Getting Started: Finding Coupons

There are many places to find coupons and it's easy to get quite a stash of coupons in a hurry.  First you are going to want to subscribe to the Sunday newapaper for the largest paper in your area.  The newspaper that reaches the most readers in a particular area has the best coupons.  Coupons vary by region and by newspaper.  There are almost always promotions running for specials on newspaper subscriptions.  Ask friends, family and neighbors for their extra inserts if they don't use them.  If your employer has a newspaper subscription, find out what happens to the inserts from the Sunday paper - they may be in the recycle bin just waiting for you to rescue them!  Once you have compiled a nice stack of inserts, date them on the cover with the date of the paper they came in.  No need to clip everything, just what you KNOW you need for your next shopping trip.  Don't throw away those inserts just because you have clipped what you think you are going to use, you will need them for future deals.  File them in date order in a file drawer or somewhere where you can easliy access them regularly. 

Another place you can find coupons is online.  There are several printable coupon websites and I have those listed on the sidebar.  You can also find them directly on the manufacturer's website.  Online coupons are generally high in value, and usually expire within two weeks of printing.

You will also find an abundance of coupons right in the store.  All over stores there are peelies, blinkies, tearpads and hang tag coupons.  Peelies are those coupons found directly attached to a product.  Blinkies are coupons that are in those little machines that have blinking lights on them, and tearpads are usually attached to the shelves or somewhere in the aisle of the store.  Hang tags are usually hanging from the neck of a bottle.  Catalina machines at the register also print out great coupons, make sure the cashier gives you the coupons that print out when you check out, you don't want to leave those behind!

One more place to find great coupons is the magazine ALL YOU.  You can get a subscription to this magazine and have it delivered right to your door, or you can pick up the latest issue at Wal-mart.  This magazine is specifically sold only at Wal-mart stores.  Sometimes I will pick up two copies when the coupons are really good.  The money it costs to purchase the second copy is well worth it because the value of the coupons far outweighs the cost.