Few questions on Coupons?? Newbie.. Help pls.. - YDF - Your Daily Freebies Forum - Coupon Codes

umaa · 03-28-2009, 07:03 PM

Hi,
I'm new to the coupon world. Didn't purchase anything with a discounted coupon. As most of you are experts in coupon usage, I'd like to get some advices from you. Please help me.

Few things about me:
I don't have a baby. Pure vegetarian. Spend a lot on vegetables and fruits.

I don't want to ask blindly what is coupon. I surfed the web and understood the basics. But, I'd like to know few things:

1. How to do double couponing?
2. Can we print the same coupon and use it several times?
3. What are all the things do I need to make sure before using coupons?
4. I heard some of them are getting even free products by using coupons. Is it possible? What do I need to do to get them?
4. Where do I need to check for coupons? (excluding, Freesamplesite.com)

Sorry if I sound absurd. thx in advance.
Please help me.

CherokeeParker · 03-28-2009, 09:43 PM

1. How to do double couponing? You have to check with the stores in which you shop and see if they have double coupon day. Some even have triple coupon days.

2. Can we print the same coupon and use it several times? When printing coupons, the limit is basicly two printed coupons. Sometimes you can only print once.

3. What are all the things do I need to make sure before using coupons? Read the fine print on your coupon and make sure your store takes printed coupons. Also, watch your expiration dates.

4. I heard some of them are getting even free products by using coupons. Is it possible? What do I need to do to get them? Yes this sometimes happens, but not very often. You need to hold your High Dollar Coupons until your local stores have a sale on that item.

5. Where do I need to check for coupons? (excluding, Freesamplesite.com) I try my best to keep up with coupons that are available out there and post them here. But other than printed coupons. Your best bet is to buy your weekly Sunday newspaper. You can also buy coupons on-line, I have not tried this yet, so not very much information to pass on to you about purchasing coupons. I do know one site is: coupon clippers.

*I hope this information is of some help to you, Happy couponing*

debdog42 · 05-22-2009, 09:28 AM

The easiest way to get started is to buy a Sunday paper, clip the coupons from the inserts and match them up will sales in your area.

katland · 05-22-2009, 10:03 AM

The first thing I do is check www.taylortownpreview.com to see what coupons are in the upcoming Sunday's paper (sometimes they post this info on their site before Sunday, giving you a heads up so that if there are some "good" coupons you know to buy the paper - or buy extra copies of the paper). They also sell coupons.

Their site also has a list of which inserts (Redplum / Valassis, SmartSource, P&G) are scheduled for insertion on each Sunday. (No coupons for this Sunday.)

My local paper doesn't print on Saturday, so the coupon inserts are in the Saturday edition. This paper seems to have all the inserts for a given Sunday (some papers carry only some of the inserts), so if it's a "good" coupon week, I will buy extra copies of the paper - a bargain, even though the price was raised to 60 cents, but a bargain compared to the price of a Sunday paper. So my advice to you is, see which papers in your area get the inserts, and see if there's any difference in them - and, if you're buying the paper mostly for coupons, buy the cheaper paper.

You can also ask at the store for them to save any extra inserts for you. When papers don't sell, they don't return the entire paper for credit, just the banner from the front, and the rest of the paper - including inserts - is trashed.

Sign up at your supermarket for one of their customer loyalty cards. Not only will it give you discounts, mine sometimes mails me coupons.

Keep in mind that sometimes, the larger size isn't always the most economical. Even if it is according to the shelf price, it's sometimes cheaper if you buy several of the smaller size and get to use one coupon on each, than to buy one of the larger size, and still be able to use only one coupon.

Check the websites of your local supermarkets to see if there are any extra deals there.

Keep in mind that the warehouse clubs sometimes take coupons - I know BJ's does, I don't know the policy of Costco or Sam's.

Some people have recommended this site http://www.couponmom.com/
This site has one very helpful feature - click on Grocery Deals by State and you'll get a chart that lists, by store, the sales, whether there are any coupons for that item, and the total % saved by using a coupon with a sale.

That's one of the best things - cut out all coupons that you think you might use. When a sale comes along, you'll hopefully be able to combine it with a coupon for the most savings.

You'll need to organize your coupons whatever way works best for you. Someone here mentioned not cutting the coupons out at all, just saving all the inserts, and cutting individual coupons when needed. I prefer to cut them out, sort by category (cereal, dairy, cleaning products, etc.) and then sort by expiration date. Coupons for free items go in a special section so I don't miss out on using them.

Be sure to get rain checks whenever possible - that allows you to snag a sale price when you have a coupon.

Other posts with suggestions are:
http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=244453
http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=239226
http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=221325
http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=218596

When you have time, go through the Couponing forum for more posts that might help you.

Unfortunately, it's hard to find coupons on fresh (unprocessed) foods like fruits & vegetables, but sometimes there's a tie in with another product. But you still should be able to get coupon savings on household things - laundry, cleaning, paper/plastic, toiletries, soaps, etc. There's also coupons on things like bread, cereal, rice, soup that you should be able to take advantage of.

Be sure to check your local store's policies, not only as to doubling (or tripling, as I get very occasionally), but also whether they accept internet (print at home) coupons. Some stores don't. If your store has a policy online, print it out and bring it with you, if you run into problems.

Coupons people post here from the bricks.com site are printable, but sometimes have a snail mail option - to check, click on "help" in the lower right corner of the bricks coupon page, and if a snail mail option is available you'll get an address form.

Another way to get coupons is to communicate with manufacturers - whether you write with a compliment or a complaint, most times they'll send coupons. I recently tried a new Tropicana product, Trop50, and really disliked it; they're sending coupons. Same thing with a bottle of fabric softener I had that had clumped up; I received a coupon for a free bottle.

Also try just asking for coupons. My bf's mom was taking Aleve fairly regularly a few years ago, I wrote to ask if there were coupons available, and they sent some.

BTW, I usually just e-mail companies, others report having good success with snail-mailing them or phoning them.

Check the websites of your favorite brands to see if coupons are available. Sign up for their newsletter if they offer one, you sometimes get coupons that way. Even for fresh fruits & veggies, I'd give it a try - who knows, maybe Dole or Chiquita or other produce brands have coupons.

I'm lucky in that the circulars of all the local supermarkets & drugstore chains are delivered to me weekly, so I can sit down and check them all to see who's got the best deals. You can see all the store's circulars on their websites, and you might be able to sign up to get weekly e-mails with the circular, or at least a heads up that the new one is online. Stores in my area run sales Friday - Thursday; whether I look at the circulars that are delivered or check online, I generally have access to next week's sale by Thursday morning. So, I can check 2 weeks worth of sales to see what's the best deal. (Lots of times there's a mediocre sale one week, only to be followed by a much better sale the next.)

Good luck!

umaa · 05-22-2009, 10:15 AM

CherokeeParker, debdog42 & katland,

Thanks a lot.

katland, you are awesome. They're valuable information. I'm going to note down all your suggestions in a document and follow it.

Thanks again everyone. I'll let you know my progress very soon.

03-28-2009, 07:03 PM	#1
umaa Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 10	Few questions on Coupons?? Newbie.. Help pls.. Hi, I'm new to the coupon world. Didn't purchase anything with a discounted coupon. As most of you are experts in coupon usage, I'd like to get some advices from you. Please help me. Few things about me: I don't have a baby. Pure vegetarian. Spend a lot on vegetables and fruits. I don't want to ask blindly what is coupon. I surfed the web and understood the basics. But, I'd like to know few things: 1. How to do double couponing? 2. Can we print the same coupon and use it several times? 3. What are all the things do I need to make sure before using coupons? 4. I heard some of them are getting even free products by using coupons. Is it possible? What do I need to do to get them? 4. Where do I need to check for coupons? (excluding, Freesamplesite.com) Sorry if I sound absurd. thx in advance. Please help me.

03-28-2009, 09:43 PM	#2
CherokeeParker Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,482	~Welcome to Couponing~ 1. How to do double couponing? You have to check with the stores in which you shop and see if they have double coupon day. Some even have triple coupon days. 2. Can we print the same coupon and use it several times? When printing coupons, the limit is basicly two printed coupons. Sometimes you can only print once. 3. What are all the things do I need to make sure before using coupons? Read the fine print on your coupon and make sure your store takes printed coupons. Also, watch your expiration dates. 4. I heard some of them are getting even free products by using coupons. Is it possible? What do I need to do to get them? Yes this sometimes happens, but not very often. You need to hold your High Dollar Coupons until your local stores have a sale on that item. 5. Where do I need to check for coupons? (excluding, Freesamplesite.com) I try my best to keep up with coupons that are available out there and post them here. But other than printed coupons. Your best bet is to buy your weekly Sunday newspaper. You can also buy coupons on-line, I have not tried this yet, so not very much information to pass on to you about purchasing coupons. I do know one site is: coupon clippers. *I hope this information is of some help to you, Happy couponing*

05-22-2009, 09:28 AM	#3
debdog42 chat Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: North Central Idaho Posts: 4,396	The easiest way to get started is to buy a Sunday paper, clip the coupons from the inserts and match them up will sales in your area.

05-22-2009, 10:03 AM	#4
katland Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 8,582	The first thing I do is check www.taylortownpreview.com to see what coupons are in the upcoming Sunday's paper (sometimes they post this info on their site before Sunday, giving you a heads up so that if there are some "good" coupons you know to buy the paper - or buy extra copies of the paper). They also sell coupons. Their site also has a list of which inserts (Redplum / Valassis, SmartSource, P&G) are scheduled for insertion on each Sunday. (No coupons for this Sunday.) My local paper doesn't print on Saturday, so the coupon inserts are in the Saturday edition. This paper seems to have all the inserts for a given Sunday (some papers carry only some of the inserts), so if it's a "good" coupon week, I will buy extra copies of the paper - a bargain, even though the price was raised to 60 cents, but a bargain compared to the price of a Sunday paper. So my advice to you is, see which papers in your area get the inserts, and see if there's any difference in them - and, if you're buying the paper mostly for coupons, buy the cheaper paper. You can also ask at the store for them to save any extra inserts for you. When papers don't sell, they don't return the entire paper for credit, just the banner from the front, and the rest of the paper - including inserts - is trashed. Sign up at your supermarket for one of their customer loyalty cards. Not only will it give you discounts, mine sometimes mails me coupons. Keep in mind that sometimes, the larger size isn't always the most economical. Even if it is according to the shelf price, it's sometimes cheaper if you buy several of the smaller size and get to use one coupon on each, than to buy one of the larger size, and still be able to use only one coupon. Check the websites of your local supermarkets to see if there are any extra deals there. Keep in mind that the warehouse clubs sometimes take coupons - I know BJ's does, I don't know the policy of Costco or Sam's. Some people have recommended this site http://www.couponmom.com/ This site has one very helpful feature - click on Grocery Deals by State and you'll get a chart that lists, by store, the sales, whether there are any coupons for that item, and the total % saved by using a coupon with a sale. That's one of the best things - cut out all coupons that you think you might use. When a sale comes along, you'll hopefully be able to combine it with a coupon for the most savings. You'll need to organize your coupons whatever way works best for you. Someone here mentioned not cutting the coupons out at all, just saving all the inserts, and cutting individual coupons when needed. I prefer to cut them out, sort by category (cereal, dairy, cleaning products, etc.) and then sort by expiration date. Coupons for free items go in a special section so I don't miss out on using them. Be sure to get rain checks whenever possible - that allows you to snag a sale price when you have a coupon. Other posts with suggestions are: http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=244453 http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=239226 http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=221325 http://www.freesamplesite.com/ydf/sh...d.php?t=218596 When you have time, go through the Couponing forum for more posts that might help you. Unfortunately, it's hard to find coupons on fresh (unprocessed) foods like fruits & vegetables, but sometimes there's a tie in with another product. But you still should be able to get coupon savings on household things - laundry, cleaning, paper/plastic, toiletries, soaps, etc. There's also coupons on things like bread, cereal, rice, soup that you should be able to take advantage of. Be sure to check your local store's policies, not only as to doubling (or tripling, as I get very occasionally), but also whether they accept internet (print at home) coupons. Some stores don't. If your store has a policy online, print it out and bring it with you, if you run into problems. Coupons people post here from the bricks.com site are printable, but sometimes have a snail mail option - to check, click on "help" in the lower right corner of the bricks coupon page, and if a snail mail option is available you'll get an address form. Another way to get coupons is to communicate with manufacturers - whether you write with a compliment or a complaint, most times they'll send coupons. I recently tried a new Tropicana product, Trop50, and really disliked it; they're sending coupons. Same thing with a bottle of fabric softener I had that had clumped up; I received a coupon for a free bottle. Also try just asking for coupons. My bf's mom was taking Aleve fairly regularly a few years ago, I wrote to ask if there were coupons available, and they sent some. BTW, I usually just e-mail companies, others report having good success with snail-mailing them or phoning them. Check the websites of your favorite brands to see if coupons are available. Sign up for their newsletter if they offer one, you sometimes get coupons that way. Even for fresh fruits & veggies, I'd give it a try - who knows, maybe Dole or Chiquita or other produce brands have coupons. I'm lucky in that the circulars of all the local supermarkets & drugstore chains are delivered to me weekly, so I can sit down and check them all to see who's got the best deals. You can see all the store's circulars on their websites, and you might be able to sign up to get weekly e-mails with the circular, or at least a heads up that the new one is online. Stores in my area run sales Friday - Thursday; whether I look at the circulars that are delivered or check online, I generally have access to next week's sale by Thursday morning. So, I can check 2 weeks worth of sales to see what's the best deal. (Lots of times there's a mediocre sale one week, only to be followed by a much better sale the next.) Good luck!

05-22-2009, 10:15 AM	#5
umaa Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 10	CherokeeParker, debdog42 & katland, Thanks a lot. katland, you are awesome. They're valuable information. I'm going to note down all your suggestions in a document and follow it. Thanks again everyone. I'll let you know my progress very soon.