Guest Post - Understanding the Coupon Language

joshuawillis

This post is part one of My Frugal Adventures's Welcome to Coupon World!!

I know some of the acronyms and the lingo can seem crazy so hopefully this reference guide will help you navigate my posts! Trust me when I say that it gets easier and easier as you go along. If you still have questions just leave a comment below because I am sure lots of other people have the same question you do!

BOGO or B1G1: That is a Buy One Get One sale. I usually spell this out so it is clear.
You might occasionally see B1G2 which is just a Buy One Get 2 free sale and so on...
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FAR: Free after rebate! If an item is $2.99 and you can send off a rebate for $2.99 that item is FAR. We also love to combine FAR items with coupons to make a little profit (and cover the cost of the stamp!)
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SS/RP/P&G: This simply refers to my good friends the coupon inserts (which you will find in the Sunday paper). Each insert is from a different company Smart Source, Red Plum and Proctor and Gamble and they change from week to week. You can see exactly how to tell the difference HERE.
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OYNO: On Your Next Order. This is usually used in reference to a catalina coupon. Often times if you get a catalina coupon or a gift card (like at Target) you can not use it on the same transaction- you can use it OYNO.
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Catalina: I have a much longer explanation HERE but basically a catalina is a little coupon that prints at the cash register. It can be an actual coupon or it can be for a dollar amount off your next transaction. Catalina is simply the name of the company that makes these machines. You will ALWAYS want to check the catalina machine at your stores because you never know how much money you are leaving on the table by forgetting these little papers.
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Peelie: This is a coupon that is stuck to the front of an item and can be peeled off. You can see an example of a peelie HERE- see the little sticker that says Free? These are usually coupons but can also be rebates.
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Blinkie: The little machine you might see at the grocery store that spits out coupons. Grab the blinkies when you see them. They are typically available when an item is at the highest price. Just hold those blinkies for a sale!
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MQ: Manufacturer coupon. (MFR as well)
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OOP: This is your out of pocket expense. We are always trying to reduce the OOP by using gift cards, rebates, Register Rewards, store coupons etc... The bottom line is to keep your money in your pocket!
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Rolling: This is when you use a gift card or catalina to pay for another transaction and get yet another catalina. For example, if you buy 2 boxes of cereal at Target and get a gift card for $2 back- you might want to "roll" the gift card by buying 2 more cereals- use the gift card to pay and get another gift card and on and on...
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Stockpile: This refers to whatever you are able to stock up on at dirt cheap (or free) prices so you don't ever have to pay full retail again. You might have a stockpile of 6 boxes of cereal that you bought with coupons and a sale for .25 a box. Since you have multiple boxes you never have to pay $3 or more for cereal again since you have enough on hand to get by until the next sale.
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Stacking: This is when you use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon. For example, you can use a Target coupon for a specific item as well as a manufacturer coupon on the same item (so 2 coupons for the same product) to double your savings.
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MIR: This is a mail in rebate offer.
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TMF: A type of rebate that allows you to Try Me Free. So the manufacturer will refund your full purchase price- often times you can also use a coupon and still get reimbursed the full retail price of the item. This is different than a Money Back Guarantee as that rebate requires you to be dissatisfied with the product to get your money refunded.
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Register Rewards: The catalina program specific to Walgreens. Read more about it HERE.
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WAGS: Walgreens
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ECBs or EBs: CVS's store program. Extracare bucks are awarded for specific items you purchase and can be used like cash on virtually anything in the store. See my CVS posts HERE and HERE.
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YMMV: I rarely use this abbreviation as it confuses people but it means Your Mileage May Vary or Your Market May Vary. Basically it refers to deals like a clearance find might be YMMV because not everyone is going to get the exact same clearance deals. It can also mean your luck with your cashier may vary- for example x is priced at $.99, use $1.50 coupon to get $.51 overage- YMMV. So basically if you get a stinker cashier they will refuse the coupon and you are out of luck. The same person can be in the next check stand and get the overage, so YMMV.

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So the bottom line is what does this mean:

Kellogg's Cereal $1.50

Use $1.50 from 8/9 SS

Final Price: FREE

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That means to go look in your Smart Source coupon insert from the weekend of 8/30 and cut the coupon for Kellogg's for $1.50 to get your free cereal.