Store coupons offer a significant advantage when it comes to savings. But that is only limited to how well you can maximize them. If you make any of these common rookie mistakes, then you are bound to have wasted your time as well as a great opportunity.

1. Not knowing how to use them. Coupons can be secured from printed and online resources. As such, they may abide by different policies. Some can only be used in a specific market – Walmart, BestBuy or Macys. Others may be a free-for-all. And then, there’s the consideration that certain stores may not accept during specific dates like Black Friday Sales. If you are to make the most of the coupons you have, you need to understand the terms and condition that applies to each and every element involved.
2. Collecting coupons for things that are not important. Now, unless you are planning to trade them off with someone for something you can use, this is basically a futile endeavor when it comes to the ultimate goal of saving money. Don’t just use coupons for the sake of using coupons. Apply them for items that you know you need – food, cleaners, clothes, hardware. And don’t even think about spending money on any of those if they aren’t valuable to you at the present time. Sure, you will need to replace toothbrushes every three months. So stockpiling them may not be a bad idea for a big family. But buying five boxes of toothbrushes at one time because the coupon expires in three days isn’t really necessary.
3. Failing to organize your coupons. Certain coupons are only applicable to specific stores. And they have different expiry dates. If you fail to acknowledge that, then you are bound to waste away the chance to save on expenses using them. What you need to do is arrange the coupons you’ve collected according to their applicability. Plan your shopping list with them in mind and then neatly arrange them in an envelope before you leave the store. Store the rest in a binder or organizer by different categories.
4. Not matching sales with store coupons. It’s not enough that you go into the store with a 5% discount on a box of cereal when in the same week you can get 10% out of it. If you really want to save, check your store sale schedule prior to planning your weekly or monthly shopping duties so you could take advantage of cut-rate prices and pair it up with store coupons.
5. Exhausting and abusing coupons. You don’t have to use everything all at once. It is strenuous and time-consuming to plan a whole shopping trip around them. Besides, it is impossible for you to walk away with a grocery bag of items fully paid for by coupons. For one, you can’t really assure that the store has all of the right items in stock. And besides Science Articles, it is unlikely that they allow an unlimited number of coupons to be used per transaction. It could be that you also don’t have the right coupons to avail of a certain product. And it doesn’t take a lawyer to tell you it’s illegal to pass off expired coupons or falsify one. So slow down and enjoy its perks.