How to obtain coupons – Boot Camp Episode #6

Many people have asked me how I get all my coupons, so I thought I’d share a few tips from around the “coupon” world.

Get a Sunday newspaper. I waited for a good deal from my local paper and then jumped on it. I have heard of folks that have more than one subscription, but I’m not there yet. Imagine the look on my neighbors face when they see me picking up 4 papers in my driveway on Sunday. I like to see if the inserts are worth buying more than one. Did you know they do not distribute coupons on a holiday weekend? Imagine my disappointment when I found this out. You can also check Taylortown preview for a glance at coupons coming out Sunday. These are usually posted the Thursday or Friday before.
Buy additional papers on the street corner on Sunday. The Sunday paper here is $2.00, but there are folks that stand at some intersections, and you can buy them right from your car for only $1.50 each. If I need additional copies this is where I go. But once they sell out they are gone. If you buy them in the stores, you’ll have to pay tax on them as well.
Check your local stores, and see if they sell the Sunday paper later in the week for a discount. I have yet to find one near me that will do this, but I’ve heard from readers who have.
Ask friends and family for their leftover inserts. My sister in law and I sometimes trade inserts or request coupons from each other. I don’t need diaper coupons anymore, so I save these for her.
Start a coupon trade at your office, church or your child’s school. It maybe as simple as leaving a basket out where people can drop off ziploc bags with coupons they aren’t going to use, and then they can pick ones out of the basket that they will.
Dumpster Diving – What did I just say? What do the stores do with leftover papers? They throw them in the recycle dumpster. I have not done this yet, but many people do. The good thing about these kind of dumpsters is that they should be just paper and recyclable goods. No leftover food to maneuver thru. Or you can just scour the neighborhood on recycle day and see if anyone has thrown their inserts away. Did you know there are people who don’t clip coupons? I KNOW…shocking right?
Keep your eyes peeled. I have trained my hubby and kids to look for coupons while we are out shopping. This is also a good distraction for kids and keeps them busy. Look for Peelies-coupons stuck to the merchandise. Blinkies are the small machines on shelves. Hang tags are sometimes on bottles or jars. Tear pads are often found hanging on shelves for you to tear off. One shopping trip my son pointed out a highly valuable coupon for me. I told him he “rocked” and we did a high five right there in the isle. It was quite funny.
Order coupons from the internet. The nice folks at The Coupon Clippers will do all the work and ship the coupons directly to you. How fabulous is this? Get together with a friend and order them together for additional savings.
Print your coupons online at places like, Coupons.com or Smartsource.com. You can usually print each coupons 2 times per computer. If you think you’ll need more, ask a friend or use your hubbies computer.
Check the manufacturer websites for coupons. Many sites offer coupons on their websites. Sometimes you have to create an account in order to print them. Use your spare email address that you have designated for these deals.
Check the inside of bags and boxes before throwing them away. I recently found a coupon on the lid of my yogurt….SWEET!
Order Free samples and they usually come with a coupon for your next purchase. I post a lot of free sample opportunities on this website, so check back often.
Sometimes manufacturers offer coupons booklets that you can get in the mail.
Retail stores also have coupons on their websites now. Target, Winn Dixie , HEB and CVS to name a few. Some of these are store coupons but most are manufactur coupons that you should be able to use at other stores. Sometimes you won’t know till you print and look at the details.