I’m always looking for new sources of coupons. My favorite sources are the store shelf coupon dispensers.

These small boxes, attached to the supermarket shelf, allow you to take a manufacturer’s coupon for a nearby product – no need to go through the trouble of clipping coupons from the newspaper. The coupon is right there waiting for you.

During a trip to a local supermarket I noticed a coupon dispenser for Quaker Oats chewy granola bars. These are one of my favorite on the go snacks. Instinctively, I pulled the coupon from the dispenser and picked up my box of Quaker Oats granola bars.

Yet,  I just committed the very same mistake that almost all shoppers make with these convenient coupon dispensers.

You see the grocery store and food manufacturer are both betting that you’ll immediately use your new found coupon.

What’s wrong with that? - Well nothing, but the simple fact is that you’ll save even more money simply by waiting to use your coupon. Instead of instinctively using the coupon from the coupon dispenser, just place it in your wallet or purse for later.

Supermarkets and manufacturers rarely offer more than one promotion on any given product at a time. So you’ll never see a coupon dispenser offering a coupon for a product that’s already on sale.

By waiting to use the coupon you get from the coupon dispenser you can combine the coupon with savings from a future sale on the very same item.

Remembering this, I put the granola bars back on the shelf and the coupon in my wallet. Sure enough two week later the same granola bars were on sale allowing me to use my coupon with the sales price for an incredible deal.  - And of course during this sale the coupon dispenser had long been removed.

Lesson: Coupon dispensers located on store shelves can be a great source of valuable coupons. Yet don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to use such a coupon right away. Instead, resist the temptation and place the coupon in your purse so that you can combine it with a future sale for even bigger savings.

In a previous post we talked about three simple supermarket questions that are key to unlocking great savings at your local grocery store. But the savings don’t stop there. Below we discuss six more questions you should ask your store manager in order to tap into big savings.

When are Meat, Deli Items, and Bakery Items Discounted? Grocery stores have to sell their meat products by their sell-by dates. When meat approaches this date supermarkets usually apply steep discounts. For great savings, ask your grocery store manager or butcher when meat is discounted so you can be first in line for savings. You can freeze the meat shortly after you get home to enjoy a great supply of meat for future meals. Similarly, supermarkets discount deli specials and bakery products, often near the end of the day. Ask when these items are discounted as well.

Does Your Store Accept Expired Coupons? Some stores accept expired manufacturers’ coupons as a way to attract customers. You can use this to your advantage. Each product in the store has its own sales cycle. Every so often a product will hit its absolute rock bottom sales price. By waiting and combining an expired manufacturers’ coupon with an item on sale at its rock bottom price you can get a double discount and save big. Its generally better to ask your store manager about such policies as cashiers may not be completely aware of all of the store’s coupon policies.

Does Your Grocery Store Have a Scanner Accuracy Guarantee? Scanner mistakes occur more frequently than you might think. The problem is that each and every week hundreds of new sales prices must be programmed into the computers controlling the scanners. This is where mistakes happen. Watch carefully as your groceries are rung up because some stores will give you your item for free if it rings up higher than the sales price. Ask your store manager about such policies.

Does Your Store Price Match? Some stores match the sales prices found at competing grocery stores. All you have to do is bring in the competitor’s store coupon or sales flier to get the discounted price. This is important because it allows you to obtain all of the discounted prices in one place without having to travel from store to store.

Can You Load Coupons onto Your Store Loyalty Card? Many stores now allow you to load manufacturers’ coupons directly onto your supermarket loyalty cards. This helps eliminate many of the hassles of using coupons. No more cutting out coupons from the paper or having to remember to bring your coupons with you when you go shopping. Visit certain coupon websites, select your coupons, enter your loyalty card number and the discounts are loaded directly onto your card. The savings are applied in the store as you check out. Visit websites like Shortcuts.com to see if your supermarket allows manufacturers’ coupons to be loaded onto loyalty cards.

Does Your Store Accept Coupons Printed off the Internet? Many savvy consumers have been going online to find and print manufacturers’ coupons for their favorite grocery products. Unfortunately, faced with massive fraud, some supermarkets are no longer accepting manufacturers’ coupons printed from the internet. As internet coupons can be a great source of savings, simply ask your store manager whether or not they accept coupons printed off the internet. Be aware that the policy may be different for grocery stores within the same chain. A Safeway in one part of the city may accept printed internet coupons, while a Safeway in another part of town may not.

People commonly use coupons at supermarkets to rack up huge savings. But did you know you can use coupons at many of your favorite fast food restaurants as well?

Many fast food restaurants provide coupons on their websites which you can simply print out. The great thing about these internet coupons is that you can continually print them and use them on repeat visits.

As of this writing, Del Taco, for example, is offering a buy 1 taco get 1 free coupon. Hardees is offering a $1 off a thickburger combo meal. Check your favorite fast restaurant website for online coupons.

Several fast food restaurant offer special programs that send you coupons deals by email. Boston Market sends you a coupon for $3 off when you sign up for their free email service. Wendy’s has a similar program called WendysMail where they send you email coupons and promotional offers.

Simply go to your favorite fast food restaurant’s website to see if they offer such a promotions program. The only downside to these programs is that you have to provide your email address. Many people set up a second free email account which they use for programs like these.

Finally, check the back of your fast food receipts. Some fast food places print a toll free number on the back of their receipts that allows you to complete an online survey. Once you complete the survey you’re provided with a coupon code for free food.

Recently, I called the survey phone number located on the back of my Burger King receipt. After completing an automatic survey about my dining experience at the restaurant I was given a code to on my next visit for a free whopper with the purchase of any size fries and drink.

Supermarkets policies can vary widely. Knowing the differences in store policies can save you large sums of money.

Below we list 3 money saving questions you should ask of your grocery store. A simple stop at your store’s customer service desk will provide you with all the answers you need.

Does Your Store Offer a Money-Back Guarantee on Store Brand Products ?

In the distant past generics or store brand products were usually cheap knock-offs of their name brand cousins. How things have changed. Now store brand products frequently meet or exceed their name brand counterparts. The financial benefits of purchasing store brands can be huge as they generally cost 15 to 25% less than name brands. Unfortunately, many shoppers equate store brands with the cheap products of the past.

To help overcome this negative history and promote new faith in their store brands, many grocery stores offer money back guarantees on their store brand products. If you don’t like the store brand, just return the unused portion for a full refund.

Ask your supermarket if it has such a policy. If so, this makes trying store brands nearly risk free. If you don’t like your store brand product, simply return it for a refund. If you do like it you’ve now found a cheaper alternative that will save you money week after week!

How Does Your Store Ring up Buy One, Get One Free Deals ?

You see these deals all the time – “Buy One, Get One Free” or “2 for the price of 1″.  You assume that you have to actually buy two products in order to get the deal. In many stores, however, you only need to buy one product for which you’ll pay half price.

Simply ask your store how it handles such transactions. If your store does allow you to purchase one item at half price, combine this deal with a manufacturers’ coupon to rack up huge savings.

Does Your Store Double Manufacturers’ Coupons ?

Doubling of manufacturers’ coupons is a great money saver. Say you notice a can of frozen Tropicana orange juice on sale for $2.09. A $1 manufacturers’ coupon brings the price down to $1.09, while a doubled manufacturers’ coupon makes the product virtually free!

While many stores have discontinued this practice, some still provide the benefit. Other stores double manufacturers’ coupons only on certain days. Check out About.com’s coupon page for a state by state list of stores that double manufacturers’ coupons.  You can also visit the customer service desk at your favorite supermarket to see if they double coupons.

There’s nothing more frustrating than checking a flyer to see your favorite product on sale, only to find that it’s not in stock when you arrive at the store.

More often than not this occurs when you miss the first three days of a sale. Some stores are great and re-stock sale items on a regular basis.

Other stores, however, reserve only limited quantities of sale items, waiting until the sale is over before they re-stock. Realize that their only purpose of having a sale in the first place is to draw you into the store where you’ll spend 40-60% of your shopping dollars on impulse buys.  Once you’re actually in the store there may be little incentive to keep sale items properly stocked.

Many people just walk away. But in this situation is important not to let your grocery store off the hook. First check with the manager. The store may actually have the sale item but simply not have had enough time to re-stock the shelves.  In most cases, they’ll either bring one of the sale items to you or re-stock the shelf while you’re in the store.

If the supermarket is out of the product, its time to get a rain check. Generally, stores are required to provide a rain check unless the store advertisement specifically states that “quantities are limited.”

The advantage of a rain check is that you can use it at your convenience – an instant sale whenever you want it.  When you come across a manufacturers’ coupon for the same product combine your rain check with the manufacturers’ coupon for huge savings!

Just remember to keep track of your rain check’s expiration date and make sure the rain check includes the number of products you are allowed to buy at the sale price.