As young, millennial college students, you may not have thought of saving money by couponing. Maybe you think it is for older people, it is too much of a hassle, or it is too hard. But trust me, it’s worth the time. Now, you don’t have to become one of those extreme couponers who goes on TLC, but if you know what you are doing you can save lots of money, and I mean, who doesn’t like saving some extra dough?
1. To start, I highly recommend using Krazy Coupon Lady. She organizes the deals by stores. Plus, she links any printable coupons.
2. Sign up to receive the Sunday paper, print off coupons off a brands website, and check out the weekly flyers. Not only do they have deals but they’ll share coupons you can use to bring prices down even lower. PRO TIP: make sure you are signed up for any reward cards available. This is usually required to get the deals from stores.
3. Walgreens has a point system where you earn 10 points per dollar spent. There are occasional coupons where you will get a point booster. You can also earn bonus points when you fill a prescription. Certain items in stores will give you extra points as well. There is also a Beauty Enthusiast Program. Every $50 spent on beauty gets you 5,000 points. That includes cosmetics, skin care, hair care, oral care and grooming products, every little purchase adds up. You do not need to spend the $50 in one shopping trip, every purchase of a qualifying beauty item counts toward your $50 spend total.
What can you do with these points? Well, every 1,000 points equals a dollar that you can redeem to purchase items in store. Trust me these points add up.
4. CVS has a ExtraCare program where you can earn ExtraBucks Rewards. There are many ways to earn ExtraBucks Rewards. Present your card every time you shop to earn 2% back on every purchase. You can also scan your card at their price checker, and coupons will print out. You can use them that day or save them till the expiration date.
5. Rite Aid’s wellness+ is a rewards program in which customers receive benefits (ie discounts, sales, etc) based on points earned. Each dollar spent earns one wellness+ point, and for eligible prescriptions you can earn up to 25 wellness+ points. There are three different levels of the wellness+ program: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
- Bronze (0 to 499 points) – Receive a 10% off one-time shopping pass with every 100 wellness+ points earned.
- Silver (500 to 999 points) – Receive 10% off practically all Rite Aid purchases for a year.
- Gold (1,000+points) – Receive 20% off nearly the entire store for a year.
Another tip is to download apps from store such as Walgreens, CVS, target because they have coupons on the app. Now while you cannot double up on manufactures coupons, you can use store coupons and manufactures that you get from the Sunday paper or print.
Take your time. Sit down, do your research and clip all the coupons you have.