Couponing 101: Stacking Coupons

I have received a few emails this week from new coupon users which has prompted me to continue with the Couponing 101 series. If you have missed the series, make sure you start with All About Coupons and Where to Find Coupons. If you are an experienced couponer, please feel free to jump in with your tips in the comment section!

Types of Coupons

There are two types of coupons, a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon. I think of it this way- the store coupon is a store promotion and is not promoted by the manufacturer. The manufacturer coupon is put out by the manufacturer and the store is reimbursed for the face value of the coupon plus handling fees. So store coupon= store promotion and manufacturer coupon= manufacturer promotion.

On the coupon itself it will say whether it is a store or manufacturer coupon. Many stores like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Target offer store coupons. They are either sent via email, snail mail, printable or available in stores. My favorite store coupons are CVS and Rite Aid since I shop at those stores frequently.

Stacking Coupons

Since the store coupon and the manufacturers coupon are separate promotions they can be stacked. That means you can buy one item and use both a store and manufacturers coupon. Combing the two times of coupons is a great way to score products for free or cheap.

Here is an example from Rite Aid this week:

Hormel Compleats, $1.99
— get $1 +Ups
$0.50 Hormel Rite Aid Store Coupon
$0.55/1 Hormel Compleats Microwave Meal (SS #1 2/13/11)

Use both the store coupon and manufacturers coupon. Pay $0.94 and get $1 +Up back.

Now if you have no idea what a +Up is than let me know and I will write up a Rite Aid tutorial!

If you have any questions about stacking coupon or coupon use in general, please leave a comment or contact me!

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.