I. Overview of Topic
With the cost of food rising day by day, food coupons can really come in handy. They help you save money, while still filling your cupboards. You can find coupons for almost anything, including produce, milk, meat, boxed and packaged items, baby food, diapers, and pet supplies. The more you keep an eye out for these deals, the easier they will be to spot. Saving money can be fun and easy, once you train yourself how to be constantly on the lookout for that next great deal. There are many things that go into successful couponing, including knowing where to find the coupons you need, knowing how to use coupons properly in order to save the most money, and how to organize and store your coupons for easy and convenient access. This article will show you how to do all of that and more, so that you can begin saving $5, $10, $20 or more each time you go to the grocery store. Remember, the bigger your shopping trip, the more you will save!
Where to Find the Food Coupons You Need
There are two main places you can find coupons to save money off your grocery bill. The first is in the Sunday paper or small mailers. While this is a time-tested way to save money on food, it offers little variety and you must choose from the coupons that you receive each week. You also have to sort through them, clip, them, and find somewhere to store them. Plus, you have to go through them once in a while to throw away those that are expired. Some people have so many of these coupons that they spend an hour going through them to see what they need, before they leave for the grocery store. That is a lot of wasted time!
The second way is by printing free coupons from the Internet. You can get these coupons one of two ways: directly from the manufacturer’s website or from a reputable coupons website on the Internet. Getting ones directly from the manufacturer’s website is great because you know exactly what you will find there. However, there are usually only a few coupons and it would take a lot of time to go to every manufacturer's website to search for coupons. A better way is to go to reputable couponing websites and search through the variety of coupons that they offer.
Due to fraudulent coupons popping up or fraudulent use of legitimate coupons, you will run into some stores that will limit their acceptance of printed coupons. But the good news is that this is usually limited to a few stores, and most stores gladly take any printed coupons. It is still important to make sure yours are legitimate, which is why it is important to get your coupons from the manufacturer’s website or from a reputable couponing site.
How to Use Food Coupons to Save the Most Money
The best way to use your coupons is by pairing them with in-store deals and sales, especially on double or triple coupon days, in order to save the most money. This can be a little time consuming, but the amount of money you save in the end just may be worth the effort.
- Make a meal menu for the week and use it to make a list of the foods that you will need to buy.
- Get your coupons (based on your food list) and your weekly ad mailers together. Make sure you have a stapler handy.
- See what food items from the mailers and the coupons match up. Even if you don’t need them now, they may be cheap enough to justify buying right away.
- Take all the coupons that you will need for each store and staple them to that store’s ad, then put them aside until double or triple coupon day.
- Take the coupons to the stores that are running the specials on double or triple coupons days, if the store has them. Most weekly ads run for the full week, so you should be able to get ad bargains on these days.
Quick Couponing Tips
- Make sure your Internet coupons are legit, so that they don’t get rejected at a printable coupon friendly store.
- Get a coupon organizer to store your coupons in. Having them organized allows you to know when coupons expire and helps you find them easier before a trip to the store. It is also an easy way to take your coupons to the store with you.
- Plan your grocery list in advance, so that you will know which coupons to take and which to leave at home.
- Pair coupons with in-store deals for the best savings. See above for complete steps.
- Swap coupons with others in order to clear out some coupons you don’t need and get extras of ones that you do need, for free.
- Buy coupons from auction sites in order to stock up on ones that you use regularly, but can’t find for free.
II. Additional Resources
The websites below are great resources that you can use to find free printable food coupons. Simply go to the website, search for the coupons you want, click, print, and save!
CoolSavings.com
CoolSavings.com has been providing free printable coupons to consumers since 1997. They are quite possibly one of the first printable coupon sites online and definitely one of the most popular. They have a variety of coupons available, including food coupons, baby care coupons, and pet coupons. The coupons are 100% free and you can find 30 new ones each and every day. You can even sign up for e-mail alerts! Besides great savings from valuable coupons, you can also find tips and advice and a community section, where you can connect with other bargain shoppers.
WOW-Coupons.com
Calling itself "the site to visit before you hit the stores," WOW-Coupons.com has printable coupons in a variety of categories, for both the US and UK markets, all for free. Other categories include retail, travel, rebates, and restaurant. It seems to be a one stop resource for all of your couponing needs. It is a newer site, but it has grown and gained popularity quickly and, with the millions of websites on the Internet all vying to be #1, that means something.
Valpack.com
You have probably heard of this company and may have even received a Valpack.com in the mail. They have been around for a long time, over 40 years, starting with mailed-to-your-home coupons and then branching out into the world of printable Internet couponing. Aside from groceries, they also offer free printable coupons for restaurants, auto care, and more.
Recommended Reading
III.Discussion
Group
|
