Coupon Sources

Coupon booklets from my mailbox and safeway

Most popular sources include:

• Newspaper Sunday inserts
• By mail (sign up required)
• Grocery stores checkout line/customer service, blinkies (“blinking” coupon machine)
• Store magazines
• Coupon purchasing sites
• E-coupons

There are many coupon booklets you could either pick up from stores, or sign up to receive by mail.

Newspaper Sunday Coupon Inserts

You can either subscribe to the newspaper (Sacramento Bee has a great Sunday only subscription (one year for $19.99) deal going on now), buy it weekly, or ask your neighbors/friends. Some Dollar Tree stores also have Sunday paper for $1.

Online Couponing site

• Coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com, cellfire.com, and shortcuts.com are some of the popular ones.
• You’ll need to download a software to print those coupons, and each coupon usually has a 2 per computer limit. You must print from your printer and not copy the coupons, since each barcode is unique.
• For cellfire.com and shortcuts.com, you’ll enter your store card # (e.g. Safeway) and the coupons could be loaded into your card, no clippings required!

Magazines

• All you – THE magazine with coupons. You can either pick one up from Walmart ($2.44 per issue) or do a subscription from Amazon.com for 6-month($10), 1-year ($19.99), or 2-years ($34.99 best deal). The coupons included in this magazine are often enough made up for the cost. E.g. the October 09 magazines contain Arm and Hammer, Splenda, Carnation, Cottenelle, etc. All you magazine is also chock full of everyday saving ideas, and it’s a very uplifting read, I found.
• Magazines such as Parents, Parenting, American Baby also contain coupons for kids/family specific products.

By Mail (sign up required)

Many major brands distribute their coupons by mail to encourage repeat buying and develop a line of loyal customers. Here are some popular and legitimate coupon sign-up places online:

• P&G distribute a coupon booklet called P&G Brand Sampler. The latest one I received include coupons for pet food, Tides, PUR, Charmin, Crest, etc.
• Also from P&G, P&G, Home Made Simple distribute the Refresh Your Nest coupon booklet. The latest one includes $35 in savings from brands like Dawn, febreze, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, etc
• Nabisco has a Nabisco save $55 Back to School saving booklet for popular snack brands such as Chips Ahoy, Planters, Krafts, etc. This one may be available in grocery stores also (see below)
• Nestle (through Walmart) has a Nestle Back to school basics coupon booklet for brands such as Stouffers, Dreyers, Coffeemate, Juicy Juice, etc
• Mambo Sprouts, the “green” company, distributes a Mambo Sprouts Back to School savings booklet with $25 of savings
• If you’re a current member of a natural food cooperatives, you’ll receive a Co-Op advantage Savings coupon booklet, with organic/natural/health food coupons.
• To make signing up easier, you could try Roboform.

Coupon purchasing sites

• There are many coupon purchasing sites, e.g. the Coupon Clippers, and you could also find coupons at ebay, etc.

Grocery Stores

Many groceries stores are now actively promoting the use of coupons. E.g. recently I got the following from stores:

• Safeway and affiliates – the Muscular Dystrophy MDA $40 Saving coupon booklet. A donation is required (big or small, to support a worthy charity). In my local Safeway stores, they have pretty, wrapped treats (cookies, muffins, etc) in a basket with the coupon booklet, and a request for donations.
• In many store isles, you’ll find “blinkie” machines, which are little coupon dispensing box with a little blinking light on it. These are usually located near the related products.
• Store magazines – stores like Raley’s, Rite Aid, etc., they have magazines for store specific products, sometimes with coupons in them.
• Pharmacy counters – sometimes there are coupons for special store brand products for the pharmacy customers.
• Other coupons, which are usually by mail only, may be found in some grocery stores as well – e.g. the Nestle ones may be found at Walmart

E-Coupons

• Electronic coupons where you load to your club card. See this E-coupon FAQ: When and How to use guide.