Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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This week I had fun demonstrating savings strategies with a television station.  We bought several home items such as towels, dishes, appliances and sheets using what I call "stackable savings strategies" and saved big money with very little effort.
The key is knowing what the savings "rules" are for each store you visit and learning how to combine them.  Once you know the questions to ask you store to uncover accepted savings policies that are generally not advertised, you will save far more than the average shopper.
We shopped at both Bed, Bath and Beyond and Linens and Things.  They have very similar savings programs. We bought items on sale, used coupons, and combined them with mail-in rebates when available.  At Bed, Bath and Beyond we also earned a percentage of our spending in a Upromise account, which is free money on top of all of our other savings.  You can also use  a 20% off store coupon for Linens and Things at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
To find out how to stack the savings at any of your stores, ask these questions:
--do you have coupons available?  In the case of these two stores, they have coupons available in many places.  They come in the Sunday newspaper, they are in the Entertainment book, they come in the mail if you are on their mailing list.  Go to the Linens and Things website and sign up for their email newsletter.  To get on the mailing list for a regular Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon, you can sign up at their website.
--can you use coupons on sale or clearance-priced merchandise?
--do you accept competitors' coupons?  The answer is yes for both of these stores, so we were able to save twice as much because we had more coupons.
--can you use multiple coupons in one order?  Even though the coupons for both stores said "limit one per customer," the management of both stores said they accept one coupon per item per order.
--do you accept expired coupons?  The answer is yes for both stores, which dramatically increases the savings potential for both stores.  I have a plastic shoebox in my kitchen cabinet where I save all of my coupons from the newspaper and mail for both stores. When I need to buy several individual items at one store, I have plenty of coupons.
--do you have printable coupons?  Yes for Linens and Things, although they will only accept one printable coupon out of all of your coupons for one order.  We used ours at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
--do you have any rebates available?  Some items had rebate tear-off pads next to the items with featured rebates.  However, in one case we knew the item had a rebate from the store ad but it wasn't posted by the item in the store.  When we asked the cashier about the rebate, she pulled out a file with all of their rebate pads and found one for us.  Therefore, always ask if rebates are available when you buy cookware, bakeware, electric toothbrushes and appliances.
Start saving those coupons now to be ready for holiday shopping!