Online Couponing In A Day

Transcription

1

2

3 Online Couponing In A Day FOR DUMmIES by Beth Montgomery

4 Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at Trademarks: Wiley, the John Wiley & Sons, Inc. logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax For technical support, please visit Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Not all content that is available in standard print versions of this book may appear or be packaged in all book formats. If you have purchased a version of this book that did not include media that is referenced by or accompanies a standard print version, you may request this media by visiting For more information about Wiley products, visit us ISBN: (ebk), ISBN: (ebk), ISBN: (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America

5 Publisher s Acknowledgments We re proud of this book; please send us your comments at custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites Senior Project Editor: Christopher Morris Copy Editor: Heidi Unger Acquisitions Editor: Amy Fandrei Technical Editor: Cherie Lowe Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner Vertical Websites Project Manager: Laura Moss-Hollister Vertical Websites Project Manager: Jenny Swisher Supervising Producer: Rich Graves Vertical Websites Associate Producers: Josh Frank, Marilyn Hummel, Douglas Kuhn, and Shawn Patrick Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Composition Services Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Jennifer Creasey Proofreaders: John Greenough, Jessica Kramer Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Kathy Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

6

7 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Chapter 1: Understanding Your Local Stores and Sales... 5 Polish Up on Your Local Store Policies... 6 Coupon policies... 6 Price-matching policies... 7 Price-guarantee policies Special savings programs Deciphering Sales and Circulars Translating the lingo Sale cycles Unit prices Loss leaders Chapter 2: Finding Coupons Online The Different Types of Coupons Manufacturer coupons Store coupons Finding Coupons Online Printable coupons Digital coupons Mobile coupons Cash-back coupons Cash register coupons offers Couponing Terms and Abbreviations Chapter 3: Avoiding Online Coupon Fraud Identifying a Standard Coupon Understanding the Fine Print Spotting Fraudulent Coupons Common Mistakes to Avoid Chapter 4: Using Coupons to Maximize Your Savings How Coupons Work Rules of Stacking Store loyalty cards Manufacturer coupons... 51

8 vi Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies Store coupons Money-off-money coupons Cash-back coupons Stacked to the max Buy-one, get-one sales Rolling Rewards to Make Money Types of rewards How to work rewards Rebates Finding rebates Using rebates Tips for organizing rebates Chapter 5: Preparing to Shop Creating a Grocery Price Book Using the Shop-to-Stock Method Organizing Your Coupons The clip- em method The don t-clip- em method Couponing with a Meal Plan Why plan ahead Menu-planning made simple Saving with a detailed shopping list Devising a plan of attack Chapter 6: Going Online to Save Online Communities Types of online communities Using online communities Shopping Online Coupon codes Cash-back programs Earning rewards Chapter 7: Where to Go from Here Next Steps Checklist Online Resources Finding coupons online Avoiding coupon fraud Going Online to Save... 90

9 Introduction Since coupons made their debut in 1887, they ve only grown in popularity and now are available for almost everything you do and buy. As the world around us advanced from cassette tapes to MP3s, coupons weren t left behind in the dust. They evolved into printable coupons, digital coupons, and now mobile coupons. The Internet has become the place for deal seekers to gather together to share deals, find savings, search out coupons, and learn new tricks. For a newbie, this world can seem intimidating. Without help, couponing can often become a source of frustration and end up as more work than it s worth. This book gives you the tools you need to start couponing and join the online saving adventures without feeling like an outsider. It also strives to give you the confidence to start saving big. What You Can Do in a Day Cutting your budget and perfecting your money-saving techniques take time. I won t lie to you. However, this book is designed as a crash course to get you started, with a bit of an edge, and help you understand where you need to go next. You can read through the entire book in one day (or two if you re taking your time). Then, as you start on your couponing journey, this book can serve as a guide for you to refer to when you need your memory refreshed or are ready to take your savings up to a new level. Realistic Expectations After hearing stories of extreme couponing, consumers assume they can grab a pair of scissors and suddenly pay $3.86 for $1,732 worth of groceries. This isn t the case!

10 2 Online Couponing In A Day For Dummies So-called extreme couponers achieve these savings because couponing is their life. It s a full-time job. They buy things they don t need, just because they are cheap, and sometimes even use methods that are unethical or illegal. I will not teach you how to do this. Instead, this book focuses on realistic couponing, where you can expect to save fifty to seventy percent on the average. Plan now to start slow. After you finish this book, pick one or two changes you can easily make immediately and start there. As you get more comfortable, try new tips to increase your savings. Foolish Assumptions For this book to be possible, I had to make a few assumptions about you and what you already know. These are the assumptions I ve made: You ve seen a coupon before. Maybe you haven t used one, but you could easily spot one in a lineup. You have a computer and the basic skills to use it. You can turn it on, browse the web, and even print documents. You are familiar with . I assume that you have an address that you can use to register for e-newsletters and saving sites. You can navigate a web form. You understand how to register with websites and sign up for e-newsletters. Icons Used in This Book Icons emphasize a point to remember, a danger to be aware of, or information that I think you may find helpful. Those points are illustrated as such: Tips are little bits of information that you may find useful. This icon warns you of dangers or things to avoid.

11 Introduction 3 Remember icon will offer gentle reminders and alert you things you should keep in mind while couponing. This icon directs you to the companion website for the book where you can find videos and articles relating to online couponing.