Couponing 101: Where Do I Get All Those Coupons

To begin couponing and to keep your coupons maintained, you have to know where to find coupons. There are numerous ways to get them.

Newspapers: This is the most popular method of finding coupons. You can either buy them on Sunday from your local store or subscribe to your local paper. If you are interested in subscribing you can get a discounted subscription. I can get my local paper for a discounted rate (Sunday delivery only) for $6 a month (prices my vary by city). That is a savings of 45% off a normal subscription price. If you chose to get your papers at a local store, beware that there are people who take inserts out of the top papers on the stack, so aim to get your paper deeper in the stack.

Printable Coupons: There are some websites that offer printable coupons. The first time you print you may have to download their coupon printer. They usually have a great selection of coupons that are available, some that are not in your local newspapers coupon inserts. I usually scan these sites once a week to print out any new coupons that I would be interested in. There are downsides to using printable coupons. You can use up printing paper and printer ink, if you are not responsible and only print what you need. Keep in mind that not all stores accept internet coupons, so be sure to check your local stores coupon policy. Below is links to some sites that have printable coupons.

Coupons.com
Red Plum
Smart Source
All You Magazine
Pillsbury

Digital e-Coupons: Some store loyalty cards have the option to load e-coupons on to them. These coupons will come off when the cashier scans the item and you can see it on your receipt. These coupons do not double like some manufacturer coupons do and digital e-coupons can not be used with manufacturer coupons on the same item. You can load your cards with these e-coupons at sites like Shortcuts.com, Cellfire, Upromise, and Kroger. If your store has a loyalty card, check their website to see if they have digital coupons available.

Facebook: Some manufacturers will offer coupons that can be printed directly from their Facebook page. You, of course, have to “Like” their page first. Go to some of your favorite brands Facebook page and “Like" them and you will be alerted in your News Feed when they post one. Here are a few brands you can go and "Like" now.

V8 
Frito-Lay                                        
Dollar General
Lean Cuisine
Wendy's
Kmart
Right @Home
Paper Mate
Dannon Light & Fit
Ozarka Water

Friends and Family: I get a lot of coupons from friends and family. When I first started to use coupons, I put the word out to pass any unused coupons my way. I now get a large envelope (or two) full a week now. Get the word out to your fellow church members to. I get a majority from mine.

Coupon Trains: This is another great way to get coupons. A coupon train is when a group of people mail coupons to each other and pick coupons they are interested in and replace them with coupon you won't use. You can find a coupon train by Googling the term “coupon train” or forums like these, We Use Coupons and Mommy Savers.
 
Manufacturers: They love to hear honest feedback of their products. If you have a brand that you couldn’t imagine living without, contact them and tell them why they are so special to you and they just might email or mail you a coupon. It is not guaranteed that they will offer a coupon every time, but it is worth sharing your HONEST feedback with them anyway. You can find most contact info on their websites.


Buy Coupons: There are coupon clipping sites that offer whole inserts and clipped coupons for you to get for a small clipping fee. This is an affordable way to get coupons. They all usually ship very quickly (check each sites shipping time). Sites like Coupons and Things by Dede, and Coupon Carryout are two you can buy from. There are sellers on eBay that also sells coupons. Just search for the term “coupons” on the home page of eBay. 

Coupon Blogs: There are some really good blogs out there that alerts you of printable coupons. One blog that I like the most is Free Coupon Alert. They usually update several times a week.

Twitter: You can search for the terms #coupons or “coupons” to find the latest tweets about coupons. You can also search for the brand that you are interested in to see if they have tweeted any new coupon links.


Next up, Couponing 101: How to Organize All Those Coupons