Where Do You Get All Your Coupons??

This is the question I hear the most. Sometimes I don’t know if I want to answer that question for all the “normal” folks out there because then they may think that this coupon lovin’ girl is out of her mind! But I will try, just know this could take some time!

In addition to clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, I have found that with just a little effort you can obtain more coupons than you will ever need or want. Yahoo groups are a great place to start. I am a member of the Yahoo group, Royalty Coupon Trains. I never knew what a coupon train was until someone in my Freecycle Yahoo group told me about it.

The coupon train that I am on consists of 5 people; a conductor and 4 passengers. The conductor starts the train (an envelope) with 50 coupons that are all at least 3 weeks from their expiration date. The conductor will send it to the first passenger. When passenger #1 receives the train, he/she will remove any coupons they want/need AND any coupons that will expire within 3 weeks. Passenger #1 then has to replace the number of coupons he/she removed with the same number of coupons having at least 3 week expiration, then send it to passenger #2.

There are other perks to being on coupon trains. For example, the moderator of Royalty Coupon Trains requires you to complete a Wish List, which is a list of items that you use regularly. She does this so that other members can look at your list and send you a ROAK (Random Act of Kindness) envelope, if they choose. A ROAK is an envelope of coupons from your wish list. You can also post to the group if you are looking for a certain coupon.

Sample or Freebie web sites are also a great way to get your coupon stash started. My favorite freebie site is A Freebie Empire. The owner researches online freebies and sends a message 1-2 times a day with the listings of freebies. It only takes a few minutes each day to read the message and pick which freebies I want to receive. I fill out a quick form with my Name, Address, and Email address for each form and then the freebie will be sent to me. It takes a few weeks for the freebies to start coming in. Many times a freebie will include a coupon or a few coupons. Also, usually when you request a freebie you have to agree to receive that company’s online newsletter. If you agree, they will send you more freebies and coupons. If you use your email for business purposes, I would suggest getting a free yahoo e-mail account just for this. Some examples of freebies I have received are Vaseline Lotion, Dove Lotion, Caress body wash, reusable grocery bag, vitamins, Lemonade drink mix, True Lemon, and many, many more. The lotion and body wash samples are usually travel size. Most of these all came with coupons!

The magazine ALL YOU is a great magazine to get coupons from. ALL YOU is approximately $2.00 an issue. It is a monthly magazine. It has some great articles and the coupons are also great. This is where I got those great Kraft coupons that I blogged about, see the post HERE. You can get ALL YOU at the grocery check-outs but they do go fast.

You can find coupons on E-bay—that is correct! Just do a search for “coupons” and you can have a field day. I do suggest looking at several sellers before deciding.

When I go to Publix I always grab one of each of the free magazines they have on the rack with the sales ad. Greenwise and Advantage Buy books—many times these will have coupons and people assume that they are only Publix coupons. There are Publix only coupons in these, but there are also manufacturer’s coupons to be found in these books. Just look through them and the one’s that state “Manufacturer’s Coupon” next to the expiration date are NOT Publix specific coupons. Publix specific coupons will have a look-up number and state “Store Coupon” on it. The other free Publix magazine, Family Style, does NOT have coupons if you receive it from the store. You used to be able to subscribe to it free via the Publix web site and then it would be delivered via regular mail and it would have coupons, I don't know if you can still do that or not.

Have you ever seen those red boxes that blink and then spit out coupons in the grocery store?? Yes, another source of my coupon addiction. Even if the item is NOT on sale that week, grab a few of these at each blinking box. These usually have long expiration dates and the items will likely go on-sale before they expire. These are manufacturer coupons so you don’t have to use them at the same store you get them from. These are also great to add to the coupon trains.


Lastly, if you have a particular brand you like, you can go to the company web site and request coupons. Viva is a great example of this. I didn’t request coupons but I did go to their site and tell them how much I love their products. They sent me an envelope of 4 or 5 coupons. Some sites have an actual tab you can select titled, “Coupons,” “Deals,” or something similar. They may send the coupons via mail or you may be able to instantly print them from your computer. Many retailers will accept internet coupons, but you may want to verify with a quick phone call to the store.

I know this is long and I could add more, but you should have a good idea now of where to start your coupon search. If you have another great source for coupons, let me know.

Blessings,
Tara