Couponing 101 – Part 2: Where do you get all those coupons?

Thanks for coming back! We’re on to the second part of becoming a successful “couponizer” as my husband would call us. Where the heck to you get all the coupons to get the great deals? The one word answer is… everywhere! Here is a list to give you an idea of where to find your coupons.

• Sunday Newspaper

I usually will get 6 papers on Sundays for the inserts, 10 if it’s a good week with 3-4 different inserts. You can expect to see inserts from SmartSource, Proctor & Gamble and Red Plum. Red Plum has discontinued service in papers in some areas, but you may request free home delivery here à http://www.valassis.com/1024/Contact/contact_home.aspx. The cheapest place I’ve found to buy papers recently is at Walgreen’s where our local newspaper (Tallahassee Democrat) is running a special of 99 cents for the Sunday paper. Otherwise the Dollar Tree sells them for $1.00. Remember though, inserts vary by region and sometimes the smaller areas won’t get coupons as good as the larger regions. For example, there was a $3.00/1 John Frieda hair care coupon in a recent insert. Didn’t show up in Tallahassee or many other areas either.

• Coupon distributor websites

This includes www.redplum.com, www.smartsource.com and www.coupons.com. Some grocery store sites and drug store sites will also have their own links to these same coupons and will print you an extra set! Most Internet coupons will only print 2 per computer. Note that you will have to download a program to print from coupons.com and a different program to print from SmartSource / Red Plum. If you are behind a firewall, the coupons.com printer WILL NOT work.

• Manufacturer websites

Many manufacturers, Kraft, Colgate, Purina, Betty Crocker, etc. will have coupons on their websites or will send you a coupon if you sign up for their email list. I suggest opening a free email account to use for your “coupon mail” Sometimes this account can get pretty junked up. The coupons are worth it though! For example Purina is running a promotion at www.giveabowl.com where you fill out the survey and get a $3.50 off ANY Purina brand product! This worked great when the small bags of Beneful were BOGO at Publix! I paid $5.49 for 2 and used 2 $3.50 coupons for free dog food and $1.51 off the rest of the items I bought! I have one stocked up pup let me tell you! These you have to take your time and look for, but it’s good if you have a specific product you just can’t live without, because voila! Instant savings!

• E-Coupons

I wish some of the stores in my area participated in things like this. If you have a Ralph’s, Kroger, Fry’s etc. you can take advantage of Cellfire’s e-coupons where the coupons are loaded onto your cell phone and you just show the cashier. How neat! Kroger also has coupons that you can load onto your rewards card. A different type of e-coupon is on www.upromise.com. These aren’t “real” coupons, but translate into college savings. If you buy a specific product, they’ll add a dollar amount to your Upromise account. This month you got $1.50 posted to your Upromise if you bought a Softsoap Ensembles pump or base. This went great with a CVS deal that got them for free anyways!

• Tearpads, Blinkies, Peelies, Winetags, Hangtags in stores

Keep those eyes peeled! You can find these EVERYWHERE! I’ve found them at grocery stores, drug stores, discount stores, even the gas station! Tearpads are self explanatory, you tear them off of the cardboard backing! Blinkies are those marketing mechanisms in the store that have a little red light that blinks (thus blinkie). The coupons feed out of them and are apparently made to addict little children to pull out coupons for hours on end if you’d let them. I think I used to be one of those kids…lol Peelies are the coupons that are stuck to the outside of he product packaging. Winetags and hangtags are just that, winetags hang off the wine bottles and hangtags are usually on some bottle type of product such as soda or cooking oil. Though you can find these everywhere, leave some for other people! You’re not the only one that uses coupons!!

• In product packaging

Don’t throw those boxes away just yet!! Check for coupons! I don’t know how many times I’ve had to fish boxes out of the trash that my husband has thrown away before I got a chance to look through them.

• Catalina Marketing Coupons

Many retailers having the Catalina machines at the register that will print out a coupon or advertisement after your purchase. To name a few, Walgreen’s, Kmart and Winn-Dixie have these. Don’t throw them away! There might be a sale coming up or you might be able to use as a competitor coupon at another store!

• CRTs (Cash Register Tape)

Similar to the Catalina, but prints directly on the receipt, usually you’ll see in the form of a survey to fill out, but sometimes those surveys offer a discount on your next purchase if you participate! Other CRTs include CVS/Pharmacy’s Extra Care Bucks rewards.

• Store Flyers

Publix is great at this. They have numerous flyers that come out with not only store coupons, but manufacturer coupons!

• Advertising Flyers / Booklets in stores

Make sure you check those rounders at your grocery stores for coupon booklets. You can find some really great coupons there!

• Home Mailers

This ties back in with signing up for those email lists. Along with lists, you can sign up to receive “special offers” in the mail and samples. I love it when I go to the mail box and find a bunch of envelopes full of coupons and samples!

• Magazines

Magazines can be pricey and sometimes the coupon value isn’t worth it to buy the magazine. However, there are two magazines I recommend you get. All You is a Wal-Mart publication and has a TON of great coupons. The CVS Reinventing Beauty magazine is another good one as they have manufacturer coupons and CVS coupons. This magazine is only 99 cents so if you only use one coupon you’ve made back your money!

• The Coupon Fairy

Ahh, the coupon fairy. A mystical creature that leaves coupons right next to the designated item in the store. We have one store in town that you can always find traces of the Coupon Fairy. This was especially helpful when they had left $2/1 Pedialyte coupons and I was able to use them at Kmart doubles for $1.49 Pedialyte! Thank you Coupon Fairy!

• Purchase your Coupons

There are a few places in which you can purchase coupons. www.thecouponclippers.com and www.ebay.com to name a couple. I’ve had the most luck on eBay, but The Coupon Clippers have a wide selection.

• Trade for your Coupons

This is best done on Hot Coupon World. They have a very good forum and you can come out of there with some great deals! Use those coupons in your trading shoebox to trade for things you need!

There is your low-down on the types of coupons you can find and where you can find them. Stay tuned for my next episode, Couponing 101 – Part 3: Organization.