Coupons may just look like advertisements to you, but they’re free money, particularly when you can get coupons for things you regularly buy. If you involve your family and play your cards right, you could end up with multiple coupons that get you discounts almost every time you buy a particular item.
If you’re ready to save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on your purchases every year, the first thing to do is to track down coupons. You can go all out, or you can just spend a few minutes a week. It’s up to you. Take your pick from the coupon collecting tips we’ve compiled for you right here!
In this guide...
Check out Newspaper Supplements and Watch Your Mags
- Sunday papers (and even weekday papers) usually have supplements full of ads. Most people don’t even look at them, but if you’re serious about saving, you can see what special offers there are and grab any coupons you’re likely to use.
- If your area has a free local paper, you may well find coupons from local businesses hoping to attract customers. So, your first lesson in couponing is to get as many free papers as you can and play close attention to advertising.
- Magazines can be a good source of coupons too, and since you would generally subscribe to mags that cover topics that interest you, any coupons should be fairly relevant to your situation.
What if you spot a really great coupon that you want more of without buying more mags or newspapers? With a bit of extra effort, you can do it!
- Ask at libraries or coffee shops: Libraries and many coffee shops offer papers for their customers to read. They don’t care about the advertising inserts, so if you want them, it could be just a matter of asking. You can also ask them what they do with old papers and make a habit of collecting them.
- Check out office block and apartment building trash: Before you try this one, ask the building’s manager or security service if you can hunt for coupons. If you know of a particularly good coupon, you could track down hundreds of them.
- Ask friends, colleagues, and neighbors: Ask, and you receive. If people you know aren’t interested in their coupons, there’s nothing to stop you from simply asking for them.
- Look for more online: Sometimes, the same coupons you get in the papers are available for free online. Why not just look?
- Get friends to join you and trade: You and your friends can start a coupon exchange where coupons are traded among members. That means you can trade coupons you ordinarily wouldn’t use for ones that you definitely will. Everyone’s happy.
- Take it to extremes: Local recycling centers may allow you to look through their papers before they get processed, and some people even go dumpster diving for coupons!
Social Media and Store Apps
If you aren’t following your favorite stores and product brands online, you should be. Social media advertising often includes competitions, discounted prices, and coupons. If you aren’t following, you miss out. The same goes for store apps. Use them to save.
You can get free coupons on social media in exchange for a click or two of the mouse. Like or share and you get the deal. How easy is that?
Of course, the company may try to promote something you wouldn’t ordinarily buy. Unless it solves a problem for you or you know someone who’d use it, ignore it. Remember that your goal is to save on items you would have bought anyway.
Product Promotions in Store
It always pays to be alert when you shop. Sometimes, you’ll find a rack of coupons right next to items that are on your shopping list. Help yourself! That’s what they’re there for.
As for manned promos, scope them out from a distance first. It can be hard to say “no” to something you don’t really want when a smiling promo staffer is standing right in front of you. However, it’s a product you buy, make a beeline for it! These promos are usually accompanied by a special offer of some kind – and that sometimes includes coupons. If you only get one, ask for more.
Coupon Websites
For ultimate convenience, coupon websites take the cake. We should know. There are great deals on offer right now, and they keep changing. Some promos only run for a few days while others are valid for months on end. Take a look right now. Click, click, and you’ve got a discount!
Popular stores are offering as much as 40 percent off your next purchase. Free shipping could be another big money saver. So, whether you’re eyeing a luxury gift (or a spoil for yourself) or are planning a mundane everyday purchase from Home Depot or even Amazon or E-bay, there are ridiculous deals you can’t afford to miss right here on this website.
Why pay more if you can pay less? Whenever you can, DON’T PAY FULL!
We aren’t the only ones offering you free coupons either, so start here and then proceed to other sites. Just google “free coupons online.” You won’t believe how much money is lying around just waiting to be claimed.
Newsletters
What brands do you always see in your cupboards? These companies and the stores that stock their products have websites, and those websites could be offering coupons.
Keeping track of dozens of brands and stores can take time, but if you subscribe to newsletters, you’ll get an alert right in your inbox. A quick glance through is all it takes. So, next time you see the “subscribe to our newsletter” pop up on a website, ask yourself if you’ll be missing out if you don’t subscribe.
Memberships of almost any kind get you discounts and even freebies, so whatever the membership is called, sign up if the signup is free. Since special offers are a great hook, companies will usually specify the benefits of memberships, so read that part first and then decide what to do next.
Just Ask
If you’re shopping online, the coupon code is your best friend. Sometimes, all you have to do to get one is to show interest but delay the purchase. You can do this by adding to cart and then not hitting the checkout for a week or so. Or hit “contact us” and ask straight out. After all, it can’t hurt to ask.
You can even ask manufacturers of products for coupons. It’s particularly effective if you have started, or belong to, a coupon club. The product’s manufacturer has an opportunity to market its goods to all the club’s members, so you’re offering a golden opportunity to recruit more brand loyal consumers. What have you got to lose? The worst they can do is say “no.”
Save as You Shop
Even if you aren’t battling to make ends meet, coupons make your money go further. Whether you go all out and collect coupons from just about every possible source or pick one or two methods that suit your lifestyle best, you can get more for less.
What will you do with the savings? If you’re a smart operator, they’ll go to pay down debt or into savings for retirement, college, or even your dream holiday. Which remind us, did you know that you can get travel coupons too?
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