What's better than using one coupon to save money on a purchase? Using MORE THAN ONE! 
Yes, it's perfectly legal and absolutely OK to "stack" coupons--using more than one coupon to save money on a single purchase. You can't do that all the time, so you need to know the rules.
In brick-and-mortar stores, you're often allowed to stack a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon. For example, my local supermarket often puts out weekly fliers that contain coupons. These are store coupons and clearly labeled as such. Yesterday I stacked a store coupon that took $2.01 off the price of a 12-pack of soda with a $1.00 manufacturer's coupon for the same soda, making the price of the 12-pack 99 cents. The way my teenage son goes through Dr. Pepper, I was thrilled to be able to put this together. Some stores, like Target and Walmart, post their coupon policy online so you'll know the rules ahead of time.
I purchase two Sunday newspapers every week, except on those weeks when there are four or five coupon inserts in the paper. Those are the weeks when I buy four newspapers. In addition, my neighbor and I trade coupons inserts. When we're finished cutting out the coupons we want, we pass along the inserts to each other so we can glean any extras. While it costs me $7 to buy four newspapers, I easily make that money back in savings that week alone on the coupons I've clipped--and there are other coupons that I'll be saving in the weeks to come. I don't always use my coupons the very week I clip them. For the best deals, I like to wait (if possible) until the item goes on sale--so I can stack a sale, a manufacturer's coupon, and if I'm lucky, a store coupon.
Don't forget that printable coupons are a great way to get manufacturer's coupons for your favorite items. Again, check your local store to make sure that these are accepted. Some stores have been slow to adopt internet printables, but it's getting easier to use them all the time.
When you shop online, there are sometimes restrictions on stacking coupons. Check for words like "cannot be combined with other special offers." If you see such a disclaimer, that means you cannot stack coupons using that deal. That's when it pays to do your homework. We often have several deals for the same retailer--some of which can be stacked, and some that can't. Do the math. Figure out which way nets you the best deal. As an example, our Kohl's page lists many offers. Some can be stacked. Others cannot, and they are clearly labeled as such. Use this knowledge to your advantage in finding the very best deal.







2 Responses to “Stack It!”