How to Read a Coupon

Have you ever wondered exactly how to “read” a coupon?

This is one of the many things I go over in my “frugal school” frugal living seminars but I’d like to offer a refresher here below.  I’m a frugal living expert. Be sure to bookmark this site and “like” us on Facebook.

1. Manufacturer’s coupon (if it doesn’t state “manufacturer’s coupon) then its a Store coupon (for example Target coupons say “Target Web Coupon” and they are NOT manufacturer’s coupons
2. Date of expiration (last day you can ethically use this coupon at any store
3. Value of the coupon (for instance the coupon above has a value of $1.00
4. What the coupon is for; This coupon is for ANY Caldesene product and you’ll note that there are full sized examples in the image however there are no size restrictions on this coupon (which means you may like to check for travel and trial size to snag a freebie to try out this product before you purchase a full size if possible)
5. Product image (A coupon is “read” by the words NOT the picture. The image you see may be the item you purchase however the coupon states ANY Caldesene product so not just the one in the picture.  Many people thing you have to buy whats in the picture and that is just not the case)
6. Instructions for redemption. Did you know that stores submit coupons and get 8¢ above and beyond the face value of the coupon? Think about it for a minute….. If a Walmart store accepts 1,000 coupons for per day and they have 1,000 stores in the United states (this is just an example not actual numbers) then Walmart is taking in $80,000.00 per day in coupons! WOW!!!!!
7. Bar code. This is how the scanner “reads” your coupon.  A bar code that starts with a 5 will generally double (most of the time, unless otherwise stated) if your grocery store offers “doubles” (my East Coast Safeway, Giant, & ACME all double coupons up to 99¢ so a coupon with a value of 75¢ is worth $1.50 at any one of those stores. Check your local grocery to see if they double coupons too) A bar code number that starts with a 9 will generally NOT double (most of the time).

Be sure to check out some of my frugal videos that will help you save too! Bookmark this site – to get more tips, ideas and more from Maggie the frugal living expert! To find coupons for just about anything go here to my coupon database.