The Basic Bits of Coupons

Couponing doesn't have to be difficult. Although at times it seems overwhelming and too much to handle, once you do it you catch on pretty quick.

There are a few different kinds of coupons you can get.

Printable coupons are coupons you can print from the internet. When printing coupons, if you hit the back button 2 or 3 times after the coupon has printed it will print a second coupon. Normally this is the max limit. *a little helpful hint: if you have access to more than one computer (such as desktop and laptop, or work and home, etc) you can print 2 from each computer -- this tends to be a GREAT help when needing to print many of the same coupon*

Sunday Paper Inserts have MANY coupons and are the most helpful in saving LOTS of money! There are three inserts you will come across most often: Red Plum, Smart Source and Procter and Gamble. Ocassionally there will be others, but it's rare and mostly around major holidays. Every sunday new inserts come out (except on holidays). Sometimes there will be all 3, othertimes only one of the names mentioned above. If you would like to know which inserts will be in which weeks paper you can go here and check out BeCentsAble's detailed list.

Store coupons are for a certain store only. Target offers printable coupons on their website here. If you do not have a super target nearby, your regular target should still accept super target coupons. Occassionally if you sign up for store email lists they will email you coupons that not everyone else has access to, which can be great when you get a $5 off $20 purchase. Combined with other coupons, you can get quite a bit of free goods!! The best part about store coupons is you can STACK these with manufacture coupons for an even better deal (where FREE items come from most of the time). So when you have a store coupon, be sure to check and see if you have a manufacture coupon for the same product. *side note: when you stack coupons many times if the total for the coupons is MORE than the actual product, the store will price adjust the coupon down to the make the item free, rather than giving you "overage." For example: Say Target has colgate toothpaste on sale for $1.75 and you have a $1 man. coupon and a $1 target coupon... Instead of target paying you $.25 for buying the toothpaste, they will price adjust their coupon to $.75. Many times tho, you can give your coupons in a certain order and you will get the overage!! That is what makes stacking coupons so awesome.

Catalina Coupons are coupons, such as Register Rewards from Walgreens, that print out from a machine at the store after you complete your transaction. They are a manufacture coupon, so be sure to not try to stack them with another manufacture coupon.


Other places to find coupons and what they are:

~Inside boxes/bags of purchased items. Never throw away your packages until you double check inside. Many time inside female products, frozen foods, cleaning products and medicines you will find a coupon.

~Peelies on packages in stores.

~Hangtags on products in stores. Many times these are "try me free" tags -- which combined with a manufature coupon and a sale on the item, you can MAKE money with these kind of rebates!

~Blinkies are machines in stores on the shelf that you can take coupons from and it will spit out another one. Take a few of these when you see them. Many times this product will go on sale within a few weeks of seeing the blinkie machine, but the coupon will be gone by then!

~Mail in Rebates are always a great way to profit from buying a product. There are lots of rewards with mail in rebates as well. Mostly you will get cash back. Sometimes you will get numberous coupons in return. Sometimes they can be applied towards the purchase of another item. These can be found on products (like peelies and hangtags) and online.

~Magazines are a great place to find coupons. There are certain magazines that offer many coupons, such as All You, which can only be found at Walmart.

It's always a good idea to sign up for free samples from stores sites and register to get their store mailer sent by snail mail and email. Same goes for manufactures. Sign up to receive coupon books, recipes, free magazines, etc. Even Red Plum and Smart Source offer printable coupons.

Be sure to check back as I add more resources for online coupons and other great offers.