In yesterday's post I mentioned that you would need to have access to a lot of coupons in order to be successful with your couponing. There are two types of coupons: manufacturer's and store coupons.
Manufacturer's coupons:
I highly recommend subscribing to the Sunday paper, as it contains some of the best coupons. You can get 50% or more off a subscription using the link at the top right of this page.
Most weeks you will find both a Smart Source and a Red Plum circular in your paper, although occasionally only the Smart Source circular is included. Once a month or so you will also receive a General Mills circular and a Proctor and Gamble circular. Start collecting these circulars right away; you need to have several weeks’ worth to heighten your opportunity for saving. When you receive your paper, make sure you pull out the circulars and date them right away (see picture below).
There are hundreds of manufacturer's coupons to be had online. Three standard sites are:
I recommend visiting these sites at the beginning of the month and printing two copies of the coupons you know you would use in a month (two is the limit per computer). My reasoning for this is that the manufacturers set limits on the number of times a coupon may be printed, so if you catch them at the end of the month, the most popular coupons are often gone. These sites will occasionally add new coupons during the month, so it's always a good idea to check back once or twice, especially if you're looking for a specific coupon.
Another way to secure wonderful manufacturer’s coupons is to visit the websites of your favorite product companies and register with them. They will often mail you coupons with a much higher value than the ones in circulars or online. I have had good success with this for cereal, diapers, and many other commonly used products.
Store coupons:
Most grocery stores have their own store coupons, so make sure you have a shopper’s card and a correct address on file with your grocery store. I no longer live near Kroger, but I was receiving their coupon booklets in the mail and they were always packed with wonderful store coupons.
Many store websites will allow you to load coupons from their website right on to your shopper's card. These are manuafacturer's coupons, and they must be used at their store with your card. The coupon savings show up automatically on your receipt if you purchase those particular items. Kroger and Giant Eagle are two stores that I know offer this service. If you know of others, please post in the comments section!
You can also load coupons onto your shopper’s card at following websites:
I never used to pay much attention to the coupons that print at the register, but now that I’m couponing, I hold on to them like gold! Some stores will allow you to stack your manufacturer’s coupons with their store coupons (or even competitor’s coupons, i.e. Publix) for even greater savings.
I’ll be taking a break for Thanksgiving weekend, but I will see you next week!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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