Saturday, March 31, 2012

Coupons: Where to Get Them

There are several ways to get coupons.

I usually get 1-2 newspapers a week and no I do not have a subscription because I can get them for free with rewards! For instance, tomorrow I will be getting 3 papers because I have CVS ECB's along with a coupon to put to use - also, tomorrow is the beginning of a new month and there will be 3 coupon inserts which means lots of savings.

My Deal:
Buy 3 - Richmond Times Dispatch ($2 each)
Total = $6
Use 25% off coupon***
Use $4 ECB (earned from previous post)
Pay only $0.50 for all 3 papers

(***Note: Be sure to register your email address with CVS to receive coupons for % off and $ off)

If you are just starting out and don't have any rewards to use, you still don't have to pay the $2 full price, Walgreens typically has them on sale for only $1.25 each :)No longer available at this price :(

In addition to the newspaper insert coupons, you can also find lots of printable coupons. The websites I frequent the most are:
www.coupons.com
www.smartsource.com
www.redplum.com
www.couponnetwork.com

Also, both CVS and Target offer both store coupons and manufacture coupons directly from their websites. The great thing about this is what is called "stacking" - For instance, if you have a Target coupon for a particular item and a manufacture coupon for the same item, you can use BOTH coupons for that one item for double the savings! You will see, this is one of the biggest reasons that CVS and Target are my favorite places to coupon - I have found that they are the most coupon friendly - whereas I have had difficulties with places like Walmart but don't let that discourage you from shopping there - each store is different but again please be sure to have a copy of each stores coupon policy in case you run into a difficult cashier who doesn't know the policy themselves. For example, on one shopping trip at Walmart, a cashier told me I could only use ONE internet coupon for my entire purchase, which is indeed not the case. So please be sure you are in the know about coupon policies before you head off to the store.

Again, you can receive great high value coupons from manufacture websites directly and by liking or following their Facebook and Twitter pages when they advertise a coupon is available.

You can also purchase large quantities of coupons from places like Ebay - I must mention that it is illegal to sell coupons themselves so what you will find are small costs for lots of coupons where the payment is for the person's time to find, clip, and mail you the coupons. You can also buy whole inserts from other sites and clipping services with a simple search for them on Google.

In some cases, coupons are also rewarded after your purchase in the form of a catalina - which we previously discussed. Which are usually triggered from just the history of items you frequently purchase thru the store's reward system.

Also, when shopping you'll want to look out for "peelies" - these are coupons that are directly attached, like a sticker, to the products in the store - sometimes you may even find Try Me Free peelies or tags which offer a rebate when you purchase that particular item. Simply follow the instructions and receive a check reimbursement from the manufacture.

A lot of times, manufactures will also include coupons for your next purchase inside the packing of the products that you purchase, so be sure to look at the package and any inserts before discarding them as they may be of value to you.

Last but not least, there are coupon swaps! One of my favorite bloggers, Tiffany, over at Young and Frugal in Virginia hosts local coupon swaps where you can bring in coupons that you have but don't plan on using and swap them with others that you would like in your coupon stockpile. Be sure to also bring your expired coupons, as military families can use them even after they have expired :) Please visit her blog for more information and other great savings.

Happy Couponing!



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