Finding Good Coupons

Sunday Paper - We all know that the Sunday paper usually contains a number of coupons in various inserts. The most common are SmartSource, redplum and occasionally P & G (Proctor & Gamble). But have you noticed that sometimes there is only one of those coupon filled inserts or perhaps none at all in your Sunday paper? And, while there are sometimes really good coupons in the inserts, other times they are very low value ones.

Now, any savings are good savings but I like high value coupons! So when it comes to the Sunday paper coupons, if I find good ones that I know I will use I buy an extra paper and get more than one of my favorite coupon(s) (assuming, of course, that my savings will outweigh the cost of the additional paper).  That way, if I find a great sale on that item I can buy more than one and have coupons for each one I buy to increase my savings.  And remember, sometimes papers from different areas have slightly different coupons.  For example, the Peoria paper may have a few coupons that aren’t in the Springfield paper and vice versa.

All You magazine – If you like coupons but have never bought an All You magazine, you are missing out!  All You magazine is only available at Walmart or by subscription and it is LOADED with great coupons every month. The magazine’s website gives you a preview each month of the specific coupons that will be in the upcoming issue. I have searched for other magazines that consistently contain coupons but have yet to find one. If you’ve run across any other ones please let me know!

Printable Internet Coupons – There are a lot of printable coupons to be found on the Internet. But that is not to say that they are all legitimate coupons. This is the part of coupon hunting that is fairly new to me and I proceed cautiously, sticking to websites I consider to be reputable.  You will have to determine for yourself which sites you feel comfortable using. I have a few coupon sites that I visit regularly. I have found great coupons on these sites and they add new ones quite often. My favorites are – www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com, www.redplum.com, www.ppgazette.com, www.couponcabin.com.

Not all stores accept coupons printed online so you just have to get to know which ones do and which ones don’t.  Some stores have their coupon acceptance policies available for review on their website.  If their corporate policy is to accept printable coupons but the location you visit won’t take them, print a copy of the store policy and show it to the manager at that location to see if that helps.

Manufacturer Websites – I have also found great internet coupons by going to specific manufacturer websites for the products I buy most often. Some of them have coupons available on their website, some don’t. But it is always worth a check. Many of them allow you to sign up for e-mail notifications/updates regarding their products and that sometimes includes coupons. I will post the ones I find and hope that you will share any that you find as well!

Grocery Sale Ads – The grocery sale ads that come in the paper or in the mail often contain store coupons. These are especially good because you may be able to “stack” your manufacturer coupon for that item with the store coupon to get even more savings. I know this works at County Market and have heard that it works at other stores as well. (Walgreens, CVS and HyVee all include store coupons in their circulars but I don’t shop at those stores as often so I’m still learning what works there and what doesn’t.)

Don’t even get me started on those wonderful coupon booklets that County Market sends out in the mail every so often! I get so excited when they arrive because they are full of great savings! It’s even more exciting if I know I have manufacturer coupons to “stack” with the store coupons. We’ll chat more about this when the next coupon booklet arrives (I’m positive thinking, of course, that there will be another one!)

Coupon Dispensers – Always be on the lookout for coupon dispensers on the shelves in grocery or retail stores.  There may be a coupon there for the product you are thinking about buying at that very moment! 

Product Packaging – Coupons can often be found on product packaging.  Some products have peel-off coupons that you can use right away when you purchase the product.  Others, such as cereal and cracker boxes, have coupons printed on the inside of the box that you can cut out and use for your next purchase.  Also, if you get free samples of packaged products in the store or in the mail the sample packs sometimes contain great coupons for that product.

Please feel free to share any other sources for great coupons you have found!