Always check for coupons

Know that old phrase measure twice cut once? I've adapted that to my life's mantra: Check for coupons twice, shop once.

There's nothing worse than getting something from a store and then realizing there was a coupon for it online or in your Sunday paper. Although it's not possible to always match a coupon with a purchase, it's definitely worth a try, even two if you're willing to wait a couple days or so and check again.

I'll admit, I'm not really big on reading the news. I was about the worst journalism major ever in that sense. However, for the rest of my life I will absolutely buy the Sunday paper. The $1.75 investment (at least for the Cleveland Plain Dealer) is absolutely worth it. You are almost guaranteed to get that amount back with coupons, though you'll probably save much more. These coupons are also available online at sites like,redplum.com, smartsource.com, and coupons.com but personally I think it's less of a pain to just clip coupons from the paper instead of printing them out. But whatever floats your boat.

This goes for restaurants too. Check their sites for specials or coupons before you dine out. Many times if you order something ahead of time you may get a discount or a free drink or dessert! Yum!

I also check online for coupons before I buy anything retail. Example: when Bath & Body Works had their semiannual sale a few months ago I checked online and found a coupon for a free travel-sized item with any purchase $10 or more. So what did I do? I stocked up on several 75% off shower gels and a couple hand soaps, which added up to $10 and then also got a free travel-sized lotion to keep in my purse! My favorite site for these retail deals is retailmenot.com. Just search the name of the store and it gives you a mix of online coupon codes or printable coupons. If there's a retail deal out there it's usually on that site.

The last tip I have for using coupons is to match them with a sale. Although I will never have the time nor patience to be an extreme couponer, one secret I have learned from them is to wait, if possible, until the product you want is on sale and then use your coupon in addition to that, as I did with Bath & Body. And remember, at least around here Giant Eagle doubles coupons under a dollar so you could even end up getting something free! (if somewhere else doubles them let me know). For example, when they have tooth paste on sale for $1.50 and you have a $0.75 coupon it's really worth a $1.50 value and makes the tooth paste free!

Hope these tips help. Remember, you may pay a little more in time, but it's worth it to save in cash.