The Coupon Game - Part 2

The last post was about coupons for grocery use. This one is the really fun one for me, coupons for other stuff. It's like a giant scavenger hunt with your little prizes being online, but your big prize being where ever you want to shop.

I gave one example about the deal I got on a Victoria's Secret bra in the last post. Here's another one I got today. I've been trying to replace a lot of white tops for the summer, but I don't have a lot of money to use. In yesterday's mail, I got a $25 Express gift certificate from one of the survey sites I participate in (more on that in another post), so it was time to dig. First, I went online to see if they had tops I was looking for. I found some I liked that were buy one, get one 50% off. The next step was to look for coupon codes or printable coupons. I found a code for 15% off your total order, which happened to be the best deal. Off I went to the local Express store to try on the tops to make sure they worked. They did, and I pulled out my coupon and gift card. My final total that I had to pay out of my own money...$1.35 for two tops.

Coupon codes and printable coupons are your friends. There are many sites that post great deals, like BensBargains.net and Slickdeals.net. Some also keep track of active coupon codes, like CouponMountain.com. They even typically tell you when the different codes were posted and expire. I use those, but when I know I'm just looking for a deal at my favorite store or site, I just use Google.com. The best way to search that I've found is by typing in the name of the store, followed by the words "coupon" and "code". So, when I was searching for Express coupons and codes, I typed in "Express coupon code". It brought up a TON of sites. I just dug through the first 4 or so to get an idea of how many valid codes were out there and what they were for, made my decision, and printed it out.

Coupon codes are really simple to use online. Almost every online vendor has a spot at checkout where they ask for any discount or coupon codes. If they ask, they probably have them out there. All you have to do is quickly search, and you can find codes for dollars off, percentage off, free shipping, and even free items. If you don't want to search for the codes or use sites like the ones I mentioned earlier, you can just sign up for the e-mail lists for your favorite stores. They will e-mail, and sometimes snail mail, you printable coupons and coupon codes. I've gotten everything from percentage off to coupons for free items by doing this. I haven't bought a panty in 3 years because I've gotten a bunch of coupons for free panties from a variety of stores. Hey, any lingerie is expensive, so I'll take all I can get.

The big thing to check when using the codes online is to see how many codes you can use at a time. Some you can enter several codes, one after another. Some only allow one. Some, like Victoria's Secret, only let you enter 3 at one time. Just start with your best code, and keep adding as many of the others as they will let you.

With printable coupons or any coupons snail mailed to you, you need to read the fine print. Sometimes you can only use the coupons on regular priced items. Sometime special categories of items in the store , like Fashion Bug's MVP (most valuable price), aren't eligible. Sometimes you can use them on anything. It just depends. I always feel like I've scored when I find a $10 off $10 or more coupon at a store with no restrictions on what items I can use it on. I go straight to the clearance section and get as many items as I can get that get me as close to $10 as possible. It works great.

Again, this does require a bit of work and planning, but it is so worth it. It adds to the "hunt" aspect of "the coupon game" and I find it a ton of fun. Now it's time for me to head out to search for more great deals.