Become a Clipper: Where do I find coupons?

Now that you understand the purpose of a coupon it is time to learn how to gather your coupons. Your mileage may vary on how you gather coupons depending on what types of foods and toiletries your family uses and where you prefer to shop but overall here’s how to get started.

Manufacturer’s coupons should be accepted by most grocery stores because the manufacturer will reimbursed the store. Stores will be reimbursed for the amount you saved plus 8 cents. This means that if you use a manufacturer’s coupon for $1 off, then the store will gain $1.08 and sometimes they will even be reimbursed any shipping and handling costs they incur.

Gathering Manufacturer’s Coupons

The best source for manufacturer's coupons (without breaking the bank) is the Sunday newspaper. Depending on where you live, a Sunday paper is around $2 or less and includes hundreds of dollars in coupons.

There are two main papers in our area, the Mobile Press-Register and the Pensacola News Journal. I recommend picking up both papers because the inserts may vary. I recommend that you check the paper for inserts before your purchase it, this is to ensure no inserts are missing. I also recommend you buy more than one paper, this helps when you begin stocking items. General rule of thumb is two papers for a small family and four for a large family.

It is important to make sure you pick up a paper every Sunday (I recommend early morning, in our area they are usually sold out by lunch). Consistency is important as coupons generally last for a month or longer. For example, the coupons I got from a newspaper I bought three weeks ago may be used for an upcoming grocery trip.

If you are not able to pick up a Sunday paper or need to gather additional inserts, check with friends, family and neighbors to see if they use the coupons in their newspaper or if they will share their leftovers with you (please do not steal coupons from store newspapers or from your neighbors as this seems to be a trend lately and is not good couponing behavior). 

Gathering Store Coupons

Store coupons are very important when couponing. Generally, a store will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon per one item, this is called stacking. Stacking coupons allows couponers to earn more savings.

Store coupons are commonly found in the store. They are often located near the entrance or behind the customer service counter. Sometimes stores will give out manufacturer’s coupons. The best way to determine a manufacturer’s coupon from a store coupon is to check the code on the coupon located under the bar code. If it starts with a “5,” it is a manufacturer’s coupon.

Many times store coupons are also available in the weekly sale ads. In general, Publix, Bruno’s, Piggly Wiggly, Winn-Dixie and Wal-Mart release sale ads on a Wednesday that run through Tuesday. Target, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid release their sale ads on Sunday that run through Saturday.

Every now and then store coupons can also be found in the Sunday paper or in a weekly junk mailer (these usually contain the weekly sale ads and other promotional pieces for area businesses).

Stay tuned on how to locate coupons via Internet.

Till Next Time,

The Constant Clipper