CATCHING ONTO COUPONS

I've been on a huge coupon kick lately and have spent a lot of time trying to catch onto all the rules and "Do's and Don'ts". After much research, I've learned one thing - I haven't perfected the art of purchasing $285.24 worth of products and only spending $19.83 OOP (out of pocket). Although a rookie, I wanted to post some of the recent deals I've gotten, as well as a bit of information that I've learned.

** You get the most out of your coupons with BOGO (buy one get one free). For each item purchased, you can use one coupon. ie, Wishbone salad dressing is $2.89 at Publix. Before coupons, I paid $2.89 for two. However, I used a .75 off coupon on each one, making the total cost for both salad dressings $1.39. (I realize Wal-Mart probably has this priced for cheaper, but when the deal is a BOGO, you more than likely can't beat this by using the coupons alone off their regular priced items.)

** You can combine a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon on the same item.

** Most stores accept competitor's coupons. ie, Winn Dixie hands out coupons like $10 off $50 or more and Publix will honor these. Wal-Mart will not take competitor's coupons as they think their prices are already cheaper than everyone else, but they will price match. I believe you just take in the ad as proof.

** Most websites will limit the number of same coupons you can print off, but if you have multiple computers, print away!

** Read the fine print and don't just look at the picture. Many times, there are more qualifying items than what is shown.

** One coupon per purchase means one coupon per item. You can use 3 of the same coupons as long as you have 3 of those items. One coupon per transaction means you can only have one of those coupons applied to the item per receipt.

My knowledge is limited, but these are the concepts I'm catching onto so far. And.. so far, so good! Here was my unplanned trip that I made to Publix tonight because of the store's deals that matched up with my coupons:

- Betty Crocker BOGO (.50 off)
- Wishbone Salad Dressing BOGO (2 x .75 off)
- Classico Sauce BOGO (1.00 off)
- Daisy Sour Cream (.50 off)
- Bag of Frozen Veggies
- Bag of Grapes

Total Cost Before Any Savings: $22.12
Store Special Savings: $9.90
Vendor Coupons: $3.50
Total Savings: $13.40
Total Cost OOP: $10.55

My next stop: Target. The delicious Special K Fruit Crisps are on sale for $2.50.. Buy 5 (various Kellog's items) and get a Target $5 gift card. I have 5 $1 off coupons which will make it look like this:

$2.50 x 5 = $12.50
$12.50 - $5 in coupons = $7.50 (plus FREE $5 Target GC) = $2.50 for 5 boxes
(Plus all applicable taxes, of course)

Perhaps you will be encouraged and begin searching for your own or maybe just use the ones I post here. Either way, I love a good buy and I love it even more when I can help others save money!