How to Find Coupons To Save On Groceries

Gather coupons from several sources to save the most money on groceries.

Whether you want to save a few dollars per week or thousands of dollars per year, using coupons allows you to save anywhere from 20 cents to several dollars on each item you purchase. Gathering coupons from several different sources gives you the ability to stock up on your favorite products whenever they go on sale. As your coupon collection gets bigger, organize your coupons in a binder or tabbed box for quick and easy access.

Instructions

1. Purchase several Sunday newspapers each week and set aside the coupon inserts. Procter & Gamble releases its coupon insert on the first Sunday of each month. SmartSource and RedPlum inserts come out weekly, but not all regions receive both inserts every week.

2. Trade coupons with friends, family members, co-workers and members of your church or civic group. This gives you an opportunity to give away coupons you will not use and pick up extra coupons for products you buy regularly.

3. Sign up for websites that allow you to print coupons from your home printer. CouponMom.com, TheKrazyCouponLady.com, Coupons.com, RedPlum.com and Coupons.SmartSource.com allow you to print coupons for canned goods, cereal, snack foods and other groceries.

4. Join a coupon clipping service that allows you to order multiple copies of each coupon. Manufacturers do not allow the sale of coupons by individuals or businesses, so these services charge a handling fee to cover the cost of locating, clipping and mailing the coupons.

5. Write letters to your favorite companies and compliment their products or offer suggestions for product improvements. Manufacturers often reward people who take the time to contact them by sending out coupons or product samples.

6. Sign up for the rewards cards offered by your grocery stores. Some grocery stores include coupons in their weekly advertisements, but you must have a store rewards card to redeem the coupons. Many drugstores also link their store cards to special promotions and savings on food and grocery items.

7. Sign up for Facebook and "like" the pages created by the manufacturers of your favorite products. Some manufacturers use their Facebook pages to give away coupons and product samples.

8. Search recycling centers for discarded coupon inserts. People who do not use coupons recycle their newspapers with the inserts intact, making it possible to collect dozens of the same coupons.

Tips & Warnings

• Some manufacturers limit the number of coupons printed by each computer or IP address. If you want more than one or two of the same coupon, ask friends or family members to print extra from their computers.

• Some stores have coupon printing machines throughout their aisles. Keep an eye out for coupons near the products you buy often.

• Coupon inserts do not appear in Sunday newspapers on holidays. If a holiday falls on the first Sunday of the month, the Procter & Gamble coupon insert comes out the following Sunday.

• If you decide to sign up for company newsletters and coupon mailing lists, use a different email address than the one you normally use. This makes it easier to separate coupon-related messages from your daily correspondence.

References

• University of Illinois Extension Thrifty Living; Save Money With Manufacturers; Barbara Dahl
• SmartMoney; The 5 Best Coupon-Clipping Web Sites; Kelli B. Grant; December 2008

Resources

• CouponMom.com; Cut Your Grocery Bills in Half!; Stephanie Nelson
• The Krazy Coupon Lady; Extreme Couponing; Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler
• Coupons.com: Coupons
• The University of Maine; Home Budgeting Expert Offers Money-Saving Coupon Advice; Jane Conroy
• The Coupon Clippers: Saving Together
• Couponing 101: Learn Realistic Couponing Not Extreme Couponing!