These are common coupon, refund, and internet lingo abbreviations that you will see on this and other popular frugal websites. It is shamelessly compiled from other sites and from my own made up abbreviations!
AITNOR: all in the name of research
B1G1F or BOGO: literally "Buy 1, Get 1 Free". When you buy one product, and use the coupon, you'll get another product just like it for free at the check out.
BD: Bottom Dollar food store
BLINKIE: a coupon pulled from a blinkie machine. These are small coupon dispensers found in grocery aisles.
BTFE: Box Tops for Education, found on General Mills packages. They are each worth .10 for schools.
CATALINA: manufacturer coupons that print out from a little machine at the register, triggered by what you buy. They come out in long strips similar to a cash tape. Catalinas are a big deal; Walgreens has lots of specials offering catalinas (which they have renamed 'Register Rewards')
C, c/o, Q or cpns: coupon
CL: Clover Leaf grocer on Montlieu Avenue in High Point, NC
CRTC: cash register tape with the price of the product circled. Most refunds require a cash register tape, so save your tapes.
DD: dear daughter
DH: dear husband
DS: dear son
DCRT: dated cash register tape. Must show the date of purchase on the tape.
ECB: Extra Care Bucks available from CVS drug store. They print out on your receipt after the qualifying purchase. They can be used to purchase anything at CVS.
EPOP: Each Pays Own Postage. This applies to trades with other couponers. Each person pays for the postage on her/his own envelope. No LSASE is required to trade.
FAR: Free After Rebate
FL: Food Lion grocery store
GOOB: going out of business sale
HT: Harris Teeter (which you will hear me refer to as our friendly neighborhood yuppie mart) OR hang tag, found in the grocery store, hanging from the neck of a bottle.
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IP: Internet printable coupon
IVC: Walgreens instant value coupon, found in the Easy Saver catalogs
JK: just kidding
LOL: "Laugh out loud" "lots of luck"
LSASE: long self addressed stamped envelope
XLSASE: extra large self addressed stamped envelope.
LTD: limited, found on refund forms in the fine print, when the offer is limited to certain states only.
MBG: money-back guarantee
MIL: mother-in-law
MIR: mail-in rebate
MF: refund form found in a MAGAZINE
NAZ: name, address, zip
NB: national brand (as opposed to a local brand that is only available in limited areas)
NBQ: National Brand Qualifier. A proof of purchase cut from a product that is available nationwide.
NED: No Expiration Date: refers to refunds that don't have dates of expiration, or coupons that never expire.
OOP: out of pocket (the actual money you had to spend on a deal)
OYNO: "On your next order", usually Catalina coupons that print out at checkout giving money off, like $1, 'on your next order'.
POP: Proof of Purchase. This is the valuable part of a package. 95% of the time it is the UPC, but sometimes it might be the boxtop, the net weight statement, proof of purchase seal, etc, etc.
PP: purchase price, whatever you actually paid for a product. Some refunds will offer to send you your purchase price. The proof for this will include the cash tape.
P/H: postage and handling
Q: qualifier, same as POP above
RA: Rite Aid
RAOK: Random Acts of Kindness
RC: RefundCents Magazine...see link on my site
RMC: "Refunding Makes Cents" (name of the print magazine until it was shortened in 2003)
RP: Red Plum, same as the Valassis Sunday coupon insert. The name was changed to Red Plum in 2008.
RR or REGISTER REWARDS: This is what Walgreens calls a catalina coupon (See Catalina above). Manufacturer coupons that print out from a little machine at the register, triggered by what you buy.
SAE: self addressed envelope
SASE: self addressed stamped envelope
SMP: specially marked package, meaning a package you find in the store that has been printed with a refund offer on it, or a coupon.
SS: SmartSource, publisher of the Sunday glossy coupon inserts.
TNSTAAFL: There's no such thing as a free lunch! (pronounced tan-sta-full)
TMF: try me free. Some refunds give you back your purchase price if you'll try the item.
UPC: learn this one, you'll see it all the time! It stands for "Universal Product Code". It is that box of black lines that the checker passes over the scanner at the checkout.
WAGS: Walgreens
WM: WalMart
WSL: while supply lasts. This is written on some refunds that offer gifts such as t-shirts. Send early because if they run out, you're out of luck.
wyb: when you buy
YMMV: Your mileage may vary, meaning the deal may or may not work in your store.
