Coupons 101 - Finding Coupons

Before I started hunting for good deals, I thought a paper subscription was worthless.  But now I find that there are many great coupons that can only be found in the Sunday paper.  Once every few weeks, Proctor & Gambel put out the P&G Brandsaver, which saves me on toothpaste (Crest), toothbrushes (Oral-B) and on many other P&G items.  I immediately see the cost savings in a Sunday-only subscription since the coupons I see are for items I will use.

But some people may not be able to justify a paper, so I wanted to share a few sites where you can print coupons from home.  But before I start listing, there are a few things to know.

• Never pay a site to download coupons.  This has SCAM written all over it.
• Don't think that just because a site says "free coupons" means that it is legit or safe.

OK.  So now that the ground rules are covered, here are a few sites that will help you supplement your Sunday paper (or get you coupons without a paper).

• Coupons.com - coupon printer download required (but it is safe)
• Red Plum
• Smartsource
• Krazy Coupon Lady
• Target - look for coupon link at very bottom of page
• Facebook - many companies are on FB and have promotions all the time.  I often encourage people to create a whole new profile to avoid mixing couponing and personal accounts.
• Twitter - I have received many great updates/coupons from stores like CVS just because I follow their posts on Twitter.  CVS is great at this as I often receive free drinks and $4/$5 off coupons there.

Another option is to pay a coupon service for specific coupons.  Try this service if this is something you want to try.

Finally, there is nothing wrong with asking a friend or family member for coupons.  If they not going to use the coupons, let them know you will recycle the paper for them.  Some people don't use coupons.  That is fine.  But let them know that you would love to use their coupons.  A friend also informed me that some stores, like Dollar General here in Newburgh, often have leftover Sunday papers on Monday.  They are often marked down to pennies (or free) since the new paper is out.  As your local retailers if they have left over papers on Monday.  If so, you may be able to recycle the papers for them and get numerous copies for free (or an agreement with the store manager to get a deep discount). 

Be creative.  There is no one single way to find coupons.  Let me know if you strike gold.