Couponing 101 - Finding Grocery Coupons
For beginning couponers, one of the biggest challenges can be finding grocery coupons. They look at the eight or ten coupons that they clipped from their Sunday paper and wonder how they can turn that $7 in coupons into 50-80% savings. Everyone bragging about those big reductions in grocery bills can't be just using every single coupon to save money. They have to be missing something, right? Right! While one Sunday paper can certainly provide some savings, there are many other ways to find grocery coupons. Buy Multiple Newspapers to Save More on Groceries If there are several good coupons in a newspaper, it can make sense to buy three to five newspapers to get more of each coupon. Just be sure that you will be saving more than you will be spending and that you will really use the coupons. You may also want to check for local papers that don't put out a Sunday edition to see if you can get coupons in a cheaper paper. For example, two local newspapers in my area only charge 50 cents for their Friday paper, which includes many of the same coupons the big state newspaper puts out on Sunday. Since the big state newspaper is $2, it makes sense to buy four local papers to get four times the coupons for the same $2 price. Get Coupons from Grocery Stores My local grocery stores print off Catalina coupons when I go through the checkout lane. Sometimes, these coupons are for completely free products. Other times, it can be buy one, get one free offers. Always take a look at those coupons to see if they are things you can use. (Sounds basic, I know, but I see a lot of people chucking them without even glancing at them.) Print Online Coupons If you have a printer, ink and paper, you can print off a lot of great coupons. Some coupons are on manufacturer websites and grocery store sites, but many manufacturers prefer to use coupon sites to keep track of how many coupons have been printed. Usually, there is a limit of two. Ask Manufacturers to Mail You Coupons I received coupons for ground turkey, organic products and other items that aren't commonly in the local papers just by asking. Since I used contact forms on their websites to do the asking, I didn't
even spend a stamp. I usually take a bit of time to tell why I like a product and why I'd like a few coupons when I ask. Some manufacturers don't respond at all, some thank me for commenting and some send cooupons. Join Product Testing Groups Many manufacturers have product testing groups made up of consumers willing to try out a new product if they get a coupon or a sample. Sometimes, they also want those product testers to create an interest in the product and give them additional coupons for friends, which means you can hook your friends on couponing, too. Use Electronic Coupons A new trend is to attach coupons to store loyalty cards. Coupons you don't have to print? I love the concept, but it is hard to keep track of which coupons you loaded onto a card. Jotting the list down each month can help you remember that you have those coupons. Now that you know that there are many ways to find grocery coupons, it makes more sense that people can save that much on their grocery bills, doesn't it?
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