Coupon Abbreviations

You see all these abbreviations on my blog and others. What do they all mean? Here they are decoded.

BOGO or B1G1= Buy one get one free
CRT = Cash Register Tape (a coupon printed at the end of a CVS receipt)
ECB/EB = CVS ExtraCare Buck
ESC = Walgreens Easy Saver Coupon
ESR = Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate
FAR = Free After Rebate
MFR = Manufacturer
MQ = Manufacturer Coupon
MIR = Mail In Rebate
OOP = Out Of Pocket
PG/P&G = Proctor & Gamble Coupon Insert
PSA = Prices Start At
Q = Coupon
RP = Red Plum Coupon Insert
RR = Register Reward (Walgreens version of ECBs)
SS = SmartSource Coupon Insert
V = Valassis (same as red plum, just regional) Coupon Insert
WYB = When You Buy

Newspaper Coupons

The Sunday paper is one of the best sources for coupons. Most Sundays there will be more than one coupon insert. There are three different types of coupon inserts. They are: Smart Source, Red Plum (Valassis), and the P & G Saver. The first two typically come weekly and have varying expiration dates. The P&G Saver is usually a once-a-month insert and the coupons generally expire within 30 days.

The Sunday after a holiday, there will be no Smart Source or Red Plum inserts. This happens on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Sometimes you will still find a P&G Saver in these papers though.

You can either subscribe to the newspaper, pick up an early edition on Saturday or pick up the regular edition on Sunday. Do whatever works best for you.

The biggest money saving mistake coupon novices make is this...you get a coupon and use it right away. Wrong! Just because you have a coupon for an item doesn't mean you have to use it right then. Wait for the item to go on sale... then use that coupon! Sales usually rotate, so if you recall a sale the previous week, hang tight... it will most likely come around again. Now that you have that coupon, it makes for a much better deal.

Once you’ve pulled all of your coupons from the paper, recylce it!

Internet Printables

One of the best sources for coupons, is the Internet! Many companies will allow you to print coupons straight from their website or an outsourced company site.

The limit for most internet printables is 2 per computer. Sometimes the coupons will reset after a month and you can print them again. Sometimes, they are only available for a limited time. The coupons generally expire 14 days from printing. Also if you hit the “back” button on your browser, you can usually print a second coupon.

Just because these coupons are available doesn't mean you have to print them all. Keep in mind that some companies only allow a certain amount of prints available for download. So, if you print coupons that you may not neccessarily use/need it prohibits others who may need/use the same coupon from downloading and printing it.

So where can you find all of these coupons?

Coupons.com, Smart Source and Red Plum have coupons that get added all the time.
If you still can’t find an internet coupon that you'd like, go to the company’s website and look for promotions or special offers. You can also google for the coupons!

Coupon Organization

Everyone's theory of organization is different. I'll share how I organize my pile just so you can become familiar with the idea, you may find a method that differs from mine that you prefer, and that's okay! :)

When I purchase my Sunday papers I separate my inserts;

Smart Source, Red Plum, P&G (occassionally we'll get a separate insert; Unilever, General Mills, etc..)

I then take a sharpie marker and date the front of each one (mm/dd).

Afer all of my inserts are dated I then stack them in a deep office desk drawer in chronologial order.

When the sales ads come out I cut them as I need them. This works for me. I usually purchase 4-6 papers each week. If it's a good week then I'll get 10 or more. So, you can see how time consuming it would be to clip every coupon each week! I keep each weekly insert about 4-5 months then go through them and discard into the "expired" pile.

By no means is this the best way. This is just what works for me. But if you don’t have a good system you’ll get frustrated by the vast amount of coupons stacks and then possible give up or miss out on deals. So if my way doesn’t work for you, ask around. Look on other blogs or Google. You can easily find other options that will work better for you!

Good Luck!!

Expired Coupons

Did you know that military families stationed overseas can use coupons on base for up to 6 months past the expiration date? This is something tangible you and your family can do to show your support and appreciation. It takes a little work because they like the coupons to be clipped and sorted into 2 categories, food and nonfood. Plus, it costs the postage to send them. Several people I know send a package full once a month and it takes them about 10 minutes to prepare the package.

Check out this site to participate in the program. Keep in mind that you are mailing internationally, so it could take a few weeks for them to arrive.