Living Life Household 6 Style

Coupon Fraud What to Know !!!

By Tiffaney, on January 6th, 2012

Here are a few rules to help you stay on the right path in couponing:

Always follow the words on the coupon. If it says it is for a 6oz box, then buy the size indicated. While it might work for another size or even product that is fraudulent use of the coupon.

Don’t intentionally use expired coupons. If your store has said that it is okay, you should still ask before using one on every trip. Most stores DO NOT allow any.

You should never make a copy, scan, or fax of a printable coupon in any way. There are lots of security features built into these coupons. While they may scan in the grocery store – the store will never get reimbursed for them.

The unique 2-D barcode on the upper left is a different number for every coupon you print, even for a second print of the same coupon.
The dotted line around the entire coupon is really text. It has your user id, the date and time and coupon offer information printed – repeating at least 35 times around the coupon. This is also printed at the bottom of the expiration date box.
The long barcode at the bottom also has a portion of the unique 2-D barcode number in it. These barcodes are much more specific and very soon will be the barcode that is scanned in all stores!

Coupons sent via email

There are many coupons that are passed around in emails that are for FREE products. These all fall into the “too good to be true category”. Most of these have been scanned from a coupon that someone received from a manufacturer directly. Don’t get mad at the person that sent it to you, they have been passed around for years. Manufacturers rarely if ever release printable coupons for free products. If they do it is not often through a .pdf coupon.

To see a full list of coupons that are fraudulent go here. Under the FAQ tab there is some great info also !!! You’ll also notice many of these have rewards offered for catching the original person that created the coupon!

What are the consquences of Coupon Fraud?

The cost of coupon “misredemption” to manufacturers annually is estimated to be over 300 million dollars. It does get passed on to you in the end.

Coupon Fraud is prosecuted. Meet the CIC, they prosecute coupon fraud and boast about having never lost a case since 1986. The penalties they have seen: Longest prison sentence: 17 years Highest financial penalty: $5 million Prison sentences of three to five years are not uncommon. Financial penalties generally vary, but have often been in excess of $200,000.

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Coupon Organizing 101 !!!

By Tiffaney, on January 12th, 2011

One of the most frugal, money-saving things you can do is utilize as many of the free coupons you have at your disposal as possible to cut costs on the products you use.

You’ll never redeem each and every coupon that comes your way, but by keeping your coupons organized and at hand for when you need them will surely shave some dollars off your grocery bill.

Remember you do not have to clip every coupon that you come across, only clip the coupons you will use.

If you’re ready to be a Coupon Queen (or King) but aren’t sure how to setup a couponing system, here is a How To Guide for sorting your coupons efficiently, how to make a coupon organizer and organizing system plus you’ll find plenty of coupon collecting, sorting and organizing tips. If you’re already full steam ahead with your own coupon system, you might find a few new tips or useful ideas to try.

Coupon Organizing Method #1 – Using Envelopes

I would use this if you are just beginning or do not use that many coupons.

I use envelopes to write my list out and put the coupons in there if I know i’m only getting a few things.

Coupon Organizing Method #2 – An Accordion File Or Wallet

You can buy an accordion file @ Walmart or any office supply store !!

You can choose a large accordion file (like in the picture) or a wallet sized one, they do hold a lot even though they’re smaller. The best wallet sized ones for long term use would be a plastic or fabric organizer since they hold up longer, the wallet size also makes it easy to bring all your coupons with you on your shopping trips.

Use each pocket to store your coupons. If you have a wallet sized accordion file organizer, keep the front pocket free and you can toss in the coupons that you plan to use on your next shopping trip.

If you’re going to buy an accordion file (either a folder or wallet), look for one that has tabs on top of the pockets. This way you can mark each pocket (ie. the Month or Product Category) and you can see at a glance what each pocket holds.

Coupon Organizer Method #3 – An Index File Box

Boxes are great for organizing coupons, you can use anything from a cardboard shoe box, a plastic tub (with lid), a recipe box, or try an index card box.

You can go as large as you need to or keep it small with recipe and index card boxes if you don’t have a large coupon collection (although these little boxes will hold a lot!).

Use dividers to separate your categories and then cut, clip and sort your coupons within each category. Either buy index dividers that will fit your box or make them out of the cardboard from old cereal boxes. Make sure each index divider is tabbed so you can mark the sections.

Coupon Organizing Method #4 – A Coupon Organizer Binder

You can make yourself a coupon organizer binder to sort and store your coupons, this is an especially nice system if you are a heavy-duty coupon user and have lots of coupons to keep organized. I have just started using this sysytem in the past 6 months I really do not know how I managed before. This is a great system.

I just bought a new 3 ring binder @ Big Lots for $3.00. make sure you have the pockets on the inside to put your local sale papers.

Some ideas to store in the binder:

Small pair of scissors for coupon clipping

Calculator

Pad of paper (for grocery list making)

Inside your binder of choice, fill it with plastic sheets for trading cards (like hockey or baseball card collecting). You can also find plastic sheets with four pockets per sheet (the ones you buy for photo albums), these pockets are a little larger than the trading card sheets. Use these plastic pockets to store your coupons and keep them organized.
* I found them @ Walmart up front by the baseball cards they have different sizes*

You can buy binders in any number of sizes, but you’ll want a size that will fit the plastic pocket sheets. These plastic sheets can be bought online, at your local card collecting shop and most department stores such as Walmart and Target.

How To Sort & Organize Coupons

Whichever method you choose as your coupon organizer, you’ll need to have a battle plan on how to keep them organized within the storage system of choice. Here are a few suggestions:

I shop 90 % of the time at the commissary so it works for me to have my coupons matched to the Layout of the store. I have the photo in the front and the expiration date on the back, I also have the coupons that will expire 1st towards the top.

Choose whatever method works best for you, the goal is to setup a system that will help you to use your coupons before they expire as well as know where to find a particular coupon when looking for it.

By developing a coupon sorting system and making yourself a coupon organizer, you’ll find it much easier to save money on groceries and products since you’ll have all your coupons in one place, and you’ll know just where to look for that coupon you wish to use.

Keeping coupons organized will take some time to first setup and figure out what works best for your needs, but once you have determined the best system that works for you, maintaining it regularly won’t be such a chore. It will simply be a matter of purging expired coupons and filing away new ones.

Do you have any advice or a great tip you’d give someone just starting out?

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