Coupon Use: Buy One Get One Free or Buy One Get one 50%

Also known as BOGO.  BOGO can be a store deal/sale or you may  have a coupon that says BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. Let us hit two birds in this lesson. There is another store sale or coupon that is BUY ONE GET SECOND ONE 50%.

Store sale is when the store advertises the sale and/or they have it on their AD/Circular. You can avail of this BOGO without a coupon.

BOGO coupons are Manufacturers Coupons that says if you buy one item, you get one item for free. Another kind is you buy one item and get the second item for 50%. These are great coupons to have.

Let say a can of soup is BOGO and one can costs $1, the second can is free.  You get 2 cans for $1.
If it is Buy one, Get one 50%: You buy one for $1 and the other can for $.50.  Here you spend $1.50.

Next level...
So we all understand now how the BOGO and the BOGO 50% works. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, sit and be in a place where you can focus on these scenarios :)

Scenario 1
You have a BOGO coupon for soup. That means 2 cans for the price of one. Now, you have 2 coupons for one can of soup $.25 off. Let us do the math.

2 cans of soup = $1 using your BOGO coupon
less: 2 x .25 cents coupon ($.25/1) = $.50
Your out of pocket is $.50
Each can now is $.25 cents

Scenario 2
There is a store sale of BOGO for soup. = Get two cans and pay $1
You have a BOGO coupon = you get an extra can of soup (now you have 3 cans)
Technically, you only bought one can and the two are free. Now, you have a coupon of $.25 off one can. This differ from store to store and no way to find out but ask the cashier or try to scan if the coupon will work. Also, you can pull out the Store's Coupon Policy (I will do this in another post). Back to our computation, some stores will take 3 of your $.25 off coupons and that will be $.25 cents out of pocket for 3 cans of soup, making each can $.08 cents each.

The store may have a policy that it will only take a coupon off the item you are paying for, in this scenario - just one. Your out of the pocket will be $.75 for 3 cans of soup.

For Buy One Get Second 50%, the principle is the same except for you can use your $.25 off per can coupon because you are purchasing two cans. Computation for this will look like
$1 for a can
$.50 cents for second can = total is $1.50
Less: 2 x $.25 off coupons = $.50
Your out of pocket is $1 for two cans.

Knowing these basic principles in using your coupons, you can maximize your savings. I admit it takes a little work or effort but it pays off. Do not attempt to do and Extreme Couponing shopping spree. Take small bites at a time. Do it on few items at a time. Have a short shopping list. Happy saving!