Newspaper Inserts - I suspect this is where most people get coupons from - right in your Sunday newspaper! So before you recycle it, make sure to grab your inserts out and flip through to see what's inside. I told you in my very first coupon tip that you should ALWAYS save your inserts after you clip what you know you are going to use. Most of the time I find coupons I need by going back to previous week's or month's coupons! When you are trying to find older coupons most blogs/coupon databases will use lingo like SS (Smartsource), RP (Red Plum) or GM (General Mills). This refers to which insert that week the coupon was in and remember the date of the week is always printed on the spine of the insert!
In Store Blinkies - "Blinkies" are the black machines that spit out coupons usually in front of a product. We call them blinkies because of the little light on the side that blinks. These are changed out every month, so if you see one you know you will use be sure to take what you need because it might not be there when you go back. Since Blinkies are put out by Smartsource, they are usually similar to ones that are offered in the Smartsource newspaper insert.
In Store Tearpads - These are coupons right on the shelves in your grocery, drugstore or convenience store and you can tear off as many as you think you might need. Tearpads are great because often times they are coupons that are never offered in newspaper inserts and often are available near the time that product is about to go on sale. I urge you to take as many as you need because most of the time they have long expiration dates and disappear quickly, but never take the whole thing...be kind to the couponer behind you and leave some! You probably walk by these all the time without even knowing it! I listed some recent tearpads I found at the store in a post last week. A great place to find tearpads too is in the liquor department. Be sure to read the fine print to find the ones that no alcohol purchase is required!
In Store Peelies - Peelies are coupons that are stuck right to the item that you are going to buy and you have to peel it off to use it (hence the name peelies). Peelies are also often found on things that do not have insert coupons frequently (like oreos!) And often times peelies are TMF (try me free) rebates, which means you can send in your receipt and UPC and get a rebate for the full amount back!
In Store Hangtags - Find these hanging on the necks of products. You will find them on jams/jellies, olive oil, pickles, condiments, cleaning products and lots of other items...usually anything in a jar or a bottle.
In Store Booklets - These will usually be associated with some sort of display or promotion. Kraft, Nabisco, Kelloggs, General Mills, Reynolds and a few other big package goods companies often put out booklets of coupons. Always give those big displays a good once over!
Catalinas and Store Receipts - A recent coupon tip was to remind you to always check the bottom of your receipt and the catalinas you receive at the end of your shopping trip (not forgetting ones that are left behind in carts or on the ground too)! You'll find $ off your next shopping trip, coupons for free items or coupons off products you regularly buy!
Inside Packaging - Sometimes there is some kind of indication on the box that there is a coupon inside, but most of the time we find out that its in there because another couponer has purchased that item, opened it and found it (and then posted it on the blog for the rest of us to read).
Directly from the Company - Last week's coupon tip was about emailing your favorite companies to compliment (or complain if warranted) about products you use. You will often be added to a mailing list that will send you coupons periodically or you may get a special one time mailing (sometimes with a coupon for a free item!). Many companies also offer printable coupons on their websites or within their email subscriptions.
Printable Coupons Online - There are a ton of resources for printing coupons online. Most places however have a limit of 2 per computer. Some of the places I print coupons from:
Electronic Coupons - Many stores offer services to add electronic coupons right to your store card (no clipping needed). Jewel offers Avenu Savings and Dominicks offers cellfire, shortcuts and P&G eSaver. I plan to do separate post on these in the coming weeks.
Magazines - My favorite magazine for coupons is All You. There are many coupons featured in each issue sometimes over $100 worth. Coupons can be found in pretty much all magazines though - Parents, Parenting, Kraft Food & Family, Oprah, People all have coupons often.
Samples - Know all those samples I post about? More times than not, there is usually a coupon that comes with it.
Word of Mouth Marketing Companies - I posted about Places you should sign up for when I started this blog. There are several word of mouth marketing companies out there that will send you coupons for products so that you can try them and share with your friends like VocalPoint, SheSpeaks, BzzAgent, Houseparty, Psst and Kraft First Taste.
Instant Win Games - Some instant win games offer free product coupons...I've played and won coupons for free candy bars, jars of salsa, Kraft/Nabisco products and more!
Random Places - You really never know where you might find coupons...I always keep an eye out for them. I sometimes find them at my dentist office, pediatrician and my child's preschool.
I'm sure I've forgotten some of my sources for coupons...but the key is being resourceful and keeping your eyes open. Let me know if there is somewhere you get coupons that I forgot about and I'll add it to the list!
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