4 Ways to Use Coupons Efficiently

© Hemera /Thinkstock

Save time and money when shopping by using coupons efficiently.

Join: If you don’t want to sort stacks of sales circulars and coupons every week, join grocerygame.com, where $5 a month will get you a weekly roundup of advertised and unadvertised sales in your area linked to manufacturers’ coupons. Members report slashing their bills by as much as 60 percent.

Swap: No coupons for family favorites? Ecoupons has a trading club. Mail in your unwanted coupons (and a self-addressed, stamped envelope), then go online and select the ones you want from other shoppers’ castoffs.

Swipe: Use your loyalty card to get on-the-spot coupons at stores that use the Scan It system. Swipe your card at an in-store kiosk to retrieve a hand-held scanner, scan each item you’re thinking of buying to see the savings, then take your purchases to the self-checkout area and scan your card. The system stores your previous purchases, so it might produce a two-for-one coupon on the ice cream you like.

Skip the paper: Link to manufacturer coupons with loyalty cards at shortcuts.com or cellfire.com. Add the coupons to your online account, and simply present your card at checkout.

Originally Published in Reader's Digest