There are a lot of sites out there that offer coupon matchups. Do you use these sites, or do you come up with couponing deals on your own? I do a little of both. The matchups can be very Handy, but I often can't find the items in my stores or the deals are at stores that aren't in my area, so I come up with couponing deals a lot on my own.
I usually just do it myself. I have followed those websites before that match them up and they seem great in theory. In reality, though, I don't clip coupons every week, nor do I go grocery shopping every week. I usually only go about once a month, which means only that week's coupons/sales end up being that relevant, so I just pay attention to those and move on.
It's pretty easy to do your own match-ups if you know what you're doing. You just have to get the sales ads out of the paper or pull them up online and see what's on sale. I also try to check out items that I'm interested in buying while I'm in stores. I see how much they are and try to keep that in mind for when I have coupons. That way, I know where to go when I get certain coupons.
I'm not exactly sure what "coupon matchups" are ... is that like 'price-matching,' where a store will match/beat any advertised price you bring in? I don't have a printer or "credit to buy online," so the only coupons I use are the ones I happen to find (in the mail, sometimes in the 'local news-rag').
Coupon matchups on coupon blogs basically tell you about which stores have which deals. For example, they're pair up the coupons that are out (both online and through the big newspapers) with the sales that are going on to help you find free or cheap products. The idea is a good one, but it's tough because a lot of times I either don't have the coupon or don't have the store...and by the time you order the coupons, the deal is over.
Hey! If I'm cutting up some coupons (for fast food, usually) and notice a little 'code' on there (usually a # with 3 or 4 numbers-&-letters after it), would it be a good idea to post those codes here (in the coupon sections) so that maybe people could try `em?
No -- it's not a good idea to share codes off of printable coupons or coupons that you get out of the newspaper or something. You should only share coupon codes that are shared online and meant for everyone to use. Otherwise, it's coupon fraud. You have to be careful.
I use the matchups. I have neither the time nor the desire to attempt to match all those deals at all those stores. I check the sites as soon as they put up the matchups and plan my shopping for the week. The major grocery stores and drug stores in the area all have matchup sites. CVS has a matchup site that puts the deals up a couple of weeks in advance. That is convenient in case I need to order coupons.
