More Money Saving Ideas- With #Coupons

The following is a guest post by Outside the Box Mom:



In the first week of this series, we discussed goals when using coupons. During the second week, we covered some common reasons why people don’t use coupons. Last week, I told you how to overcome your #1 obstacle in using coupons. Today's post is an overview of the types of coupons available and where you can get them.

Coupon Types

1. Store Coupons - Redeemed at a specific retailer like Walgreens, CVS, or Target
2. Manufacturer’s Coupons - Issued by product manufacturers. Can be redeemed at any retail outlet that accepts coupons.

Coupon Sources

• Sunday paper subscription
• Free small town newspapers that include inserts
• Receipts (grocery stores, hair salons, etc.)
• Competitor coupons (for another store)
• Manufacturers (request online, phone, or mail) (See examples at Couponing to Disney and Parents Choice formula)
• Friends, family, neighbors, co-workers
• Library (We have a coupon bin at our local library where you are welcome to leave or take as many coupons as you want. If yours doesn't offer one, you should start one.)
• Walmart (A customer service representative at my store said they buy newspapers every Sunday, clip coupons, and place them in the bins for customers to take.)
• Trade groups (like MyCoupons or a local Yahoo! Groups)
• In-store (blinkies, displays, on products you purchase)
• Newspapers left at bookstores, coffee shops, and other restaurants
• Dumpster diving (I used to visit affluent apartment communities with recycling bins. I would go through each bin and pull the newspaper coupon inserts out. I figured out the day it was emptied and went the day before, once weekly, to maximize my efforts. I used to get 10-30 inserts at a time.)
• Clipping services or ebay
• Printable Coupons sites including: SmartSource, RedPlum, Manufacturers' websites, and Grocery Store websites

Pro's of using Printable Coupons:

• Don't have to buy newspaper

• Available to most, regardless of region, unlike Sunday inserts. However, sometimes limited to certain ZIP codes.

Con's of using Printable Coupons:

• Cost paper and ink to print
• Usually a print limit per computer, print limit on times the coupon is available, limited time availability

How do you get coupons? This is an interactive series, which will feature answers to your questions. So, ask away!

Photo Credit

– Outside The Box Mom features quick, easy, time-saving tips and solutions to help busy, working