Where Can I Find Coupons?

One of the biggest perceived pitfalls of couponing comes when people say, "Well, I am not going to buy all of those newspapers. What a waste of money!" (I actually disagree here, citing this past week's insane P&G coupon insert, but....)

The truth is, you can find coupons in lots of places besides your lone subscription to a large city's newspaper (read: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer or AJC, and I'll give you three guesses on which paper is better for coupons....ahem, wish I lived in Hotlanta). I will list only a few here, and if you have any ideas, please feel free to share below! I am still learning, too!

1. Obviously, you can ask friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, etc. if you can have their unused inserts/coupons from the newspaper. This is especially juicy if you are in different places in life... if you need diaper coupons and they need coupons for cat food and Boost drinks, you can trade up and feel great about it!

2. Grocery store flyers and booklets (found in the store itself). Here is a link to my post on the coupon flyer in Piggly Wiggly, Manchester, Georgia; however, many booklets and flyers are entirely store specific. For instance, Publix booklets can be found at the ends of aisles or near special displays in the store....and store-specific grocery coupons can be used WITH manufacturer coupons (this is called "stacking", when you use two coupons on one item....it is permissible) in places like Publix. Walgreens also has coupon booklets on a monthly basis.

3. Blinkies (found in grocery/drug stores near the items). A "blinky" is a small machine that dispenses coupons one at a time. When you take one coupon, it dispenses another one quickly. However, after you take the second coupon, the machine hesitates. The reason here is that it is good coupon etiquette to take only TWO of any free coupon. Blinkies are telling you, "Walk away!" So, be an ethical couponer and thank the Lord that you found an awesome coupon (without taking every last coupon)! I frequently see these in major grocery stores in the cereal aisle and near the dairy section (whether for cheese, yogurt, or something else). However, be warned...some are creatively placed. I found an awesome blinky for Kraft cheese in the freezer section. Hmm....

4. Tearpads (found in grocery/drug stores near the items). A tearpad is what it sounds like...a pad of coupons that is placed near the item in question. These are great because they draw your attention to that bag of Tostitos and encourage you to make a snap purchase. However, let me encourage you to demurely rip off your limit of two and walk away (unless there is a kickin' sale), retaining your coupons for another trip. Just using a coupon because you have it is sort of playing to the manufacturer. Using a coupon when you can get money off your next purchase, work toward a rebate, or buy things for less than $1 is going to help your family out instead. (Do make sure to check the expiration date before you get all excited....says the girl who thought she was going to make a purchase of Benefiber a huge moneymaker. Ha, ha! It was only free, oh well. :-)

5. Peelies (found on the item itself in sticker form) or hangtags (usually hanging from the neck of a bottle). These are great coupons. Really, they are! But, it is unethical to remove one from a product that you do not intend to purchase. The reason the manufacturer puts them on there is to entice you to purchase it; okay, I get that. But it is not okay for me to just pull the peelies/hangtags off and stuff them into my pocketbook when the next shopper could really need that item and the corresponding coupon. Not cool, folks. These are coupons that you also need to check the expiration date on. I have purchased several things in the past which said, "Try Me Free!" Well, I could have tried them for free....in 2009. So, buyer beware, and take a gentle look at expiration dates, if possible.

6. Home mailings. Publix comes to mind when I think AWESOME connections with the consumer. They have many different kinds of booklets to register online for; if you have babies, their Baby Club is wonderful and comes with all sorts of freebies. There is also a toddler club (called Preschool Pals), GreenWise Magazine, FamilyStyle magazine, and a magazine about wine. The link here will take you to the general page where you can sign up to receive these home mailings. It is enough to make you want to start shopping at Publix if you have never darkened their doors! The magazines come with a mix of articles, recipes, and coupons--both store and manufacturer. (So, this means that, even though Publix sent you the mailing, you may use the manufacturer coupons elsewhere.)

7. The internet (for printable coupons). This is the easiest way to do coupons, for some people. You simply go to one of the three major sites and start printing off coupons. SmartSource, Red Plum, and Coupons.com are the Big 3. These sites have two basic principles: 1) you may generally print TWO of each coupon, either by pressing your back button once (if a message pops up that says your computer will have to resend the information, say OK) or by looking for the coupon again, and 2) at the end of each month, the coupons reset. So, if you find a high-value coupon for Huggies (there is one this month, btw), you can print two of those coupons immediately. Then, you may print two more, if they are still available, next month (the coupons have even been known to reset the print limits within the same month; check your favorite blog). May I suggest something, though? Unless you KNOW you will get the product, wait until you plan your shopping trip. Otherwise, you will end up with lots of expired printable coupons and less printer ink to boot. Sorry to be a killjoy.

8. The internet (for electronic coupons). This is weird, but I know that with Kroger (don't know where else), you can register your Kroger Plus card number with three services that will allow you to upload a one-time coupon onto your card. The amount of the coupon will deduct itself automatically, with no fuss, and will show on your receipt. It will only do this one time. However, it can make for some really great savings. Say you buy a box of granola bars. Use a manufacturer coupon on them for 50 cents (it will double to 1.00 at most grocery stores); if you are at Kroger, you can usually upload a coupon for the granola bars onto your Kroger Plus card. So, you can save upwards of $1.50 on a single box! Try Cellfire, Shortcuts, and Procter and Gamble's electronic coupons (P & G makes for some great deals this week @ Kroger, btw!).

Okay, the husband is calling for me to hit the sack, so I better go. Hope these ideas help you out...I know I probably forgot something, so post it for the good of the group, folks! Happy couponing!