STRUGGLING households can save £255 a month on their grocery bill by using coupons, here's how to do it according to supermarket expert Holly Smith.
Supermarkets, websites and brands offer shoppers money saving vouchers – but you can miss out on them if you don't know where to look for them.
Using apps, joining Facebook groups and picking up supermarket magazines are some of the ways Holly hunts for coupons and saves hundreds of pounds.
She is one of the experts on The Sun's Squeeze Team panel, here to help you through a crippling cost of living crisis.
If you’re worried about how to make ends meet, are struggling to pay off your debts or don’t know how best to manage your cash, get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Holly's tips will come in handy as soaring inflation is driving prices up – and adding £533 onto the typical household's shopping bill.
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"I live and breathe couponing," she said.
"On a good month, you can save £255 – there's so much you can get."
Here's her tips to couponing your way to saving hundreds.
Tesco magazine – save £15 a month
Holly makes sure she picks up Tesco's free monthly magazine for the money saving coupons in it.
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"The front page has around £15 worth of coupons in it every month," she said.
Holly said shoppers should hold onto the coupons though – and spend them at a specific time.
"Prices of the items which you can get the coupons for are usually higher just when the magazine is launched," Holly said.
"I wait until the next monthly magazine comes out – then prices are usually lowered."
She gets even more money off by using her Tesco Clubcard if the item is under offer.
"Anyone can pick the magazine up – not just Clubcard shoppers – and they are usually by the tills or at the back of the store," she added.
Follow brands on social media – save £40
Sometimes, brands and retailers will offer coupons on their websites and social media accounts to tempt customers to spend more.
Holly makes sure she follows brands on Instagram and on Facebook to keep on top of the freebies and discounts being offered.
"I’ve had free cat treats and £5 coupons for Tena Lady products, which I give to my local care home," she said.
"I’ve had £40 of coupons for branded items – all you usually need to do is fill out an online form and sign up with your address.
Use apps – save £120
Holly has downloaded a number of shopping apps onto her phone, which all list coupons, vouchers and money off you can use at big supermarkets.
Shopmium, GreenJinn, Smash and Checkout Smart are examples of a few of her go-to apps.
These sites work by promising to earn you money back on your shopping – they agree offers with retailers, and pass these on to customers.
Once you've got yourself an account, you can scroll through the deals listed on the site.
You can pick up items at big supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Simply go to the store, buy the product under offer, take a picture of your receipt, upload it to the app and you can get your cash back.
Download all the apps, and you may find you can get the same deal multiple times, Holly said.
"On a good week, I can get £30 of food for free," she said.
Over a month, that comes to £120 of items you can get without spending a penny.
Boost savings by stacking coupons
Another way to boost your savings while couponing is to stack them all together.
Stacking your coupons means to apply multiple coupons on a single product.
But this might not always work.
In some cases, you can only apply one coupon to the item you're buying.
It's best to read the terms and conditions, or ask a member of staff in store if you're unsure.
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