Guest Post – Shopping Frugal – To Print or not to Print

To print or not to print:
I have had a couple of you ask me what I do with printing coupons ever since our printers exploded with the mass quantity of Kraft Foods coupons! Many of you want to print them right away as your not sure when the print limit is going to be up but at the same time you don’t want to waste valuable printer ink for an item that might not have a sale soon. Plus your not sure when the expiration date is as they do not let you know until you print.
My suggestions for printing coupons online:

Only print items you will actually use:
If it is something I have not used or never plan to use I don’t bother with printing it, UNLESS I know I can get it for free (or moneymaker) within that week. Even if I know I can get it for less then .50 cents each. Even though you would be getting it on the cheap is it worth spending that .50 cents or so on an item you will not use? It is only worth it if you are planning on giving it away or donating it. (I will be discussing more on this topic this week) When I 1st started “full throttle” couponing I will print everything and learned real quick it was not worth it.
With that said, you ask “Well, what if I will be able to score it for FREE in a few weeks and now I’ve missed out as the the coupon is no longer available?” My answer to that… Your going to win some and you are going to lose some, but guess what! If they have offered that coupon before they will probably offer it again so after some time it will be back for you to snag!
If it is something I might used, even though it’s not my favorite brand I will 1st research the price of what I can get it today and if it is equal too, or less then the price of the brand I usually use I will go ahead and print it and try to wait and see if I can find it for less. I might only print 1 of the 2 usual limit just in case I won’t like the product, this gives me a chance to try it. Brand loyalty does not need to be thrown out with couponing but it does get questioned.
If it is an item you use already, go ahead and print the “usual” 2 limit coupons limit that the manufacturer might offer. If a manufacturer does not set a print limit on a certain item, do think twice before printing more then 2 coupons. Unfortunately what happens is people get coupon crazy and start to print 10 + of this product and then whatever limit the manufacturer set the print limit too (say 100,000 coupons to be printed) now you might have taken away coupons from someone that did not see this as quickly as you. As with all things be considerate of others. THIS IS MY OPINION.
Print in Black & White if you can:
This will not work for everyone. It does not work for me! When I print my coupons in black and white I will always have issues with the cashier, unless “I know” them. I know some couponers will always print in B&W and if they have an issue they will speak to the manager or show the cashier the different “special” number code. To me, it is worth it to be not to be hassled and print in color. Some coupons even state that the coupon can be printed in color or B&W. If you are one of the lucky ones that are able to print in B&W and not have issues you will save alot of money on ink!
Try to find out the expiration date before printing:
If this is a coupon you are questioning, try to see if you can find the expiration date on a blog before printing. If the expiration date is soon this can help you decide if it is worth printing or not. I try to mark the expiration date on my blog when I post a printable coupon. If I don’t, I might not be printing the coupon myself but will ask a reader to leave the expiration date in the comment section to share with others.

Thank you Ashley for sharing your advise on what to print or not to print. To see more of Shopping Frugal visit her blog shoppingfrugal.net