coupons

[Mykhal Jaems]

I know we've already talked about extreme couponing ...

I watched a few episodes last night and it got me interested in using coupons more.

I live in a small town that only has one grocery store and they don't take computer printed coupons.

So I'm trying to find paper coupons online. The Sunday paper that we get in our area doesn't have a great amount of coupons in it, and they usually aren't something I would use.

I've googled paper coupon and found a bunch of websites.

I was wondering if anyone out there uses coupon websites to paper coupons and what ones you use. I'm thinking there must be some out there that I haven't found yet.

Any help you give would be great!

Thanks!
MJ

[YellowRoseTex]

I don't use online coupons for grocery stores, but will print out others, like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Kohl's and Penney's. My Sunday paper usually has a good amount of coupons. I get two to three almost every Sunday. My local grocery store also sends me coupons.

I had read awhile back that many grocery stores weren't accepting computer printed coupons due to fraud. Honestly, the sites I have found for those all require you to download some type of software, which always made me leary.

You could register at major sites, such as Kraft, Nabisco, Proctor&Gamble, etc. They may mail coupons if you request them.

[jcme]

Companies are going to on-line coupons to save printing costs, stores don't want to take them because of fraud, consumers are caught in the middle. :(

Does your library carry newspapers from larger cities? Maybe they could save the coupons for you or ask them to put them in a coupon box for patrons to take. People would also bring in coupons to drop in the box for others to take.

Another option may be to see if subscribing to an out of town paper that carries a lot of coupons by mail. I know sometimes coupons are targeted to certain geographic areas but you may be able to find a paper to get by a mail subscription that would include coupons since most coupons are national.

[D'anne]

I Love Coupons but I haven't been able to find any really good ones lately... :(

[Mykhal Jaems]

Hello Ladies,

I must say I think I may be addicted to looking for coupons online.

Yesterday I went to the stores here in town that get all my money and I talked to them about their coupon policies. THE GOOD NEWS IS THEY ALL TAKE COUPONS PRINTED OFF THE INTERNET! When I worked at the grocery store we were having trouble with fraud and internet coupons. Apparently they have that under control b/c they now accept coupons printed off the internet.

So I came home and spent hours looking for good websites that have links for coupons. There's so much out there I didn't know where to start. It can be pretty frustrating b/c a lot of the places send you to the same three websites.

I started a blog to help me keep track of what I'm doing and maybe help others too. it's called My Not So Extreme Coupon Experience. <Admin. Note: Link to blog removed per website Guidelines.>
I hope it helps anyone else looking starting out.

MJ

[Mykhal Jaems]

Wow, I can't believe how quiet it is here.

I must say I'm as guilty as everyone else. I've been working full-time, taking care of DH (he's been having amnesia lately, still not completely sure why, on top of all his other medical issues) and trying to scour the internet for good deals with coupons.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1) I live in an area that doesn't have the stores that most people are getting the good deals at. (Namely Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens)

2) Despite not getting the deals that most are getting and getting down about that, I need to focus on what I can do. There is a store (Pamida) that double coupons approximately once a month, so I save up some of my coupons for that. Also, Family Dollar has been running a deal every so often where you get $5 off of your $25 order. Last time I did that offer I got $35 worth of merchandise for $22. Plus there's always the local Mom and Pop grocery store where I've been trying to stock up on groceries when they're a good deal.

3) I don't buy things unless I know we will use them. If you've seen the show Extreme Couponing, you know they buy crap they won't use. Pet food when they don't have pets, diapers when they don't have babies. Lots of times they say they're going to donate them ... well good for them, they can toot their horn all they want. I don't think tooting my horn about what I give to charities is appropriate. I have enough trouble finding good deals for my family, if I stumble on something I know someone or some charity can use, I'll tell them about it and let them do it. If they want it, they will do it, if not, I haven't wasted my time on something that someone doesn't need/want/appreciate. (This may sound cruel, but I've been burnt by this situation and don't have the energy to waste on them.)

4) I've found a great website (afullcup.com) that is all things coupons. Great discussions there about savings at various stores, ideas for living frugal, and general support for each other. It's a safe place to swap coupons with others too.

Hope this helps someone out there!

[jcme]

It has been very quiet. Life has just been too busy to keep up with a lot of things. Hopefully it will get busier when the colder weather comes.

Saving money can be a challenge with coupons or other ways and it sounds like you have your own routine down based on your area.

Take care