Yes, coupons can save you money, and sometimes a lot of it. But just because you have coupons doesn’t mean that you should use them. There are more things to think about than just what coupons you have.

Comparing prices at different retail stores can often prove more effective than coupons. A coupon at one store for $.50 off of an item might be dwarfed by a $1 price difference for the same product at a different store. A number of coupons even work at more than one store, so you might be able to effectively turn that $.50 off coupon into a $1.50 savings by shopping somewhere different.

But you might not even need to go to a different store to save money. Sometimes, big name brands will offer coupons for small amounts, like $.50 off, to entice you to buy their product, but there could also be a smaller brand that offers a comparable product for $2 less. Yes, there is the chance that the off-brand version might not work as well, but why not try it? If it turns out that it does work just as well, which is often the case, you can continue saving money every time you need to repurchase that item.

Even if you need one specific product, and nothing else will do, there are other ways to save money on it other than just coupons. Buying in bulk is a great way to save a significant amount of money in the long run, provided that you will eventually use all of what you buy before it goes bad. By buying 10 of something instead of just 1 of it at a time, you might be able to save something like $2 per item, which translates to a savings of $20.

Of course, just because there are other ways to save money doesn’t mean that you should neglect coupons. Coupons still help you save that extra little bit, so try combining some of these methods with coupons and see what works best for you!

I have been a bargain shopper my whole life. My parents aren’t really sure why – I certainly didn’t learn it from them! From making the most of my back to school clothing budget as a teen to finding free entertainment for my girls now, I’ve learned a little something along the way. I can write dozens of articles each month and share money saving tips every day, but here’s a big secret for you – it all boils down to the same, basic advice.

Plan ahead.

That’s it – really.

From matching coupons & sales at the grocery store to a weekly menu that keeps you out of the drive thru, a little advance planning goes a long way. Buy your winter clothes at the beginning of the spring, store school supplies until August and save your money until that cute pair of shoes gets marked down. Everything goes on sale eventually. I promise.

However, in the interest of full disclosure, here are a few of my favorite insider secrets:

Target clearance has a pattern & fixed schedule. Holiday clearance goes to 50% off immediately after the big day, followed by 75% then 90% off. The Valid Dates on the sale tag will reveal when the next discount starts. If you want to stock up on decorations without breaking the bank, pick through what’s left at the best discount. For year round clearance, when a price ends in the number 4 (i.e. $3.64) that is the absolute lowest price before they “salvage” the item. You’ll find it for sale at Goodwill for triple the price next month.

Costco membership cards may be used by 2 people – and you do not need to share an address. Split the cost of a membership with a friend, and you’ll both save big! Just keep in mind buying bulk isn’t always the best deal. Coupons & sale items often create the best value from smaller items. However, splitting a huge bag of apples, sharing office supply costs and dividing warehouse packages of paper goods can make it affordable.

Most grocery stores have a clearance or manager mark down section. There is typically nothing wrong with the items, but store policy often dictates that merchandise be moved before an arbitrary deadline. To get around it, department managers will deeply discount items to make room for new merchandise. Don’t forget to check the meat & produce department for deals you can freeze or work into the evening’s menu plan.

Hopefully, these tricks will help you on your quest for bargains. What other shopping secrets have you discovered?

I am often asked in emails how I find some of the bargains I do. It takes a lot of work but I do have a system. Most of the deals I find I get from Twitter. If you go to search.twitter.com and use their search engine it really is a good weapon for finding bargains. I use it everyday at least three or four times.

When you do a search you can use things like the word of the product and the word coupon. You save this search as a favorite search to your Twitter account. (You do have a Twitter account don’t you?) You can also use a hashtag with the product you are looking for. Lets say you are looking for sheets, your search would look like sheet coupon or #sheets. This will give you ever search that includes the word sheets or you can even use a product name instead. I have some searches saved for “Dell Laptop coupon”. Every time it is mentioned I have it saved and I always have a coupon link ready in case I need to order a new laptop or computer.

This saves you a lot of time and energy especially around the holidays. I will have a search for “Christmas presents cheap” or “Christmas presents coupon”. I think you kind of get the idea. You can also use this for other things like when your car oil needs changing. Having a favorite search for the term “Jiffy Lube Coupon” or “Meinke Muffler discount”.

Items that you use over and over again like toilet paper and other personal items that you depend on can be used this way. Over the course of a year it will save you tons of money.