Hi my name is Ellen. I’m a Roman Catholic SAHM of 2 with 1 on the way and you can find me at Thrifty & Chic Mom. Thanks so much to Kate for letting me share with you some of my money saving tips when it comes to buying your food with coupons.
So you want to get into couponing but you don’t know where to begin. Although there are many places to find coupons, I’ve included a list of some of my coupon sources:
1. The Sunday newspaper. I know this one might seen obvious, but did you know that the paper delivered to your house and the one you buy at the store often have different coupons? Many times the home delivery papers have higher value coupons or just plain more. Plus, you can get home delivered papers at a fraction of the cost. I recommend having two copies delivered to your house. That way you can use coupons to stock up on items that are free or very cheap. I use the “one for now and one for later” principle when I stumble upon valuable coupons.
2. Ask you local library, neighbors or family members for their unused coupons. This is a free way to get coupons. For example, my MIL does not need diaper coupons, so she gives me all of hers. [Kate’s note: My mother-in-law actually gives me her entire coupon section from her Sunday paper, so I get tons of good coupons for free. I do always make an effort to only use coupons that yield a free item or are for a product I regularly buy.]
3. Load coupons onto your store cards. There are many programs available now for e-coupons. These sites allow you to load a coupon electronically to your store rewards card that is then credited upon scanning at check out. Sites for this include Cellfire(you can use your home number for this service), Shortcuts.com, and P&G Everyday Solutions.
4. Print coupons off the Internet from various coupon sites like Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source, and Pillsbury.
6. You can also purchase coupons online on Ebay.
7. And of course, other great resources include sites like mine Thrifty & Chic Mom for coupon match-ups to your favorite stores that will help you get extra savings.
