I find myself often in the situation to answer this question, whether I am talking to friends or I am checking out at a store.
If you are just starting couponing, this will probably be one of your first questions too. There are more places than you can imagine and I’m here to guide your steps.
First off, I have to tell you that there are 4 categories of coupons: paper coupons, printable (or Internet coupons), digital coupons (ecoupons) and mobile coupons.
We also have manufacturer coupons and store coupons. Some stores will let you use both types of coupons per item.
Paper coupons
The first and most familiar source is the Sunday paper. You can subscribe and get just the Sunday paper every week or you can purchase it. Depending on your area, the dollar stores might sell them for $1. If not, you can still find good deals, like buying a bundle of 2 or 3 papers for a discounted price.
If you want to get more than 1 or 2 papers, but don’t want to spend money on it, don’t worry, there are many other options:
– Ask your local coffee shops / restaurants / hotels / libraries if they will give you the coupon inserts and offer to recycle the papers as a trade). – Ask your local stores. If they don’t sell all the papers, they have to return only the top portion of the first page in order to receive the credit. – Go to the recycle centers and ask if you can go through the papers. – Ask your neighbors / relatives who subscribe to the paper if they use the coupon inserts.
Sunday papers usually have between 1 and 3 inserts: Red Plum, Smart Source and Procter & Gamble (monthly insert). If your paper comes with Parade magazine, make sure you check it, as it often comes with a coupon or two.
Typically, on holiday weekends there are no coupon inserts in the paper. If you want to know what coupons the paper will contain, you can check the website Sunday Coupon Preview. This will help you decide if you need any coupons and how many issues to buy.
Many grocery and drug stores have their own brochures / weekly ads that contain coupons.
If you are a Publix shopper, there are several ways to get paper coupons:
– Their weekly ad (known as the yellow ad) and the green ad that comes out every 3 weeks. You can get them with the Sunday Paper or can be found in stores. – ‘Publix Family Style’ magazine (comes out 4 times a year). It is free and you can subscribe on their website. You can also find it in store, but it doesn’t have the same coupons as the subscription version. – Check their display at the entrance every time you visit the store. Every now and then, you will find additional brochures with money-saving coupons.
Walgreens has a monthly brochure with hundreds worth of savings. You can pick them up in stores, near the register. Their weekly ad contains coupons as well. You will get the ad with your Sunday paper or in store. Throughout the year, Walgreens will have supplementary booklets, like ‘Summer Beauty Guide’, with valuable coupons. If you can’t find it near the cosmetics register, just ask the cashiers.
CVS offers you coupons through the extracare coupon center found in every store. You just have to scan your extracare card (if you don’t have one, you can apply in store) and the red machine will print the coupons. You can scan your card more than once, until the machines will display the message: No coupons available, check back tomorrow. Scan your card every time you visit the store, as you can get different coupons on different occasions, including coupons for free products, which surely you don’t want to miss. The store has a magazine called ‘Reinventing Beauty’ that costs 99 cents and contains several store and manufacturer coupons. Attention: some stores have the coupon inserts available for free.
Rite Aid offers paper coupons through their weekly ad and occasional brochures.
Target sometimes has coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. The store also sends Target Home Mailers to randomly selected people. If you are one of the lucky ones, you are getting a lot of great coupons. Some stores have old mailers or coupon brochures located throughout the store (at the pharmacy, cash register or customer service), so keep an eye on them. If you’re buying a gift for someone who registered at Target, print the wedding registry in store, as it might come with some coupons.
All the above stores accept both a manufacturer and a store coupon per item (unless the coupon states otherwise), which translates into bigger savings.
Kroger stores offer coupon inserts that come with the Sunday paper. They are all manufacturer coupons. Currently you can find a free wellness guide in stores with over $30 in savings.
For those of you who shop at Whole Foods stores, the good news is they offer coupons too. You can find them in store, in their monthly brochure, or download them from their website. Some stores accept both manufacturer and store coupons, but call ahead to make sure.
Catalina coupons – They are coupons that print at checkout, along with your receipt. You can get them at stores like Target, Walgreens, Kroger and usually are manufacturer coupons. Even if they have the store’s logo, you should be able to use them anywhere, but to be on the safe side, ask your store if they will take them.
Tip: Stop by the self checkout section at Kroger. Many times customers leave behind their Catalina coupons or throw them in the paper bin. Some of them are rare coupons that offer you dollars-off any bakery / meat purchase.
The so-called peelies and blinkies can be found in stores. Peelies are sticker-like coupons attached directly to the product. Read the fine print, as they sometimes state they are only valid when removed by the cashier at checkout.
Attention: Peelies are intended for the purchaser, so they should not be removed if you are not buying the item.
Blinkies are manufacturer coupons that come from Smart Source Coupon Machines (the tiny red devices found in different aisles in stores).
Attention: The machine will dispense as many coupons as you want, but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage and leave the machine empty. Only take as many coupons as you need!
Printable coupons can be found on several websites: Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source. To print them, you need, of course, a printer and to install specific software.
Tip: If you believe a printable coupon is too good to be legitimate, you can verify it on Coupons Inc website.
You can also find coupons on the product’s website or on their Facebook page. If you really need a coupon and you can’t find it anywhere, you can contact the company, provide your feedback on their products and politely ask for a coupon. Many companies are very generous and will even send you coupons for free products, if available. Some will mail you the coupons, while others will send them by email.
Attention: If you have Internet coupons for free products, check with your store first, as not all stores accept them.
Some of the above stores also offer printable coupons.
Target website – Most of them are store coupons, but occasionally you will find manufacturer ones. They offer coupons for national brands, store brands and even apparel and shoes.
Rite Aid website – If you have their wellness+ rewards card, then you probably already know about their Rite Aid Video Values program. You can watch several videos monthly and print store coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer ones.
Recyclebank is a website that rewards people for taking every day green actions. The activities are very easy to complete and they get you points that you can exchange for different rewards, including coupons for natural and organic products. A good example of a popular coupon is the $2 off Kashi one, that will get you a box of snack bars for just $1.
Digital coupons – coupons that you load on store loyalty cards, like Kroger, Fry’s, ShopRite etc. Find them on Cellfire and SavingStar websites.
Mobile coupons – the most familiar ones are Target coupons, which you can get by text-message. To redeem, the cashier will scan the coupon bar code on your phone.
Last, but not least, do not throw your expired coupons. Send them to service members stationed overseas. They can use them up to 6 months after the expiration date.