It prints the coupons that print out at the register.  They also sometimes print advertisements for new products or information for future deals.  It is also what you call the coupons that print at the register and can be abbreviated as Cat or Cats.  There are many different varieties of these, see OYNO, Store Coupon, Catalina Deal...

Catalina Deal - Refers to a purchase or group of purchases you can make to receive a catalina.  The catalina will print after you pay at the cash register and is usually for $ off your next shopping trip.

Coupon Policy - This refers to a stores coupon policy.  It can usually be found at their customer service desk and on the company's website.  It is important to understand the limits of your coupons before you structure your shopping trips.  If you have questions about what is and isn't allow you should always check with customer service.

DND - abbreviation for Do Not Double, refers to a coupon that can NOT be doubled even if it is in a store's coupon policy to do so.

Insert - The paper coupon booklets that are found in the Sunday/Saturday newspapers.

ISO/INO - abbreviation for In Search Of/In Need Of.  You will find this in couponing groups or sites when people are looking to trade for a particular coupon they want.

Manufacturer Coupon (MFR) - coupon that is offered by the manufacturer.  Most coupons fall under this category.  You can not combine a MFR with another MFR on the same product.

MIR - abbreviation for Mail In Rebate.  Refers to a deal or offer where you buy a product or multiple product and submit required information and they will send you a check or rebate card with the amount owed.  It can also refer to rebates that are processed online.

Money Maker (MM) - refers to items that you can buy and make money towards your other purchases.  This can happen when you buy multiple items and receive a catalina, rebate or gift card for more than you spent out of pocket.  It can also happen when you stack a MFR coupon, STR coupon, e-coupon, rebate, and/or app rebate together on one item.

NLA - abbreviation for No Longer Available.  Usually used to indicate that a printable coupon is no longer available for printing.  Can also refer to limited quantities of items in a store not having anymore items available.

"One coupon per purchase" - You can only use one coupon per product you are purchasing. For example both $1/1 and $0.50/2 coupon abbreviations are considered one purchase.   You can use more than one coupon in a transaction as long as you are following the store's coupon policy and any fine print on the coupon.

Only At - Some coupons will have a statement or logo printed on them that say "Only at" or "Only Available At."  It means that these coupons can ONLY be used at the store indicated.  The only exception to this is if it is stated in another store's coupon policy that they accept "competitor coupons."
OOP - abbreviation for Out Of Pocket.  It refers to the amount someone has to spend at the register before they receive any rebates, coupons, catalinas or gift cards that can NOT be used immediately on that transaction.

OYNO - abbreviation for On Your Next Order or Off Your Next Order.  Refers to catalinas that give you a dollar amount off your next shopping order.  Examples:  "$5 off your next order"  "$1 off your next purchase of yogurt"

P&G - Short for Proctor & Gamble.  A large corporation that has many brands of products found in grocery stores.  They also produce a monthly insert (usually at the beginning of the month) found in the Sunday/Saturday newspaper.

Peelies - Coupons that are attached to the product you are purchasing.  They can be for the product itself or other products if you buy them in combination with that product.

Printable - refers to coupons that are printed via the internet.  There are many sources for these, smartsource.com, redplum.com, Coupons.com etc.

Promo code - A code that can be used when internet shopping to get a discount.  For grocery store's these can be used when you do "shop from home" and choose to pick up or have your groceries delivered.  They can NOT be used in store for your in store shopping.

Q - abbreviation for Coupon.

RedPlum (RP) - a company that creates inserts in the Sunday or Saturday newspaper.  Many of the same coupons in these inserts can be found on redplum.com.


Roll/Rolling - When you structure you shopping trip into multiple separate orders.  You put your Catalina deal first and pay for this transaction separate.  The register prints you a catalina and then you take those catalinas and use them towards your next transaction.

SmartSource (SS) - a company that creates inserts in the Sunday or Saturday newspaper.  Many of the same coupons in these inserts can be found on smartsource.com.

Stack/Stackable/Stacking - This is when you are able to use more than one coupon or app in conjunction with another.  Examples:  1)You use a $1 off one box of Rice Crispies MFR Coupon.  You also use a $1 off one box of Rice Crispies E-coupon through your store app. 2) You use 3 of $1 off one box of Rice Crispies MFR coupons on 3 boxes of cereal.  You use a 3 for $6 store coupon for Kelloggs cereals store coupon from the sales flyer.

Store Coupon (STR) - Coupons that are offered by a store off products they sell.  They are usually found in the weeks sales flyers, on the counter at customer service or the pharmacy.  A store coupon can be used in combination with a Manufacturer coupon on the same product.

Transaction - refers to the entire group of items that you pay for together and receive 1 receipt for.  You can do more than one transaction during a shopping trip to the store by separating your items on the conveyor by the plastic bar provided.  This is advantageous when trying to "roll" catalinas. See Roll/Rolling

Tearpad - refers to a pad of paper coupons that are available for the taking.

UPC - abbreviation for Universal Product Code.  refers to the barcode on most products that is scanned.

"Void if altered, copied, sold, purchased, transferred, exchanged or where prohibited or restricted by law." - I think this is mostly self explanatory but worth pointing out.  ALL coupons will say some variation of the above.  It is against the terms and agreements of a coupon to do any of the above.  If you are caught doing any of the above you can be refused service at the store.  You can have your printing abilities revoked by your IP address.  It is also considered a crime of fraud and you can be fined and/or be required to serve time in prison.  There are many many ways for this to be tracked by the manufacturers and stores you are redeeming coupons at so I strongly suggest you do not do any of the above.

WYB - abbreviation for When You Buy.  It usually refers to a discount being offered when you buy a certain quantity of items.  Example:  Get $3 off your next order WYB 3 boxes.