Finding Coupons

I write a guest opinion column for the Standard Journal. The following was published October 14, 2014:

Finding Coupons

Coupons are CASH.  When you hand them to the cashier your total goes down, just like cash.  Think of coupons as currency and you will be much more motivated to find them and use them. 

Here are 9 places to find coupons:

      1.     The newspaper. This is the most traditional method of coupon acquisition.  Almost every Sunday of the year (or Saturday for us Standard Journal-ers) you can find at least one coupon booklet in the newspaper. There are three main types of inserts; Smart Source, Red Plum, and Proctor & Gamble.  On coupon blogs these will be referred to as SS, RP, and P&G.

      2.       Online. There are several websites that offer printable coupons, with the most popular being coupons.com.  I strongly suggest investing in a simple printer. I found mine for $5 on Craigslist and it has served me very well.  The first time you print a coupon you will be prompted to install coupon-printing software.  It is a one-time install and is perfectly safe. 

      3.       Tear Pads.  Walking through the store you may notice little tear pads or coupon dispensers that blink at you. If I like the product, then I grab a one or two coupons to use right then if the deal is good, or to save for future use. 

      4.       Peelies.  These are found sticking right to the product and are always a nice surprise.  You can peel them off at checkout and use them right away; no need to wait until your next purchase.

      5.       Magazines.  Some magazines will include coupons. When you are sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, skim the magazines and see if you find any hidden gems.

      6.       Free samples.  Often free samples that you request online will arrive in the mailbox with coupons for a future purchase.  Even if you know the sample will be small and seemingly worthless, remember that there is a good chance that a high value coupon will be included.

      7.       Email companies.  Often if you email a company directly and compliment its product, they will send you a “thank you” coupon. 

      8.       Register for company newsletters (via email) or loyalty clubs and you will often find special access to printable coupons. 

      9.       Coupon Groups.  Join a local coupon group where people can share any coupons they are not using.  Our local Facebook group is “The Rexburg Coupon Shuffle”.

Remember: coupons are like cash, so getting as many as you can (for the products you need and want) will help you save, save, save!