How to Use More Than One Coupon at a Time
Posted on Tuesday, August 20th, 2013 at 7:00 am
Most people understand that they can save some money on a product when they use a coupon. Not everyone realizes that there are ways to use more than one coupon on a particular item. This is called stacking. It is a technique made popular by the extreme couponers. Here is a quick lesson in how to use multiple coupons at once.
How to Use Multiple Coupons at Once
What is stacking?
The shortest explanation of coupon stacking is when a person uses two (or more) coupons on one item at the same time. The result is that the person gets an even bigger savings than if she used only one of those coupons.
It might help to think of the building blocks that kids play with. Each block is a coupon. Use one “block” and you get a discount on a product. Stack another “block” on top of the first one, and you get a higher amount of savings.
How can I do coupon stacking?
Here is an easy example. You have a manufacturers coupon that will save you $1.00 when you buy a box of Cheerios. Today, you are shopping at Target. You also have a Target coupon that will give you $0.50 off when you buy a box of Cheerios.
Pick up a box of Cheerios. Use both coupons at the register. You will end up saving $1.50. That’s better than saving only $0.50 (from the one coupon) or $1.00 (from the other coupon). Stacking two coupons can save you more than one individual coupon can.
What should I watch out for?
Always read the fine print on a coupon. If the coupon says “cannot be combined with other offers” it means you cannot stack that coupon with another one. The coupon can only be used on a product that you are not getting any additional discounts on. Many stores won’t let you stack a coupon with a “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” coupon. Most won’t let you use two manufacturers coupons on the same item.
Extreme couponers used to stack coupons so that they would end up with an “overage”. Their goal was to have their savings (from the coupons they used) be more than the amount they owed on groceries. The cashier would have to hand that customer some cash and watch her walk out the door with tons of free groceries.
Today, stores have cracked down on the “stacking coupons for free groceries” technique. Read the coupon policy at the store you shop at. It might say that you cannot stack coupons at all!