9 Things You Can Usually Get For FREE by Using Coupons

Besides using FPC's (free product coupons) to get free products; there are a number of items that go on sale plus have a coupon floating around, so combined you can often get the products for free. This is even more likely if you have a price book and track the prices over a period of time to start seeing sale trends!


Air Fresheners: Prices vary, depending on brand and type. There are coupons from $1-$7, so these items will always be free.

Candles: Prices vary, depending on brand and type. There are coupons from $1-$5, so these items will always be free.

Deodorant: Price is usually anywhere from $1.50-$2 on sale and I always see $1 coupons on tear pads and in inserts. You can also find coupons such as $5 WUB2. You can always get Secret and Old Spice for free.

Feminine Pads/Liners/Tampons: These usually go on sale for around $2 and there are always $2 coupons floating around.

Pain Relievers: Prices vary, depending on brand and type. There are coupons from $2-$5, so these items will always be free.

Razors: Prices vary, depending on brand and type. There are coupons from $2-$5, so these items will always be free.

Shave Gel: Sale prices are usually around $1.50 – $2 and you can always find $2 coupons. You can also find coupons such as $5 WUB3.

Toothbrushes: Usually priced around $1-$2 and there's often $1-$2 coupons available. Reach is a brand you can almost always get for free.

Toothpaste: Usually priced around the $1 mark, and often there's coupons for $1 or more available. Always check the clearance section for cheap toothpaste as well!

There's ALWAYS coupons for these products and if you hold on to the coupons and wait for a sale, you will most likely get them for free (maybe even make some money if you shop at Walmart where they pay overages!). The KEY to getting these items for free is to hold on to your coupons and wait for the big sale!

Price Matching and Using Coupons in Canada

Leaning how to Price Match can be a very big savings to a family! There are a number of stores in Canada which offer price matching but we're going to stick with stores that offer grocery items.

Freshco
London Drugs
No Frills 
Price Chopper
Save-On Foods
Zellers
Wal-Mart

Canadian Stores offering Low Price or Price Matching Guarantees

How to Price Match:

1. Gather all applicable sales flyers, a pen or marker and your shopping list pad/paper/iphone app

2. Circle all of the items in the competitor flyers that you plan to match at your desired store and make your shopping list. It's a good idea to mark the number that you plan to price match. So if you want to price match twice, mark beside or inside your circled item x2.

3. Make a notation on your flyer or shopping list of the matches you intend to do. Before you ask for a price match, remember that you must ask the store to match the exact same item and model number.

4. Know your stores' policy and read all of the fine print ahead of time.

5. Armed with your flyers, always tell the cashier that you are price matching items and show proof of the price from the competitor flyers that you bring with you.



6. Bring your money saving coupons with you and make sure you give them to the cashier after the price match. Walmart, Zellers and No Frills will definitely take coupons on top of price matches but not all stores will

7. Have fun saving money!

EXTRA TIPS FOR PRICE MATCHING

i. Zellers may want to keep your flyer or cut out the price matched ads, so if you have other stores to price match...do those first and leave Zellers for last!

ii. Zellers only allows a maximum of 6 price matched items

iii. If you want to help out the Zellers cashiers and save yourself some time, cut the price match ad on three sides for easier removal.

iv. Know the sales dates, if a special is only 1 day for a store you'd like to match...make sure you match on that day or it's invalid!

Thanks to all of our wonderful forum members for contributing to the price matching info!

Walmart Canada Coupon Acceptance Policy - Know the Accepted Coupons

WALMART'S POLICY ON COUPON USE FOR CANADIANS

If you're using coupons, it's essential to know the coupon policy of the stores that you are shopping at. Walmart is a giant money-saver for many Canadian families, so this is a great policy for the company to share with consumers!

The following represents guidelines shared with our stores to facilitate coupon handling.

• coupon is accepted only if store carries the item
• must be presented at the time of purchase
• only Canadian coupons are accepted
• the item purchased must match the item presented on the coupon. (identical in size, quantity, brand, style, flavour, color and /
or any other specs used to identify the product on the coupon)
• Expiration date must be present & be redeemed prior to the expiration

• Print-at-home internet coupons:
o must be legible
o must have “Manufacturer Coupon” printed on them
o have have a valid name & Canadian remit address
o must have a valid expiration date
o must have a scannable bar code
o can be buy one, get one free (BOGO) coupons
o are acceptable in black, white or color

• Manufacturer’s coupons
o dollar/cents off
o free items
o buy one get one free (BOGO)
o has “Manufacturer Coupon” printed
o must have valid name
o must have valid expiration date
o must have a scannable bar code

• Competitors coupons qualify if:
o issued by a Canadian competitor
o for a specific item for a specified price i.e. $2.99
o buy one, get one free (BOGO) coupons for items with a specified price
o they have a valid expiration date
o and are acceptable in black, white or color

# of coupons that can be used for each item
• only one acceptable coupon may be presented for each purchased item within a transaction
• store managers reserve the right to limit quantities where multiple coupons are being used for multiple purchases of the same
item
When coupon value exceeds the price of the item:
• the excess amount can be given as cash or can be applied toward the basket purchase , at the customer’s choice

Free merchandise with a coupon (BOGO)
• no sales tax is applied on the free merchandise

Hoping the information provided adds some clarity. I remain,
Respectfully,
Maria Della Grotta
National Customer Relations & Research Manager
Phone 905-821-2111 ext. 74389 Fax 905-821-6354
mdellag@wal-mart.com
Walmart Canada Corp.
1940 Argentia Road Mississauga, Ontario L5N 1P9
Save money. Live better.

It's a good idea to print out a copy of this policy and keep it with you when you shop at Walmart. Then, if you ever have any coupon issues, you can show the cashier this coupon policy.

Source

To Buy or Not To Buy? When to Use Your Coupons

Using coupons can be both a smart move and a dumb move. Want to know more? Read smart tips shared by rutlandgrl at the FDR forum.

 

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY:

I remember the first time I ever used a coupon.

It was a tearpad coupon for .50 off a box of cereal. The cereal was ridiculously overpriced at around $5 for a small box, but I felt like such an awesome, smart person because I bought it USING A COUPON! I was saving money!

Not really. Buying something just because you have a coupon for it is not always a good idea. I always tell people to make sure they will actually USE the product before they buy it. Even if I am buying something like cat litter for $8 a container and only have a .50 coupon – I WILL use the coupon, because this is something I was going to buy anyway and WILL use, so I might as well save a bit of money while I buy it.

Some people can’t be bothered to use a coupon like that, they just think, ‘oh, it’s just .50, it won’t make a difference’. Guess what – it will. A coupon for .50 is .50 that stays in YOUR pocket and not the store’s cash register. Why anyone would turn down using a coupon for something they are already buying is beyond me.

Who cares what people think of you using coupons? You are using them to help save yourself some money. If other people want to pay full price for things let them. That’s just more deals for all of us smart people!
It is really easy to get trapped into the whole saving money thing when it comes to coupons. A bottle of ketchup (with sale price/coupon) that is normally at least $3.00. That .50 is an AWESOME price, but when don’t eat ketchup .50 can be too much money . Now, there are times that you should buy the ketchup and that would be if it was FREE (I would donate it) or very cheap meaning less than .25 a bottle (I would give it away to family/friends). Other than that, I would have to walk away from the deal and trust me – IT IS SO HARD.

You really have to think about whether a deal is actually a good deal for you and your family. If you will not use the item – DON’T GET IT, no matter how cheap it is. It’s not worth it.
Here are some tips to help you decide if your good deal, really is a good deal for you:

- Do you use the item?
- Can you use it before it expires?
- Do you have a place to store it?
- If you don’t use the item, can you afford to donate it?

 

Source

 

Thanks again to rutlandgrl for sharing your couponing strategies. This is fantastic information for new and seasoned couponers. Knowing your prices is the key to knowing what in fact IS a good deal. Try making a price book to help you identify the best shopping deals for the products you buy. Over time these strategies and tips will become second nature to you. Have fun couponing!