How to save with grocery coupons

• When using coupons, shop at stores that offer double and triple coupons. The base price of an item might be slightly higher at such stores, but usually, a doubled coupon will more than make up for that difference. But be careful, many stores have either discountinued their double and triple coupon programs, or they have changed the rules so that they really are not doubling coupons - even if the continue to post big banners saying double coupons. Read about Ralphs below.
• Don't always use you coupons when they first come out. Sometimes the stores prices will be higher then to compensate (they expect you might have a coupon, and set the price so that after applying coupon you still get a good deal, although not always a great deal). Save the coupon and use it a few weeks later when the item goes on sale at the supermarket, and you might end up getting the item for free.

Advertised Double Coupons that Aren't

Many of the stores that hae offered doule coupons in the past are either discountining the program, or effectivly discountining the program by placing so many restrictions or limits on the value that it is effectivly no longer double coupons, even if the store tries to confuse customer into thinking that it is.

One such devaluation recently is by the Ralphs chain, owned by Kroger. They used to double up to three coupons for the same item, up to one dollar, meaning a $1 coupon saved you $2, and a $1.50 coupon saved you $2.50 (i.e. they doubled the first dollar of the coupon). Over the past couple of years, they reduced the number of like coupons they would double to one (not an unreasonable limit), but more recently they have implemented a new double coupon policy that in my opinion is so limiting that they should not even be allowed to call it double coupons - though they advertise it as double coupons anyway, and in the fine print explain what they mean by double. That is shameful - if they want to drop the program, they should at least own up to it and admit the fact.

They now only double one coupon up to $0.50. But worse, for coupons over $0.50 they don't even doublt the first fifty cents. Instead they only increase the valueof the coupon to $1.00. This means that if you have a $1 coupon, guess what it is worth, exaclty $1, i.e. no value added at all. Of course they are withintheir right to set the policy however they want - but they should stop calling it DOUBLE COUPONS.