The key to big long term savings is buying the items you need when they are on sale before you need them. This means taking advantage of each sale as much as you can with as many coupons as you have available. You will begin to create a “stockpile” of products you use on a regular basis so that you will never need to purchase an item at full price again.
As long as you follow the rules for purchase with each coupon, you can use more than one of the exact same coupon. For example, if you have a coupon for $1/1 product X, you may use 1 coupon for each product X you buy. If the coupon is for $1/2 product X, you may use 1 coupon for every 2 products you buy. There are no limits to the number of coupons you can use to stock up on your favorites. However, each store will set its own limits on coupon use, such as only doubling 1 like coupon per visit or limiting the number of like coupons you can use at one time. Talk to the manager at the stores you frequent for their guidelines.
When your stockpile begins to grow, the problem is no longer how to afford the food you need but where to put it. Having too much food is a problem many people would never even dream of. If you are purchasing multiples each week when the items are on sale, you may actually run into this.
First, donate what you won’t use! There are so many people hungry and it doesn’t have to be that way. Second, many perishable items are freezable so you can store them longer—bread, meat, cheese and butter, to name a few. Third, convert a linen closet to an extras pantry or use storage totes for canned goods. Linens can easily be stored in the rooms they will be used—slip tablecloths in a kitchen drawer, keep towels in the bathroom, and store your extra sheets under the mattress they will be used on.
Shop smart, then get creative to keep your shelves stocked inexpensively.
Art of Couponing: Matching Coupons