Do you print coupons in advance just to have on hand, or print when you need them? For me it depends on the type of coupon. I like to print the coupons on things that I will more than likely use or if it’s a high value coupon that won’t last. For instance, I printed Nivea coupons that is $3 for 2 lotion products. Those will go fast and Nivea is something that always seem to be on sale.
What I do is, make my shopping list then search for coupons for everything on my list. It keeps me from just buying anything I see a coupon for and ending up wasting on items I purchased on a whim because I had a coupon.
I like to see what coupons are available then make my list. Often when I get to the store I purchase the store brand and don't use the coupons on the products I have the coupons for.
I like to print out coupons in advance for items I know that I will use in the future. I don't print on a whim because then I will usually not find the coupon I want when I need it. I also watch out for expiration dates and I hate to let my coupons expire!
I always print off coupons for the things I need right before I go shopping, or a day before. I know all the things I need before I go to print them off, so I just go through the whole site and find them all. The coupons I get have expiration dates of a month later, but I would still rather print them off when I'm about to go to the store and use them then. I don't like to keep them sitting around because I only go on shopping trips every so often on a consistent schedule.
Most of the coupons I use involve online purchase so I am not really printing them. However, many retail stores and supermarkets are demanding color-printed coupons that are cut around nicely. It is now obvious that I am printing them beforehand so that when I walk into the store I can hand them to the cashier once I am finished with putting the items in my cart.
My paper coupons comes on Sunday in the newspaper as inserts or in weekly ads from stores. I cut them out and some I carry in my wallet, most I just store in another wallet at home. I love digital coupons like at Safeway.com, some at Walgreens.com and cvs.com for it's so simple to use just present your card and coupons are on the card taken out when you pay at the cashiers. Ebates.com gives you cash back, but you've got to buy what's on the coupon special, so it's hit or miss most of the time. Other stores are going with digital coupons with card of store, so it's easier for if you don't use them it just expires and off the card it goes, simple and easy! Don't forget to check DontPayFull.com too, free acct. with nice coupons digitally done.
I do print out coupons, but I am always careful to make sure the ink doesn't smudge or if the ink is low the bar code can still scan. I know cashiers can still tap in the code, but some are not so clued up and if it doesn't scan they won't take it and that's more embarrassing. I prefer coupons clipped already or ones attached to your card already.
I will only print the coupons when I know I am going to be able to use them for something specific. I won't ever print them just in case because that would be a waste of ink. I never really shop on the spur of the moment, so I will usually know exactly what I'm going for when I get it, which is great as it means that I am able to get all of my coupons ready.
That is a good method because it also saves you a lot on not wasting ink. I try to do a grocery list too and then search for coupons. Unfortunately, I have been very lazy lately and end of making my list at the last minute and not having time to research coupons. Sometimes I will also look at the grocery store's website and see what the deals are so I can find coupons for the sale items too.
I don't like to print coupons unless I'm sure I'll use them. My local supermarket really hates to take printed coupons. Even the managers say they're not real coupons much of the time and you have to call their head office to get the coupon to go through and that costs more than the coupon is worth usually which is frustrating. However if I know the store will take the coupon and it's for something that I'll definitely use then I'll definitely print it off when I see it.
I almost never print coupons! Printer ink is SO expensive. I usually only screenshot coupons that I want to use on my smartphone, then have the cashier ring them up that way. It works everywhere I've tried it, and no ink is wasted! The only time I use physical coupons is when I get those advertisements in the mail. I'll cut them out and use them with the coupons on my phone for maximum savings!
I usually print them out in advance, so I'll have them on hand just in case. Usually don't end up using nearly all of them though. I do it that way because I'll be prepared. I tend to forget things, so the chances are I'd forget to print them off doing it the other way. Definitely a big coupon user. I'm all about saving the money. Some people seem to be unable to set their pride aside, or just don't want to go through the very minimal effort of looking for coupons.
I always love to meet a fellow couponer. I have the same problem with my family and friends. They tell me that they are struggling to make ends meet and when I tell them how much I am saving they are happy for me, but don’t want to take the time to learn how. Like most things once you learn it’s really not that hard.
I'm just like you. I don't tend to pre-print a bunch of coupons that I may or may not use. It is time consuming and a waste of ink. But if I know I'll use a coupon and it is either rare or a high value or something, I will print it even without a specific time in mind for use. I've sort of learned the coupons I tend to use each month and which will be available all the time and which tend to run out of prints. Otherwise, I definitely tend to print and use them in the same day. I plan my shopping trips around sales, and cut my coupons just before I shop.
I wonder why some of the stores you go to are demanding the coupons to be in color. I don't have that experience but sadly, my printer will only work with color. Now when I print my coupons, there are pictures of the product in the background which indicates that the coupon was actually printed. If you copy the coupons, the picture does not show. I am so glad companies are doing this now to decrease the people who want to abuse couponing.
How exactly do you screen shot it? I am assuming it's a feature on the smartphone. I know how to screenshot via the computer. I was also wondering is the coupon (once scanned) is valid only that one time. I never heard of anyone doing a screen shot of a coupon, so I'm just curious.
I go to Inbox Dollars or MyPoints, and print their coupons. I go through the list and print only the ones I think I might can use. You get extra credit for every coupon redeemed from those sites. Then I make out my shopping list. There are usually a few that are items I really need and some that are iffy. I like to buy a few extra things each week, like chips, or something like that. So I select couple of those iffy ones for our extra stuff that week.
It's a feature on the smartphone! For my phone you have to press the volume up button along with the power button at the same time. If you don't know how to screenshot on your phone, I'd just google the kind of phone you have plus 'screenshot' into Google. You don't have to screenshot it, either. You can just have the coupon up in your phone's web browser and it works the same way, it's just more convenient to screenshot. I've never tried to use an online coupon more than once! If it's a generic one you pulled off of a store's website, I imagine that you could bring it in as many times as you wanted until it expired. If it's a coupon you had emailed to you, though, I think it would only work once. I encourage you to try it, it helps to save a lot!
