When you begin Extreme Couponing, there will be a number of acronymns that you will see when going through weekly ads, reading posts, and trying to create your own list. It is important you refer back to these terms to maximize the most of your savings.

All of the acronyms I use for couponing are found on the center/right column of Frugal Coupon Living. Below, I have provided a more detailed explanation.

SS – Smart Source. SS is a coupon resource both online and in the Sunday paper.  The larger the city, the larger the SS Sunday insert and reverse rings true as well – the smaller the town, the smaller the insert size. Thus, Smart Source coupons can vary by regions.  Almost every Sunday, there is a SS insert in the newspaper. Visit Smart Source for printable coupons. Coupons found online are different from coupons found in the Sunday inserts.

RP – Red Plum. Much like SS, RP is a coupon resource both online and in the Sunday paper.   The larger the city, the larger the SS Sunday insert and reverse rings true as well – the smaller the town, the smaller the insert size.  Thus, RP coupons can vary by regions.  Almost every Sunday, there is a RP insert in the newspaper.  Visit Smart Source for printable coupons. Coupons found online are different from coupons found in the Sunday inserts.

P&G – Procter and Gamble.  Much likes the other inserts, P&G coupon resource is found in the Sunday paper.  P&G inserts tend to be consistent across the board. In other words the same coupons tend to be in every city/town.  Unlike the others, they come out once or twice a month.  Usually around front or end dates of the month. These coupons usually expire 30 to 60 days once published.

MFR – Manufacturer Coupon. A manufacturer coupon is coupon that is created by company or brand. It can be combined with a store coupon in most locations (grocery stores/pharmacies.)  Most MFR coupons have the most expensive item displayed as a picture on the coupon so it is important to read the fine print. Sometimes you can use a MFR coupon on a trial size item. When this is possible, it is best to do this because the savings is a much larger percent then if you were to buy they full size item. Ten bottle of trial size shampoo work just as well as one large bottle and can end up being FREE!

SC – Store Coupon. This is a coupon that can exclusively be used in the store in presents. For example if CVS puts out a coupon for Colgate, this can only be used in a CVS location.  This SC can be combined with an MFR on one item to produce a greater savings. Sometimes other stores will take SC coupons. For example, sometimes I can use a Winn-Dixie Grocery Coupon at my local Publix Grocery location. Check with your local stores to see if they accept store coupons from other locations.

CC – Competitor Coupon. A CC is a store coupon that can be used in another store. For example, I could take a Winn-Dixie coupon and use it at Publix. You can also create a combination of mixing and matching MFRs, SCs, and CCs for an even larger savings! Two places that regularly take competitor coupons are Publix and Home Depot.

B1G1/BOGO – Buy One, Get One. The name basically supplies the definition. When you buy one product, you get the next product for free. In some locations, B1G1 sales reduced items to 50% off so you can only buy one item in the B1G1 sale. I will make a note of this when this is the case. In most locations, for B1G1 sales, two products need to be in the purchase. I personally appreciate B1G1 sales because you can use two coupons. You are getting two products!

WYB – When You Buy. An example of when this phrase is used is get $1 off product x when you buy or wyb product y.

YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary. Your mileage may vary is a phrased to describe the situation where you have success at one store and not at another store. This is usually the case because clearance items, sales, or managers discretions may change per store. YMMV can be the case for two stores in the same city or for two stores on different sides of the country.

MIR – Mail in Rebate. A mail in rebate is a situation where you get back a percentage of the amount you spent on a product. A MIR usually requires a UPC (universal product code or bar code on the side of a box) , original cash register receipt, a form all mailed in a self stamped envelope.  During a MIR, you do need to pay for the product upfront but are refunded your money either in the form of a check or gift card.  Sometimes, MIRs provide you with a product instead of the refund of a check/gift card. In this case, you would know this before sending in the MIR. On average, MIRs take around 8 weeks for a full refund.

FAR – FREE After Rebate. This case is usually accompanied with a MIR. The item would be FREE after you submit a rebate for a refund of a check/gift card.

$1 SS 1/4 – $1 coupon in the Smart Source Inserts on January 4^th. I use this phrase when matching coupons to sales. If we were talking about Dove Deodorant, I would be directing you to cut the $1 Dove Coupon in the Smart Source Insert that came out January 4^th. If you keep your inserts intact, with the date on the front, this is easy to locate. You can keep them in a binder, in a file system, or cut them up and arrange the coupons by month or by type (health and beauty in this case.)

OOP – Out of Pocket. This is the money you are required to pay out of pocket. This money is usually amount you will pay before a rebate or “reward money” found in the form of Extra Care Bucks or Register Rewards (See CVS 101 and Walgreens 101 below.)

WFC – Weekly Flyer Coupon. This is a coupon found in a store weekly sales flyer. This coupon is required for the discount on the item. It is not a “clip free” coupon.

$1.50/2 – $1.50 off two items. In this example you get $1.50 of the price of two items. If I do not provide a back slash and number, then the discount is off one item. I provide the discount price followed by a slash and number to share with you when you have to buy more than one item for the coupon reduction.

ECBs – Extra Care Bucks. This is a money system found at CVS stores. It is like paper money that can be used on products in their store only. ECB sales are found weekly in their store flyer. Sometimes, CVS has items that are FREE after ECBS (much like the FAR system.) See more on shopping at CVS with ECBs below.

Wags – Walgreens. Acronym used for Walgreens.

RRs – Register Rewards. This is a money system found at Walgreens (Wags) stores. It is like paper money that can be used on products in their store only. RRs sales are found weekly in their store flyer. Sometimes, Wags has items that are FREE after RRs (much like the FAR system.) See more on shopping at Walgreens with RRs below.

Related Posts:

Eight Tips to Couponing HERE

CVS 101 HERE

Walgreens 101 HERE
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