Lots of people coupon on a regular basis. In 2014, Main Street reported the results of a survey that found that 96% of respondents used coupons to save money. If you going to get into the couponing game, you might wonder where to find them. Back in the day, the Sunday newspaper was the first place to look, as it usually contained at least one coupon insert. If you don't get a physical copy of the newspaper, you're not out of luck. Many of the companies that produce those coupon inserts have also gone digital, allowing you to print them at your home. Before your next shopping trip, check out these sites first.
Coupons.com
True to its name, Coupons.com offers a lot of coupons. Most of them are from the manufacturer, although the site also features a loyalty coupon program that lets you load discount offers directly to your supermarket's shopper's card, and a number of online coupon codes.
To access a manufacturer's coupon on the site, you simply click on it, which "clips" the coupon to your cart. Once you've found and clipped all the offers you want, you can print them. There are two options for printing. You can download the site's special printer app or have the site send your mobile phone a verification code via text message. After you put the code in, you can print. Once you print a coupon, it's gone and you can't print it twice.
RedPlum.com
If you've ever seen a coupon insert, the name RedPlum might be familiar to you. The site has a smaller selection of printable offers than Coupons.com, but its products include makeup, cat food, over-the-counter medicines, and more. Before you can get a coupon from the site, you need to put in your zip code so that it can confirm that an offer is available. You also need to install special software (which starts downloading automatically -- you can cancel the download if you don't want to go through with it), before printing.
SmartSource.com
SmartSource is another coupon flyer that's gone digital. It's worth checking out the selection at both SmartSource and RedPlum, as each seemed to have a different range of coupon offers. Although you don't have to verify your computer or the fact that you are a human to use SmartSource, you do need to have a special version of an Adobe Reader installed to print a coupon. If you don't have a printer or don't want to download a new document reader, the site also lets you load a number of offers (which are different from the manufacturer offers) directly onto a store loyalty card. To do that, you type in your store loyalty card's number and choose the deals you want. Not every supermarket's loyalty program is included on the site, but there are several available.
Valpak
Valpak offers a mix of manufacturer coupons, offers from local restaurants and coupons for stores. To find what offers are available near you, you simply put in your zip code. The process of printing a coupon from a manufacturer is similar to the process from Coupons.com, except that you don't have to wait for a verification text.
RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot might be better known as an app to use to get discount codes when shopping online. But, the site also offers a selection of printable discount offers, usually for department stores and chain retail stores, such as Michael's, Kohl's, and Macy's. To use the coupon, find a store you shop at regularly, click on the offer, then print the coupon.
Saving money is a major benefit of couponing. But, remember that you're actually saving money if you use couponing to buy things you would have purchased anyway and if you actually have a plan for the money the coupon takes off of your purchase. One option is to open a savings account specifically for the money you save couponing. After each shopping trip, transfer the extra money over to your account and watch the balance grow over time. To learn more about savings and other deposit accounts available at Coosa Valley Credit Union, contact us today.