Couponing is a key strategy for many frugal shoppers. It can lead to significant savings when applied correctly. However, not all purchases are ideal coupon targets. An effective couponing strategy involves knowing when to diligently search for a coupon and when to recognize that other saving methods, like buying store brands or shopping sales, offer better value. Knowing what to prioritize can save you both time and money. Here are seven types of items you should almost always try to buy with a coupon, and seven where coupons are often unnecessary or less effective.
7 Items to Always Try to Buy With a Coupon
1. Brand-Name Cereals
National brand breakfast cereals are notoriously expensive. They also frequently have high-value coupons available in newspapers, online, or on their packaging. Combining a manufacturer’s coupon with a store sale can often bring the price of a brand-name cereal down to, or even below, the price of the store-brand equivalent.
2. Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, and Mouthwash
Personal care items from major brands like Colgate, Crest, and Listerine almost always have coupons available. These are high-volume, competitive categories. Stores often run sales on them as well. By stacking a coupon with a sale, savvy shoppers can frequently get these dental care essentials for very cheap, or sometimes even free.
3. Razors and Shaving Cream
Disposable razors, razor cartridges, and brand-name shaving creams are high-margin items with consistently available coupons. The cost of razor refills, in particular, can be very high. Never pay full price. Wait for a sale and combine it with a manufacturer’s coupon, which can often be found on the brand’s website or in newspaper inserts.
4. Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener
Big brands like Tide, Gain, and Downy regularly issue coupons to maintain brand loyalty. Since laundry detergent is a significant and recurring household expense, even a dollar or two saved per bottle adds up quickly over a year. Pair these coupons with store sales for maximum impact.
5. Body Wash and Bar Soap
Much like dental care, brand-name body washes and bar soaps are another category where coupons are plentiful. Brands like Dove, Olay, and Irish Spring compete heavily for customers. This results in frequent promotions and coupons. It’s a category where you should rarely, if ever, have to pay full price if you plan ahead.
6. Cleaning Supplies (Brand-Name Sprays, Wipes)
For specific, branded cleaning supplies like Windex, Lysol wipes, or Scrubbing Bubbles, coupons are widely available. If you are loyal to a particular cleaning brand for its performance, wait to restock until you have a coupon in hand to combine with a store promotion. This makes these pricier items more affordable.
7. Diapers and Baby Wipes
For parents, diapers and wipes are a huge, non-negotiable expense. Major brands like Pampers and Huggies know this and offer coupons through their websites, apps, and mailings to attract and retain customers. Combining these with sales or store loyalty rewards is essential for managing the high cost of baby care items.
7 Items You Should Never Buy With a Coupon
1. Eggs and Milk
Coupons for basic, store-brand gallons of milk or cartons of eggs are extremely rare. These are staple items, often competitively priced by stores as “loss leaders” to draw you in. The best way to save is to compare the regular prices between your local stores.
2. Fresh Produce
Manufacturer coupons for fresh, unbranded produce are almost non-existent. Savings in this category come from buying what’s in season, shopping at farmers markets, or looking for in-store weekly sales, not from clipping coupons.
3. Fresh Meat from the Butcher Counter
While packaged, branded meats might have coupons, items from the store’s butcher counter do not. Savings here come from choosing cheaper cuts of meat, buying family packs, or looking for “manager’s special” markdowns on items nearing their sell-by date.
4. Store-Brand Pantry Staples
For basic pantry items like flour, sugar, salt, canned vegetables, and pasta, the store’s private label brand is almost always cheaper than the national brand, even after you apply a coupon to the national brand. Skip the coupon hunt and just buy the store brand.
5. Bulk Bin Items
Food from bulk bins – like rice, oats, beans, or nuts – is priced by weight and doesn’t have brand-specific coupons. The savings are already built into the business model, which eliminates the cost of packaging and marketing. Coupons are not part of this equation.
6. Alcohol (Wine, Beer, Spirits)
Due to varying state and local laws regulating the sale of alcohol, manufacturer coupons for alcoholic beverages are heavily restricted or banned in many places. While some store-specific rebates or app-based deals exist, traditional couponing is generally not a major saving strategy for alcohol.
7. “Final Sale” Clearance Items
Items on the final clearance rack are already marked down to their lowest price to clear them out. Stores are trying to recoup any possible cost. Their policies almost always prohibit the use of any additional coupons or discounts on these final markdown items. The price you see is the final price.
Couponing with Strategy and Purpose
An effective couponing strategy isn’t about clipping every coupon you see. It’s about knowing where coupons provide the most value and where your time is better spent on other saving methods. Focus your couponing energy on high-margin, brand-name categories like personal care, cleaning supplies, and packaged goods where discounts can be substantial. For fresh foods, pantry basics, and bulk items, rely on smart shopping practices like comparing unit prices, buying store brands, and shopping sales. This balanced approach ensures you save the most money overall with the most efficient use of your time.
What items are on your “always use a coupon” list? What products do you find are never worth the effort of finding a coupon for? Share your couponing strategy below!
Read More
8 Types of Coupon Misuse and Fraudulent Practices That Harm Retailers and Consumers
Use Coupons to Afford Healthier Groceries and Prevent Illness
The post 7 Things to Always Buy With a Coupon—And 7 You Never Should appeared first on Grocery Coupon Guide.
