Internet Printables (IP) - Coupons that you can print directly from a coupon distributor website*. The most commonly used are:
*Beware of fraudulent printable coupons. If you are getting them from the above websites you should be safe. If you receive a coupon in an email double check that it is legitimate before printing and using it.
eCoupons (eQ) - Coupons that you load directly onto your store loyalty card. So far, Fry's
Manufacturer Coupons (MFR) - This type of coupon is the typical paper coupon that you clip. You can get these from a tons of different sources.
- Sunday Newspaper - If you go this route, call the subscription office and ask if they give discounts for multiple papers. Most of the time they do.
- Magazines - "All You" magazine is packed full of coupons. You can only purchase All You at Walmart and you can order it on Amazon. FYI - randomly throughout the year they will have super discounted rates on subscriptions to All You from Amazon. I've even found some really awesome coupons in Fitness and Parenting magazines.
- Blinkies - These are coupons that you find in the little machines around the grocery store. You probably played with them as a little kid. You pull out the coupon and another spits out. So fun for the kiddos!
- Newsletters - Sign up for company newsletters and sometimes they will have coupons inside!
- Contact the Manufacturer Directly - If you love a product or would like to try something new contact the manufacturer directly. Usually they will send you a sample or coupons. You can also ask to be put on the coupon mailing list. Companies really love positive feedback, so be as generous as you can!
- Free Samples - Companies will sometimes give out free samples to up the interest in a new product. These are awesome! Most of the time they come with coupons!
- Item Packaging - Double and triple check packaging before throw it out (or recycle it!). Sometimes coupons will be printed right on the box. I have found coupons on the insides of cereal boxes.
- Tear Pads - These coupons are just sitting out in aisles of stores. They are whole stacks that you can tear off. Be on the lookout everywhere. I was in a Maverik Gas Station and found a tear pad of coupons for Reese's cups. Score!
- Recycle Center - At our local recycling center there is a bin that people drop newspapers at. I have actually gone through the bin looking for whole newspapers. Sometimes I get lucky and find them. This is a really good way to stock up on inserts. The only problem is that you never know what you are going to find so you can't really plan for specific inserts. On the plus side, it's free and a good way to start a coupon collection.
Store Coupons - Stores sometimes have their own coupons, as opposed to manufacturer coupons. The awesome thing about these is that you can "stack" a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon to use on one item. A great way to get store coupons is to sign up for store loyalty programs. I get magazines in the mail from a few different grocery stores and they have some really awesome coupons in them. Target is the only store I know of that lets you print store coupons from their website.
(Thank you Deal Seeking Mom for helping me compile this list!)
Coupon Jargon - Just like anything else, couponing has it's own lingo. This is a list of the most common coupon jargon.
- ECB - Extra Care Bucks (CVS)
- RR - Register Reward (Walgreens)
- YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary - this only means that only sometimes, depending on the store and cashier, coupons/scenarios will work.
- OYNO - On Your Next Order
- CAT - Catalina - a paper coupon that prints at the register when you buy a specific amount of a product, they are either for $‘s off your next visit or for a specific product.
- MIR - Mail in Rebate
- MM - Money Maker
- MFR - Manufacturer
- BOGO - Buy one get one free
- B1G1 - Buy one get one free
- B1G2 - Buy one get two free
- B2G1- Buy two get one free
- P&G - Proctor and Gamble
- RP - Redplum
- SS - Smart Source
- Blinkie - machine that spits out coupons
- TP - tear pad - pads of coupons in store isles that you tear
- IP - Internet Printable
- GM - General Mills insert in the paper
- eQ - ecoupon - coupons you load on your shoppers card
- Alby’s - Albertson’s
- SW - Safeway
There are probably thousands of web sites devoted to couponing. I have some personal faves that I wanted to share with you. These people make it really easy to find good deals. They do most of the footwork so that you can use find all the great deals with minimal time spent.
http://www.hip2save.com/ - This web site is done by Collin. She is adorable. Her site is free to access. You can sign up for email updates but it isn't required. She posts a lot of freebies and deals from country-wide retailers (ex: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target). She also hosts quite a few giveaways.
http://www.centsableshoppin.com/ - This is an Arizona based blog run by Sheryl. She is AMAZING and so nice. She has really detailed posts about Arizona grocery stores (Bashas, Albertsons, Safeway, Frys) and CVS and Walgreens as well. Her site is free to access.
*Every state has couponers that blog. So if you don't live in Arizona I would suggest searching on google for "(your state here) coupon blogs" and see what comes up.
http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ - This is such an amazing resource for sales and coupon matchings. This is a free web site. You can sign up with them but you don't have to to view deals. They have a forum for every state. To get to the forum for your state click on the link above, at the top of the page on the left you need to click on "PYP FORUMS". Scroll down to "Screaming Deals By State". Click on your state and a whole bunch of posts will come up with store deals. What I really love about this is that when you sign up you can leave comments and feedback about postings. There is a wealth of information on this site.
http://www.couponmom.com/ - This is another amazing resource. Stephanie Nelson started this site. You can check her out on youtube. I love her videos. She deals mostly in the "Frys" chain of stores, as well as CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.
http://couponsense.com/ - This site is a fee based program. You pay a monthly fee and they set you up with all the deals. You can get discounted papers through this company. I tried this last year sometimeoverwhelming for me. There is a lot of information about organizing coupons and how their systems works. It was just too much at the time. Having found the free web sites I don't know if I would ever go back to coupon sense. Check them out for yourself though. They might be a good fit for you.
