Getting more for less: Where to get coupons?

One way to get more for less is to combine coupons with sales.   Depending on your schedule you can spend a little or a lot of time finding and organizing your coupons.  I personally save hundreds of dollars each month, so it is well worth the six hours of time spread out over a month.



Where to get coupons:

• The Sunday newspaper - Usually the first or last week of the month has the most coupon inserts - I will buy 2 newspapers, and then my in laws also give me the coupons from their papers.  In Gonzales, LeBlanc's sells the Sunday paper for 0.75.  (I have yet to find a local recycling bin to pick up extra inserts from.)
• Internet coupon databases: coupons.com, redplum.com, and smartsource.com are the three main reputable internet coupon providers - I haven't had a problem with their coupons being accepted in any local stores.  You can print each coupon two times from each computer in your home.
• The mail - Redplum inserts do not come in the Advocate - they are mailed to you.  If I find that a redplum mailer has great coupons that I want more of, I will make a trip to the local post office in the afternoon and grab a few extra inserts off the top of the trash (most people immediately throw them out after they check their PO boxes.)  I talked to the postmaster before hand to make sure that it was ok to do.
• Manufacturers websites - Whenever I find a good deal advertised, I will go to the manufacturers website and look for a coupon link. Many companies have coupons hosted on coupons.com that you can only get to through their website.  For instance Blue Bell Ice Cream has a $1 off 1 gallon of Ice Cream coupon that is only available from their website.  You will often have to sign up to receive emails, so I have a separate junk email address that I use so my personal emails don't get lost amidst all the sales and offers.
• All You magazine - Available monthly for $2.25 at Walmart, or through a subscription, All You has around $70 worth of coupons each month.  I won't ever use all of them, but get enough free stuff to warrant buying one copy.
• Special interest websites - Sites like upromise.com, allyou.com, and boxtops4education.com have their own coupon databases, with some exclusive coupons.  There will usually be 6-10 coupons that you won't find anywhere else, making it worth the time to check out occasionally.
• Facebook - Many companies are offering high value coupons and freebie promotions for new products on Facebook.  Just look for a products Facebook page and "like" it to receive offers and updates.  If you don't feel comfortable sharing your personal information you can sign up for a separate account using your junk email address.
• New product websites - I love trying new products, and kraftfirsttaste.com and vocalpoint.com both let you request coupons for FREE full sized products.  For kraft first taste you will need to occasionally sign in and see what offers are available to you, but vocal point emails you when new offers are available.  Both websites like to get consumer reviews for the products that they send you coupons for, so I make sure that I fill out the survey or poll afterwards.
• Big Companies - P&G and Johnson send out coupon books occasionally.  They run various promotions where you can sign up for books of coupons to be mailed to your house.  P&G also sends out samples quarterly if you sign up for them.
• Your local stores - Albertsons and Winn Dixie often have pads of coupons on the shelves beside products.  Winn Dixie is especially good about having coupons for items that are also on sale, so I always check sale items to see if they have anything.  If there is a large pad of coupons I will also peel a few (4-6) to use at a different store.
• Product packaging - New products often have a "Try Me Free!" mail in rebate on them, or packages of coupons in them, or peelie coupons on them.  Coupons inside packages often have long expiration dates (1-2 years away.)
• Catalinas - Sometimes, when you check out, Albertsons, Winn Dixie, and Walgreens have catalina machines that print out coupons based on items you purchased.  They also have a new website (with printable coupons) where you can preview what coupons will print at what stores.
• Store websites - RiteAid and Target both have websites with coupons that you can print for use in their stores only.  In both instances, a store coupon can be combined with a manufacturers coupon for even more savings.  [Meaning, you can use both a $1 off any tylenol target printable and a $1 off any tylenol manufacturers coupon on the same product to get $2 off of one tylenol product.]