Where to Find Coupons
Coupons can save you a lot of money if you use them correctly. You don’t want to use a coupon just for the sake of using a coupon, such as by buying something that you probably wouldn’t normally buy, but you are so enticed by the potential savings that you go ahead and make the purchase. Using coupons for the things you usually buy, however, can save you money and ease up your budget a little.
Keep in mind that coupons do not alleviate the need to search out sales or do comparison shopping to find out which stores offer the best deals consistently. If you can figure out ways to use coupons in conjunction with finding the lowest prices for the things you have to buy, you will be able to stretch your money a lot further. A drop in the amount of money you need to budget for grocery shopping means an increase in the money you can put toward other expenses.
So where can you find coupons? Try these sources:
The Sunday Coupon Insert: Most Sunday newspapers offer plenty of coupons, many of which are for common items that you probably already purchase. If you don’t want to pay for a full newspaper subscription just to get the coupons on Sunday, ask about getting a Sunday-only delivery.
Online: You may be amazed at the mass quantities of great coupons available online. Go to the websites for the manufacturers of your favorite products and you may be able to print money saving coupons directly from their sites. You may also find coupons through banner ads and e-mail offers. Just be sure that you aren’t clicking on links that will take you to shady websites, and check with your favorite store to see if they will even accept coupons printed from the Internet because some stores have policies against online coupons because of the potential for fraud.
Mailing Lists: Join the mailing lists for the manufacturers of your favorite products and there is a good chance you’ll wind up with coupons periodically, either sent in the form of e-mail or sent through postal mail. How do you join mailing lists? Check out the manufacturer’s website or call the phone number listed on the product. In most instances, manufacturers are happy to send coupons out to people who call to ask for them.
Customer Loyalty Cards: Most grocery stores offer customer loyalty cards which result in instant savings for purchases. In some cases, the grocery stores will also give additional coupons to members of their loyalty card programs, so if you regularly shop at a grocery store that offers this type of program, you should definitely sign up.
Remember: Having a coupon for something does not automatically mean that you should buy it. In other words, a coupon for $5 off a bag of cat food is a great deal, but if you don’t have a cat then it doesn’t make any sense to use the coupon. Use this same logic when deciding how to use the coupons you have. Don’t buy a more expensive product just because you have a coupon and are enticed by the savings.
Use coupons when you are buying things you already intend on buying and you may experience substantial savings.
