How to Use Overage to Save More Money (2026)

Trying to make the most of use overage save more? You are in the right place. Below we break it down in plain English, with practical tips you can actually use.

Key Takeaways

• Extreme Couponing Strategy #21 - Use Overage One of the things I mention often are 2 terms that are very specific to Extreme Couponing.
• The terms “Money Maker” and “Overage” are often confused because while they are similar they are also different in nature.
• A Money Maker is typically something where you Get More in Return than you paid.

Extreme Couponing Strategy #21 - Use Overage

One of the things I mention frequently are 2 terms that are very specific to Extreme Couponing. The terms “Money Maker” and “Overage” are frequently confused because while they are similar they are also different in nature.

A Money Maker is typically something where you Get More in Return than you paid. You “Made Money” on the transaction. Typically this term is used when you’re referring to rewards items. If you have an item producing a $7 reward and you paid $5 out of pocket and got $7 to spend on your next transaction you “Made $2”.

Overage is excess or surplus within the same transaction. This typically occurs when the value of a coupon (or the value of stacked coupons) exceeds the purchase cost of an item. In most cases when a coupon is larger than the cost of the item you get “Overage” This amount is applied to other items in your transaction. It is key to know the difference between a deal that’s a money maker and one that produces overage because you frequently need additional items in your transaction when overage occurs in order to absorb the additional savings.

Here’s an Example of an item that gives you overage: Dial NutriSkin Lotion Costs $1.99 You have a $1 Coupon and there is a $2 Store Coupon on the same item. The Item Costs $1.99 and you have $3 in savings That gives you $1.01 in Overage ($3-$1.99=$1.01) The $1.01 is applied to other items in your transaction

Cash Back and Overage

Most stores will not give you Cash Back on items that produce overage. They either require that the overage applies to other items in your cart or that the coupons be adjusted down to eliminate overage. It is key to make sure you are checking your coupon policy frequently because this is a topic that is changing frequently at most stores so while Walmart (For example) allows overage right now and will give you cash back this might not be the case 6 months from now.

Paying careful attention to the wording of each post will help you determine the difference between these two terms and will also help you better plan your shopping trips. Both Money Making Deals and Overage are ways that you can save money on items you need by purchasing other items. You can use the additional savings from a Money Making Deal, or the Overage from a high value coupon to pick up items like Meat and Produce that rarely have coupons, it’s just one more way to take your savings to the extreme level!

Don’t Forget: You can Download the Stockpiling Cost Sheet to see all of the estimated prices you could expect to pay for the basic items we purchase each month. There is also a place to compare unit pricing. This is just a guide, but a excellent way to help you learn the prices of each item.

Make sure you check out our Saving Money Blog and also our How to Coupon Page for more tips, tricks and videos on saving money and using coupons.

View all the posts in the Extreme Couponing Strategies series.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line: a little research on use overage save more goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is one click away.

Originally published at passionforsavings.com.