Getting the most out of your EBT Card with coupons



This post is one that comes from my heart. And it's not a post for debate. One question that people ask me more often then any other coupon question, " Can you use coupons with a EBT card?"  Why yes, yes you can. Not only can you, you can make what you get go SO MUCH further with coupons. EBT is such a blessing to our family. Grace has several food allergies/intolerance's and it's not cheap to make sure she eats right. We live in Tennessee, so this will be based on our area when it comes to some details.


Here are some of my most shared EBT tips( and I can do a ebt only coupon workshop, and I am working with some local offices to do that):

• Check your local farmer's market out.. I frequent Jonesborough's Farmer's market because they offer a very nice deal if you use your EBT Card. They have a EBT BONUS! Orders up to $60 paid for with EBT receive a 50% discount on all food items in the order.
  Orders greater than $60 paid for with EBT receive a maximum $30 discount and you pay the balance ( Bristol's Farmer's market does this too). What's better then $60 worth of local fresh food for $30? ( They have everything from meat, eggs to local grits)

• Be prepared to pay tax on some of your coupons ( this doesn't happen in every state, but it does here in TN)... And this is not an excuse to not use coupons. It's not always going to happen, and it's usually less then a $1 ( I save my pennies for this, yeah I am cheap)  Since a 3rd party (the manufacturer) will be reimbursing the value of the coupons you use, the store must charge sales tax on the value of the coupons. Remember, coupons are a form of payment NOT A DISCOUNT- so essentially the manufacturer is paying that portion of your bill and you are responsible for the tax. When you use a store coupon (when the store is not reimbursed by a manufacturer) that is a DISCOUNT, and you do not need to pay any tax. ( Tip if you are using a coupon for a free food item at Earth Fare do not ring it up with the rest of your ebt food)

• Now when using coupons on Food and Non Food items, things can get a little crazy. Your best bet ( especially if you have a coupon that would give you overage) is to do your FOOD in a separate purchase from your non food. The store’s registers are generally not smart enough to tell the food and nonfood coupons apart, and so they all get applied to the “food”- which would seem okay, but then you are paying full price for the non food items out of your own pocket. And if your expecting overage, you become very disappointed ( Luckily I have made these BOO BOO's and can share them with you)

• To quote a famous rapper... " (bleep bleep)food stamps don't buy diapers"  But if your smart they can help you buy diapers, razors, soap, or whatever else you may need. Only if Eminem had meet the Frugal chicks right? CVS takes EBT and your able to get good deal with coupons on FOOD items,and get back ECB's you can use those ECB's to get free razors, shampoo etc. Target also runs gift card promos, on food items sometimes, you still get the Target gift card if you use EBT. Then you can  use the gift card to buy Toilet Paper, because we all need toilet paper. And Target lets you use 1 Target coupon and 1 manufacture coupon so you can get some AWESOME deals sometimes.

•  Let's not forget about Catalina's or as some call them Your Bucks.. These are those little gifts that print at Kroger's,Walgreen's, and many other places after you purchase certain items. If you get these save them for your separate non food purchases. Kroger's and Walgreen's have great deals where you can get your paper towels, toilet paper and diapers for free or cheap. More about Catalina's here: Beginners Series

I hope my post has helped you, and I know I am forgetting something.. feel free to ask me any questions!!