10 Ways to Get Coupons Without Spending a Fortune

You can't save 50-75% on your groceries  by simply having one Sunday paper delivered to your house each week.  Where can you get coupons without spending a fortune on newspapers?

Here are 10 ways you can get coupons without spending a fortune.

1) Newspapers! (well duh...)
There are quite a few ways to get them cheaper than retail.  The first is to try a subscription.  Many newspaper companies offer a discount if you subscribe.  And many of them offer Sunday only subscriptions.  Search the internet for deals or groupons for your local paper.

2) Dollar Stores
Many dollar stores sell newspapers for guess what?  a dollar!  One of my local stores sell the Sunday paper for $1 complete with all the inserts.  They do set limits for the papers since couponers like to stock up.  My store has a limit of 5 per person and they also store the inserts and flyers behind the counter to prevent people picking through them.

3) Friends and Family
When people learn you've started couponing you'd be surprised how many coupons find their way to your house.  I have friends, clients and family members who love seeing all the stuff I can get for so little.  Some pick through their coupons and give me the rest and other hand me their whole newspaper when they are done.

4) Print 'em
There are a million places you can print coupons from.  Literally, google it!  I stick to reputable and well known sites.  Coupons.com is probably the most well known site.  However, I highly recommend joining (for free) Inbox Dollars.  You can print the same coupons that you would from coupons.com but THEY PAY YOU to use them.  I explain how it all works here.  But if you print them out and redeem them Inbox dollars pays you $0.10 for each one.  Paid to use coupons??  YES!

I also suggest liking/following your favorite products or companies on facebook and twitter.  They often post or tweet special savings on their website, facebook page or through their twitter account.

LivingRichWithCoupons.com also has a searchable database for coupons here.  You can type in any brand or product name and it will show you any coupons that they are aware of where to find them.  If they are printable they link you right to them!  How EASY is that?

5) Leftover Papers
No, I don't recommend dumpster diving like you may have seen on Extreme Couponing shows on TV.  There are plenty of other ways to get what you  need without climbing through dirty diapers and rotting food.  Ask your local deli, grocery store or gas station what they do with their papers at the end of the night on Sunday.  Some of them might be inclined to keep a few for you or just set some inserts aside.  Maybe they will sell you some at a deep discounted price.  It doesn't hurt to ask.  Most places are only required to send back the front page of the newspaper to receive credit for the unsold papers.  This means the remainder of the paper, inserts included will be trashed or recycled.

6) Write for Them
All companies have ways to contact them.  Some are as easy as the click of a button.  Write them an email or a good old fashioned letter.  Tell them you love their products or you want to try them.  Ask them if they have any coupons they could send your way for their biggest fan!  Most companies will send you a few coupons.  Some may send you samples too.

7) Ask for them
Call your grocery store's corporate office and make sure you have your correct address on file for their loyalty program.  Make sure you are on their list to have flyers and coupons sent to you.  Check at your store's customer service counter and pharmacy counter.  Sometimes they  have booklets or coupons for new products to try.

8) Trade for them
Find a local couponing swap group.  Search on Facebook for local coupon groups.  Search the internet for couponing groups.  Link up with a coupon buddy who has opposite needs.  Maybe they need Gluten-Free or Organic coupons and you need baby products or pet product coupons. Remember trading coupons is ok, selling is not!  Selling coupons is against the fine print of the coupons and ILLEGAL.  So DON'T do it.  You can save plenty of money using them without selling them.

9) Sign up & Subscribe for them
Find your favorite brands and their parent companies.  Like Suave products?  It's manufactured by Unilever.  Like Tide detergent?  It's manufactured by Proctor & Gamble.  Go to their websites and join them, subscribe for updates and/or sign up for newsletters.  They will alert you when new coupons are available for you on their websites.  Or they will email them right to you to print!

10) Download Apps for them
Many grocery stores have apps that they provide e-coupons for.  You can upload them to your loyalty card and they come off in store when you use your card.  There are also apps they give you rebates for buying products when you upload your receipt of the purchase.  Check out my list of apps and website here.

Got other questions?  Got suggestions?  Have other ways to get coupons?  Let me know!

How to Prioritize your Coupon shopping trips

Couponing can be overwhleming sometimes, especially when you are first starting  out.  What are the best deals?  What are some things you can pass on and what are things you don't want to miss?


Priority 1: Buy things that make you money
Sometimes there are deals on things that are SOOO Unbelievably good that you can't pass them up, even if you don't need them.  This usually happens where there is a sale on an item and it also matches up with a coupon.  You may also have an e-coupon for that item.  Then you might be able to find rebates through different apps as well.  Sometimes there may also be Catalina promotions, where if you buy a certain dollar amount of participating products you will receive a catalina (coupon that prints at the register) for money off your next order.  Here's an example:

1) Unilever is running a promotion that if you spend $15 on participating Unilever products you receive a $5 off your next order.
2) There were $1.50 off 1 Suave Products.  Suave is priced at $1.50  There were other products on sale and coupons that matched.
3) There were also ecoupons for Suave Products.
4) There was a savingstar app rebate.

Most Catalina promotions are on the Shelf price, or the normal everyday price when it is not on sale.  So If the suave is normally $2 even though they are currently priced at $1.50 you get "credit" towards your $15 promotion for $2.  I structured a "deal" of a bunch of items that before sale price was $15.69, after the sales or the price I would pay without using coupons came to $11.  Then I used all my coupons and e-coupon and I paid $3.  I received a catalina for $5 off my next order.  Therefore we call this a money-maker.  Yes you paid $3 OOP (out of pocket)  but you received a $5 coupon for anything in the store.  So buy buying 5 items and using coupons and ecoupons I made $2 toward my other groceries.

I would usually do this transaction first and separately from the rest of my order.  Then I would take that Catalina and use it on my second order.  I also sometimes might do two or three of the above transactions if I have enough coupons to do so.  Making $2 or $3 is a great way to help with the cost of items like meat, dairy and produce which are very unlikely to have coupons.  This can be an even sweeter deal if you use some of the apps I mentioned here.  Then you are making even more money.

What a waste right?  Buying a whole bunch of items I don't need and can't use, right?  WRONG!  A huge reason I coupon is because it allows me to help out my community.  If I have to buy something to make some money to help with my families groceries then I will donate what I don't need to a few places.  I donate weekly to one of a few places: a local food pantry, an animal shelter, family or women's shelters and local churches that collect things throughout the year for various causes.


Priority 2: Buy things that are free
It's free, so why not?  Same premise as above.  If it's free, completely free and costs you nothing, Why don't you pick it up?  Maybe you need the item or would like to try it.  Great!  Keep it.  If you know you won't use it, maybe hang on to it for a gift, or a friend who might want it.  You always can donate it as I mentioned above.  But if you really really don't want to do any of the above, why still buy it?  Ok, seriously just donate it.  So many people are in need and you can help them with no extra effort than you are already putting forth.  But what's in it for you, other than the overwhelming awesome feeling you get from helping people in need?

Buying things that are free can help your bottom line also.  Most Catalina's you receive are based off of items you buy.  Sometimes you will buy a product and they want to promote something similar so a catalina will print.  Sometimes you buy a lot of a particular brand and a catalina for the same item will print since you buy it frequently.  There are a million different scenarios of why a catalina will print but they all have to do with what you buy and how much.  The more you buy the more you get.

Another reason to "buy" free stuff is that many stores run loyalty rewards programs.  Sometimes there are holiday promotions for Free Turkey or Ham when you spend a certain amount.  Some stores have Health & Beauty rewards, where if you spend a certain amount they give you money back in the form of a catalina toward future purchases.


Priority 3: Buy things that you need/want and have coupons for
This is where most people focus. What do you need?  What do you want?  My grocery shopping is done weekly.  Most couponers shop weekly for many reasons, but usually just to make sure they are hitting all the sales.  The best way to do this part of your shopping is to focus on the sales flyer.  Figure out what is on sale.  You need deodorant. What do you have a coupon for?  What's on sale?  Try and find the cheapest way to get what you need with the coupons and sales for the week.  If you are not getting it for free or supercheap but you can't spend another day scraping the plastic deodorant case against your skin then just buy 1 to hold you over until you can find a really good sale again.

Another way to save is to meal plan.  You shouldn't have to go to the grocery store twice in one week.  You waste time money and gas. Look at your week, doesn't matter if you plan Sunday - Saturday or you plan around your days off and do Wednesday to Tuesday.  Plan out your meals, snacks and anything you need for them.  Don't just pick anything out of the clean blue sky to put on your meal plan.  Pick things you need to use up in your freezer or pantry first.  Then coordinate the sides you need and any spices or ingredients you don't have. Adjust your plan so that you are buying things that are on sale and you have a coupon for.  Maybe you need a starch for that steak dinner for Tuesday's meal.  You're thinking mashed potatoes but you notice that rice is on sale and you have a coupon.  Guess what?  It's steak and rice on Tuesday.  Let the sales and coupons plan your meals.  I promise you won't get stuck in a spaghetti rut again!

Priority 4: Shop the sales/in season produce
Not sure what's in season, it's pretty easy to tell, it's usually the stuff that is on sale.  I dare you to try and buy watermelon in January.  I guarantee you will pay at least 3 times what you did in July and August.  There are tons of places on the internet to figure out what is in season.  I love this guide from LivingRichWithCoupons.com. It covers not only what produce is in season but what other items should be on sale or clearance for the month.  I printed it and stuck it right in my family calendar.


Priority 5: Shop for the things you need and don't have coupons for
The last items on my list are the ones I can't find coupons for and I don't see any sales for, but I absolutely have to buy because I desperately need them.  I still do as I said above.  I try to find a brand that is on sale and get that.  Or maybe substitute something else.  A big part of couponing for me is being creative.  I try to find alternate uses for most of the things I buy so in a pinch I use something else.  But once you grow your stock pile, over time you should be in many situations where you have to buy things when they aren't at least on sale.  But this is where the Money-makers and catalinas come in handy.  The $5 unilever catalina would be used here say for my meat or something else that I don't have coupons for.  The catalinas help with the last minute dinner plans and you don't have enough chicken but now it's not on sale.  Or whoops, my toddler spilled the entire box of cereal on the floor and I need to replace it.

I hope that gives you an idea of how I prioritize my grocery trip each week.  And I hope it helps you get the ball rolling on things you can do to help save money on your grocery trips. Got questions or comments?  Feel free to ask or comment!