We have all heard “a penny saved is a penny earned” and one way to earn pennies is to take advantage of store coupons.  And with rising food costs and a stagnant economy most everyone is looking for every little trick to save money where they can.  Coupons are a easy way to cut the grocery bill.

Couponing has become all the rage these days.  Chain grocery stores are taking advantage of the trend by offering in-store coupons at the register to keep their customers loyal. 

Store coupons could save you some money. But beware of tricks and gimmicks!

But just as we shop for high interest checking or savings accounts to help us earn money on our money, we really need exercise the same mindset when using coupons—especially store coupons.

On a recent trip to a large chain store, I was presented with a pile of 11 store coupons printed directly from the register and corresponded to the items I had recently purchased.  Now from a marketing stand point it is a fairly brilliant concept to give me coupons for items I obviously purchase. 

In total, if I used all 11 coupons on a return trip to this store I could save up to $28 buying things I already routinely buy.  I was really excited.  Even though this particular chain is not my favorite I do shop there from time to time because they have awesome ads.

With a family of five, it seems I can’t stay out of the store for more than a few days at a time so I took my 11 coupons and planned meals around the store’s ad and the anticipated savings.  I may not do many things better than most people I know but when it comes to cutting my grocery bill I am a bit of a wizard—something only a houseful of voracious teenage boys can teach you.

Some deals are really bad!

Several of the coupons were for the store’s own brand and were meant to celebrate the launch of a new name and package design.  Imagine my surprise when I picked up the “buy one get, one free” pasta boxes only to notice they felt a bit different.  In a moment of clarity I grabbed my favorite brand name which also happened to be on sale for a quick side-by-side comparison.  Much to my surprise the store’s new product line was four ounces per box lighter than the national brand.  Even with the coupon and comparing the per ounce cost, the better deal was the national brand.  And I paid less for more food than if had I fallen for the store’s marketing gimmick. “Tricky store.” “Nice try.”

It was the only instance where the coupon was actually a worse deal but I was more alarmed the store was taking advantage of their customers in such a manner.

A penny saved is a penny earned - the best advice ever!

Since that day I’ve only shopped the store’s loss-leaders—the items on the front page of the ad which are often discounted at or near a loss to entice customers to come into the store.  I have also watched much more closely how I am leveraging coupons to reduce my grocery bill.

So it goes back to “a penny saved is a penny earned” and that is only going to happen if you pay close attention to opportunities to earn pennies where you can.