Grocery Coupons

Lots of people have general questions about how to use coupons and if they really do save you money. First of all, they ONLY save you money if you have a coupon for a product you use or have intended to buy anyway.  There's no reason to buy a product if you're not really going to use it! On this blog I'll show you how to get the full potential out of a coupon you may have.

I suggest you subscribe to your city's newspaper in order to get your coupons. If you don't want to receive the daily paper, you can just subscribe to the day that has the coupon inserts - in Cincinnati it's Sunday.  It's cheaper to do it this way, but you can still always buy it at the grocery store (just check to make sure the coupon inserts haven't been taken out by creepy people who do that).

After you have your coupons, find some way to organize them. I simply use a small accordian file (like for bills) and cut out the coupons only for products I use. I then file them under the first letter of the product name. Some people keep the coupon inserts intact and only cut out the coupons when they find a deal. They use sticky notes to date the inserts and when they know a product is on sale (from reading blogs like this one) they'll go back and cut them out. Or you can do what my mom always did when I was little and stuff them in a ziplock baggie and go through them at the checkout line while everyone waited for her to find the specific one she was looking for! I don't suggest you do that. Be prepared with coupons and list in hand while standing at the checkout.

There are other ways to get coupons besides the daily newspaper. The newest thing is "clip-free" coupons that go straight onto your grocery store loyalty card. Here is some information about where you can find those.

Proctor & Gamble has initiated a program, PGeSavers, that allows consumers to load coupons for their P&G products directly onto a store’s shopper/discount checkout card. Once applied to the card, the savings are typically valid for up to three months. You can opt to receive email reminders when the coupons are about to expire and/or new coupons are available. Items with coupon savings can also be added directly to your electronic shopping list. When the product is purchased using the store card, the coupon savings are automatically deducted at the register. If other family members use the card when shopping, they receive the same coupon savings. Additionally, family members can assist elderly parents or disabled relatives by going online and loading the appropriate savings onto their store shopping card, thereby eliminating the need for these relatives to haul around and handle paper coupons.

AOL has introduced a paper-free service, shortcuts.com, which allows shoppers to load manufacturer’s coupons directly onto store shopping cards. Simply click through the list of coupons online to select those you want to use, and they will be automatically redeemed at checkout when you use your shopping card.
Stores currently participating in this program include:
  • Baker’s
  • City Market
  • Dillon’s
  • Fry’s
  • Fry’s Marketplace
  • Gerbes
  • Hilander
  • JayC
  • King Soopers
  • Kroger
  • Kroger Marketplace
  • Owen’s
  • Pay Less
  • QFC
  • Ralph’s
  • Randalls
  • Smith’s
  • Smith’s Marketplace
  • Tom Thumb
New stores are being added regularly, so even if your local store isn’t currently using this service, you can review a list of stores that are considering this service here, and request an email notifying you if they sign up to participate.

Another clipfree source is CellFire.com, a free service allowing members to access and use grocery coupons from a PC or mobile phone. Coupons can be selected and loaded directly onto your store card. Stores currently featured include
  • Safeway
  • Kroger
  • Ralphs
  • Vons
  • King Soopers
  • Fry’s
  • Baker’s
  • Dillons
  • City Market
  • QFC
  • JayC
  • Smith’s
Upromise has also added a new feature of clipfree coupons, upromise ecoupons, which are added directly from your computer to your grocery card, and redeemed when your grocery card is scanned. Over 22,000 stores participate in this service, which also allows members to earn college savings with your everyday spending — when you buy groceries, fill the gas tank, shop online, book travel, eat out, you name it. You’ll automatically get a percentage of your purchases back as college savings.
You can redeem up to $30 in upromise ecoupons each month! Stores currently participating include:
  • A&P, A&P Super Foodmart, ACME Markets, Albertsons’s
  • Balls Food, Bakers, Bashas, Bel Air, bigg’s, Big Y, BiLo, Brookshire, Buehler’s
  • Cala’Bell, Carrs, City Market, Copps, Country Mart, CVS/pharmacy
  • D&W Foods, Dicks, Dillons, Dominick’s, Dorothy Lane
  • Family Fare, Farm Fresh, Festival Foods, Food City, Food Emporium, Food Lion, Food Town, Food 4 Less, Fry’s
  • Genuardi’s, Gerbes, Gerland’s Food Fair, Glen’s Markets, Giant Eagle Giant (PA), GIANT
  • Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Harter House, Hilander, Homeland, Hy-Vee
  • Ingle’s
  • Jewel-Osco
  • Kash ‘n Karry. Key Foods. Kennies. King Kullen. Kings Super Markets. King Soopers. Kroger
  • Lofino’s, Lowe’s
  • Marsh, Martin’s Food Markets, Meijer, Metro Food Market
  • Nob Hill Foods
  • O’Malia, Owens
  • P&C Foods, Pathmark, Pavillions, Payless, Pick n Save, Park n Save, Piggly Wiggly, Price Chopper, Publix
  • QFC, Quality Markets
  • Raley’s, Ralph’s, Randalls, Redner’s Warehouse Markets, Riverside Markets, Roche Bros.
  • Safeway, Sav-a-Center, Savon, Scots, Shaw’s, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, ShopRite, Shurfine, Shursave, Smith’s, Star Market, Stater Bros., Stop & Shop, Super Fresh, Super G, SuperValu Foods, Sweetbay
  • Thriftway/Shop N Bag, Tom’s, Tom Thumb, Tops Markets
  • Ukrop’s
  • Village Market, Von’s
  • Waldbaums, Wegmans, Weis Markets, Winn-Dixie
Zavers.com, a leader in providing paperless coupons, has recently launched a clip-free grocery coupon service. The Zavers program allows you to link coupons directly from your PC and/or your mobile phone on to your grocery store shopping card; however, unlike some paperless coupon sites, Zavers does not require you to sign up for both services (internet and text/mobile). Zavers.com also uniquely provides store coupons, in addition to the manufacturer coupons.
To access and use the coupons, you simply sign up for Zavers with your store card, and click through the list of coupons online to select those you want to use. Once the coupons have been linked to your store shopping card, the discounts will be automatically redeemed at checkout when you use your shopping card.
You can store and use up to 40 clipfree coupons through Zavers. Paperless coupons are not doubled or tripled. Some manufacturers allow the use of a paperless coupon and a paper coupon for the same item, while others do not.
Stores currently participating in this new program include:
  • A&P
  • Waldbaum’s
  • Superfresh
  • The Food Emporium
  • Pathmark
And for those of you who only eat ORGANIC foods, there are certainly coupons for that too! Here are places you can find them:

  • HealtheSaver printable Organic and Natural Coupons
    Looking for organic and natural coupons? This guide provides information and links for organic and natural product coupons available from HealthESaver, Eating Well, and Living Natural.




  • Mambo Sprouts Coupons and Savings Programs
    Mambo Sprouts provides coupon booklets and offers by home mailer, email, printable coupons, and in stores. They also have consumer survey panels for free products, sampling programs, and contests.




  • Organic & Natural Food Coupons: This is a quick introduction on where to find coupons.




  • Organic Coupon Publshing Sites: These are a list of sources where you can find collected printable coupons specifically for organic and natural foods — they are the organic equivalent of SmartSource.com or Coupons.com.




  • Organic Coupon Brands from A to D: Contact information for organic and natural food brands from Adora Calcium to Dreamfields Pasta.




  • Organic Coupon Brands from E to L: Contact information for organic and natural food brands from Earth’s Best to Lundberg Rice.




  • Organic Coupon Brands from N to Y: Contact information for organic and natural food brands from Nasoya Tofu to Yogi Tea




  • Not all stores are created equally when it comes to coupons. Some stores that you thought won’t accept manufacturer coupons actually will.
    • Dollar General and BJ’s Warehouse do accept coupons, and have current promotions to increase your savings when you shop there with coupons.
    • Neither Costco nor Sam's Club accept manufacturer’s coupons, but they do publish their own coupon booklets each month for extra savings in their warehouses.
    • Major pharmacy chains, such as Rite-Aid and CVS, not only accept coupons, but offer manufacturers coupon in their stores. Some stores offer to match the value of the coupon (doubling), or better!. You can review a list of stores which may double in your state here, but check locally to see what is available at your specific stores.
    • Many offer electronic manufacturer rebates, which can be combined with additional mail-in rebates to increase your savings.
    • Many stores allow “stacking”, offering a store-specific coupon which can be combined with a manufacturer coupon for additional savings.
    Coupon Lingo - IMPORTANT! This is a MUST read when using coupons!

    Here is a quick reference guide of some of the most common abbreviations and terms used by couponers and deal-seekers. I've underlined the ones that I find to be particularly important.

    AC: After Coupon, usually the price after a coupon is applied
    AR: After Rebate, usually the final cost after the rebate is received

    Blinkies: A type of coupon found in stores, distributed by SmartSource, and dispensed from a small box with a red blinking light
    BOGO:  Buy one, get one xxx (the second item might be free, half price, a free gift, etc)
    B1G1F: Buy one get one free
    Catalina: A type of coupon dispensed at the cash register after purchase, often in response to a specific purchase. Catalina is the marketing company that distributes and manages this coupon program.  These coupons are also known as Register Rewards, Check Out Coupons, Checkout Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, etc..
    Check out Coupon: A type of coupon dispensed at the cash register after purchase, often in response to a specific purchase.
    Check out Reward: A type of coupon dispensed at the cash register after purchase, often in response to a specific purchase.
    C/O: A cents off coupon
    CRT: Cash register tape
    DCRT: Dated cash register tape, generally required for rebates as proof of purchase
    DCRTC: Dated cash register tape with the price circled, generally required for rebates as proof of purchase
    DND: Do Not Double, a term printed by manufacturers on some coupons. This term allows the store discretion in doubling the value of the coupon under the store-specific coupon policies
    Double coupon: Some stores match the manufacturers value on a coupon, which “doubles” the value of the coupon for the consumer. For example, a coupon printed as 50 cents off of one item may be “doubled” by the store to become $1 off the item. The store covers the cost of the additional discount, and each store sets their own policy on whether they double coupons, how many coupons may be doubled at once, etc. Please check your store for their specific policies.
    ECB: CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases, these are similar to Catalina coupons, but are store- and member-specificFAR: Free After Rebate, meaning the cost of the item is free after the rebate is received
    GDA: Good Deal Alert, meaning a great price for an item has been identified and posted
    HABA: Health and Beauty Aides found in stores, such as aspirin and cosmetics
    HBA: Health and Beauty Aides found in stores, such as aspirin and cosmetics
    HT: Hang tags for refunds or coupons hanging on a product

    IP: Internet Printable coupon, printed on a home computer
    MIR: Mail In Rebate
    NAZ: Name, address, zip code; the mailing information needed to send and receive mail
    NBPN/NBPR: No beer purchase necessary/required to use the coupon or rebate. This term is specific to offers provided by beer, wine, and alcohol manufacturers, and varies from state to state. See the coupon section for more information.
    NED: No expiration date

    OAS: on any size, a coupon or other offer that is valid on any size of the product
    OOP: Out of Pocket, usually referring to the final cost after coupons and discounts have been applied
    OOS: Out of Stock
    OSI: On a single item
    OYNO: On your next order/purchase, usually referring to Catalina type coupons that provide discount on your next purchase.

    P&G: Proctor & Gamble, also referring to the PGBrandsaver coupon insert
    Peelie: a coupon that you peel off the package
    POP: Proof of purchase
    PP: purchase price

    RC, or R/C: Raincheck
    RP:  RedPlum coupon insert
    RR: Register Rewards, a type of “catalina” coupon received at check out and good on your next order. This phrase is typically used at
    Walgreens

    SASE: Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
    SD: store display
    SF: store form
    SMP: Specially Marked Packages
    SS: Smart Source, also referring to the SmartSource coupon insert package
    Stacking: Using a store and manufacturers coupon together on one purchase is referred to as stacking. Some stores provide additional discounts through “store” coupons, usually found in their sales flyer or other store brochure. These “store” discount coupons can be used in addition to a manufacturers coupon on an item.

    Tear pad: A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
    TMF: Try Me Free, usually a mail-in rebate refunding the purchase price of an item to encourage consumers to try the product.
    Triple coupon: Occasionally a store will offer a promotional period where the consumer receives triple the manufacturers value on a coupon. For example, a coupon printed as 50 cents off of one item may be “triple” by the store to become $1.50 off the item. The store covers the cost of the additional discount, and each store sets their own policy on whether they double coupons, how many coupons may be doubled at once, etc. Please check your store for their specific policies.

    WYB: When You Buy
    YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary; meaning that the results may vary, or the offer may not be available in all areas, etc.