Couponing Basics: Day Three – Snag Some Coupons

The other day we talked about making sure you pick up a newspaper with a large circulation so that you receive the best coupons available in your region. However, the Sunday paper isn’t the only place you can snag coupons for your coupon stash.

Manufacturers released over 367 billion coupons in 2009 ($528.5 billion) yet only 0.7% (3.3 billion) of those were ever redeemed! Where were they distributing all of those coupons? All around you!

Snag some coupons!

• Printable Coupons
  Manufacturers often release higher value coupons for a short time online. Being able to limit the amount of times a coupon can be printed, they are able to offer a higher value coupon than what you might find in the newspaper. Some of the most popular distributors of these coupons are:
• Coupons.com
• RedPlum
• Smart Source
• All You

Each site has it’s own coupon printing software that you’ll need to download first before you can print any coupons. Once you do that you’re all set! Most of these sites have a limit to how many times you can print a coupon, usually twice per computer. To print a coupon twice just click your browsers back button after the first coupon prints out. The coupon will send again to your computer.

Tip: Make sure you check the manufacturer’s website for brands that you like to see if they have any exclusive coupons you can print from their site!

• E-Coupons
  E-coupons are a wonderful little invention. These “digital” coupons are loaded straight onto your grocery store loyalty card. When you swipe your loyalty card at the register, it automatically deducts the coupon! How simple is that? The best part? When used strategically e-coupons can be matched with a regular paper coupon to significantly lower your cost! Double the savings. Double the awesome.

  Load your card up now!

• Cellfire
• ShortCuts
• PG&E-Saver
• Coupons.com (Be aware, if you load an e-coupon on this site, you might not be able to then print that same coupon.)
• Blinkies
  You’ve probably seen these before, “blinkies” are the coupons that are inside the blinking boxes scattered around the shelves in the grocery store aisle. Always keep your eyes open for these and never underestimate the savings you can achieve from them. One time I was able to snag over 20 boxes of FREE cereal from coupons that I found dispensed at a blinkie machine.
• Tearpads
  Similiar to blinkies, you can find these coupons on anything from an in-store display to the shelves themselves.
• Peelies
  The little stickers with coupon savings attached to products are called “peelies”. Yes, very technical terminology. Please don’t go around peeling these coupons off all the packages you find them on. This is a big no-no in couponing. Only use a peelie if you intended on purchasing the item.
• Catalinas
  We’ll talk more about these in depth later, but these are coupons that the register spits out after your receipt. 
• Store Flyers
  One of my favorite places to score coupons is in my local Albertson’s flyer. Sometimes you’ll find coupons that say “Manufacturer Coupon” on the top of them which means you can use those anywhere – not just Albertsons! Before throwing away any sales flyers that come your way, make sure you are taking a peek at what type of coupons might be hiding in there. 
• Inside Packaging
  These sneaky little coupons hang out inside wrappers or even printed on the inside of the box. Before you throw a product away double check the packaging!
• Samples
  Besides the obvious fun part of getting free gifts in the mail, samples are great to sign up for because they often include really great coupons. 
• Magazines
  The big daddy of magazines for coupons is All You Magazine. Distributed by Walmart, this publication is filled with $100′s of new coupons each month. Pick up a subscription or drop by Walmart and take a peek inside.

Internet Coupons FAQ

Do most stores accept printable coupons from the internet?
You’ll have to check with the store you are shopping at, but for the most part, if they accept regular manufacturer coupons they likely will also accept internet coupons. However, don’t always take a cashiers word as the official rule on the matter if they tell you no. Ask a store manager, or better yet, call or e-mail corporate headquarters.

Can I make a photocopy of a coupon I printed?
This is a big fat NO! That is considered coupon fraud and you will go to jail if caught. The coupons that you print from the above sites all have security codes that are unique to that individual coupon print.

What if my e-coupon doesn’t deduct at the register?
Because this technology is fairly new, sometimes this does happen. First, make sure you purchased the correct product, variety and size. I’ve picked up items thinking they qualified for the e-coupon only to discover I purchased the wrong flavor.

If you did pick up the correct item and the e-coupon still did not deduct off of your receipt, most of the sites have a customer service section set up to help you out. Make sure you have your receipt handy as well as the UPC info from the product in question.

Homework Time!

Assignment: Check out the sites that offer e-coupons above and register your grocery store loyalty cards on all of them. Then, load up any coupons for products that you use, might use, or will use if you could score if for free.

Ok my fellow coupon pros…. Have you scored anything for FREE by using e-coupons? Tell us about it in the comments section below and inspire those new to couponing!