Ordinarily, I’m not an enthusiastic user of coupons. Lots of them are for packaged foods I don’t use, I’m feeding only myself, and I often can save by buying the store brand.
But, in the name of research, I decided to try clipping coupons. I followed some of the techniques recommended by serious couponers, such as stockpiling coupons until items went on sale.
Finally, I got my first big score: two pints of Starbucks ice cream, normally $3.91 each, for $1.91 total. I was able to do this because Publix accepts two coupons on buy-one-get-one items. And I had two $1-off coupons. According to Web coupon mavens, Winn-Dixie also accepts two coupons on BOGO items.
Don’t ignore the coupons hanging on the aisles or stuck on products. I once found $1-off coupons on packages of frozen foods that were already two-for-one.
If you want to get really serious about matching coupons and sales (called “stacking” in couponer lingo), you can subscribe to a website such as South Florida’s Prudent Patron (prudentpatron.com ) or Saving Moms Money (savingmoney.com). For $5 per store, you can subscribe to the Grocery Game (thegrocerygame.com), which provides additional analysis and information.
Last week, I got my second big “coupon stacking” score: two half-gallons of Smart Balance milk, normally $3.59 each, for $1.59 total. The milk was BOGO and I had two $1-off coupons.
I don’t know if I’m saving quantities of money by stacking coupons, but occasionally I get a big thrill.
If you have favorite money-saving strategies, e-mail me at teresa@floridaonthecheap.com, and I’ll share them in a subsequent column.
I wonder what the thinking is behind honoring coupons for BOGO free items. They are actually giving you money for getting those items!