I did a previous post about my starting to use coupons. I am still a coupon newbie, but I remember one of the most challenging things I encountered when I started was figuring out exactly where to find coupons. In fact, because I couldn’t figure out where to get coupons to start, I would give up on trying to use them at all. It seemed like such a daunting task!
In this post, I will share some of my favorite places to get coupons. These places are tested out by me, a coupon newbie, to be the easiest and best places to get your coupon adventure started.
Coupon Clipping Services
These are excellent for the newbie with no idea what kinds of coupons are out there and no idea where to get them. Also, often, in different parts of the country, there are different coupons released, even by the same company. I have gotten some amazing coupons that I never knew existed from a coupon clipping service. In my opinion, this should be the first stop for all coupon newbies until you decide how you want to coupon and what you want to focus on the most as far as savings in your household.
What is a coupon clipping service? Just like the name implies, you pay someone else a minimal fee to hunt down coupons for you and clip them and send them in the mail to you. You order them off a website by the type of coupon, specific coupon, quantity and so on. This is a great way to get multiple coupons of ones that you want the most, without the hassle of the others that come in the insert. I use The Coupon Clippers as I have found the service to reliable, friendly and most frequently updated. I also think it is great they email me when they have an awesome coupon and tell me where I can use it to maximize my savings the most.
What is the minimal free? About 10-25 cents per coupon. That may sound like a lot, but you must remember that if you are paying 10 cents for a coupon that will save you $2 it is more than worth it in the long run. For instance, in my case, I spend approximately $5 a week for the services, but I just saved about $60 on my last coupon shopping trip and that was just this week. I go shopping weekly, so over the course of a month, I will save hundreds and over the course of a year, Thousands!
Newspaper Inserts and Magazines
This is the way most people think of when it comes to getting coupons. This is a very easy way to get them, however, it can be costly, especially if you want multiples of a certain coupon because of the cost of the Sunday paper. I have heard of people buying or even being give the inserts that are left over from the Newspaper publisher directly, however.
There are often coupons inside magazines that are like small circulars as well as magazines that have a lot of coupons in them such as All You, which can be purchased at Walmart.
Printing them Online
This can be tricky. Before I tell you my #1 spot to get coupons, I must include a warning. Do not print off coupons or visit sites that promise coupons that come in your spam folder. These are often phishing scams that attach adware and spyware to your system. It is OK to print off coupons from sites you trust. I get coupons in company newsletters from Kraft, Target etc.
There is currently only one website I trust to print coupons off, for a couple reasons., one being that it is the most user friendly in my opinion and the second reason being that it is the most updated. This website is simple to remember. It is Coupons.com
Directly Contacting Companies
Often, if you contact a company by email or snail mail, they will send you coupons. I would cation you to not ask directly for the coupons, however. Instead, tell them why you like their products, or better still, what products of their you are egar to try. This one can get a little bit hit and miss as I typically only hear back from and get coupons from only about half the companies I write, but they are often high value or even free product ones when I do, so I think it is well worth the effort.
Peelies
Often, you will see coupons all over stores if you just look. These I call “peelies”. They are coupons that are stuck to products that you can peel off and redeem with the purchase. I find they often are good for a long time. I admit, I sometimes peel one off something I will buy later and stick it in my coupon carrier.
Company Newsletters/emails
What are your favorite brands? Most brands have websites and newsletters you can sign up for that will occasionally have high value coupons in them that you can print off at home and redeem.
I hope this post helped you figure out at least where to start when beginning to work with coupons. Where are your favorite places to get coupons? Let me know in the comments!
