So, have you studied up on how to use your coupons? If so, do you have very many to help maximize your savings? If not (or even if you do), I think you might be surprised as to how many resource there are available to help you get the coupons that your family will use.
SUNDAY NEWSPAPER. These are commonly referred to as inserts and are usually the easiest way to get coupons. There are 3 inserts that are the most common:
- Smart Source (SS)
- Red Plum (RP)
- Proctor & Gamble (PG)
You may see additional “special” inserts that are put out by:
- Unilver (UL)
- Keebler (K)
- General Mills (GM)
These inserts are not all in each edition of the newspaper every week. To find out which inserts will be included every Sunday, you can review the 2009 schedule right
here. You can even find ads from different stores/companies in the newspaper, so always go through it all to look it over. Don’t forget to always check your Parade or Star Magazine as they sometimes have coupons “hidden” within their pages as well.
I recommend getting the newspaper delivered to your home. The money you can save in coupons will pay for the newspaper subscription rate over and over again. Plus, you don’t have to go to the store to get it each Sunday. Can’t afford the paper? Ask a neighbor or family member to pass along the coupons they don’t want.
MAGAZINES.
Another easy way to get coupons is through the magazines that you already read. You can find tear out inserts or even some printed within an ad. So always look them over before you toss them! One great magazine that is completely full of coupons is called All You Magazine. This can be found in Walmart stores nationwide and is published monthly. The average of coupons within the pages is normally over $70.00! When you look at the cover price of about $2.29, you will see that it will pay for itself every single month. You can get a couple of free trial of issues right now. Just head on over to this link and fill out the form. If you love the magazine, you can pay the bill when it comes due. If you don’t like it, just don’t pay and you get the two issues completely for free. This is an offer that is almost too good to pass up!
INTERNET PRINTABLES.
The trend of coupons is rapidly migrating to internet printables. These allow you to normally print out at least a couple of each coupon you find – sometimes even more. You can pick and choose what you want/need and leave the rest. There are some common sites that are used to locate coupons. Some of them require you to sign up to print the coupons, others you can just print without becoming a member. They include: www.coupons.com
This can be a great way to get coupons – and sometimes coupons for FREE items. Go through your house, or even use your most recent shopping receipt, and make a list of all of the brands you use. Go into each manufacturer’s website and sign up to get on the mailing lists. If you can’t find the site, you can try to Google the company name to see if it is under a larger parent company instead. After you sign up, send them e-mails about how much you like their products. I have personally done this and gotten great coupons in the mail or e-mailed to me. I even had a couple of them send me coupons to get the item for FREE.
COUPON CLIPPING SERVICE.
Did you know you can actually PURCHASE coupons? Ebay is an option. Be careful that the coupons are real and not fraudulent. Just keep in mind that if the coupon seems too good to be true – then it probably is. There are sites such as www.thecouponclippers.com where you can select the coupons you want and the quantity. For a small fee, they will send you the ones you need. Be sure to always weigh the cost of the coupon and postage against your savings to be sure it is worth it.
BLINKIES.
Have you ever been walking through the store and noticed those little machines with the red blinking lights on them? If not, keep your eyes peeled for them. These machines are affectionately called “Blinkies” in the coupon world. If you can, get a couple of them, that is great. However, try not to ever take more than two so that others can also get them as well. Remember, just because you get the coupon in the store doesn’t mean you have to use it right then and there – unless of course the item is already on sale and your coupon can turn it into a fantastic deal.
TEARPADS.
I am sure you have seen those little cardboard sheets that are attached to the shelves where you can rip off a coupon. These are called Tearpads. Rip off one or two next time you see them. Again – don’t take too many so that lots of people can get them as well and hold onto it unless you will get a great deal in the store at that moment.
STORE COUPONS.
I mentioned previously about “stacking” coupons – which means to use both a store and manufacturer’s coupon. So, another resource is the store itself. Some stores that have store coupons include: Target, K-Mart, Hy-Vee, CVS. You can print these off and take them with you the next time you go into the store. You can even sometimes find these coupons in the weekly ad that is mailed to your home or included in the newspaper.
PEELIES / WINETAGS.
Ever see those little peelable stickers on the package or the ones on string around the cap? Those are referred to as Peelies and Winetags. Sometimes these coupons must be used right at the moment they are purchased and other times, you can take the coupon with you and use it later on. Just be sure to read the fine print on the coupon.
ITEM PACKAGING.
Before you toss that box, look it over and make sure that there isn’t a coupon on it that you can clip. Sometimes they will be printed on the inside of the packaging. So give it a once over before you recycle or toss it!
FREE SAMPLES.
Ever see something on line to sign up to get a free sample and thought you didn’t want such a small package cluttering your cabinet? Well, think twice about passing them up. Most samples will include coupons so that you will go to the store and purchase the product. So, now that you are amazed at how many ways to get your coupons, you will hopefully soon build up quite a nice collection. So, how will you keep track of them and have them organized next time you shop? Come back next week and I’ll give you some great ideas on what you can do to stay on top of what you have and find it easily when you shop!