Grocery Coupon Guide

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The other day someone mentioned to my husband something about the fact that I always find the best deals and I always have a coupon for something. That’s actually a pretty true statement. I can sniff out a coupon a mile away. It’s almost like a game for me — to see if I can find a coupon for whatever I’m going to buy. $.25 here, $1 there; it really adds up! And I find coupons all over, so I thought I’d compile a list of the top 10 places (plus one bonus one) that I usually find coupons.

The Sunday Newspaper: We actually subscribe to the paper for no other reason than the ads and the coupons that come in those ads on Sundays. There are usually 1-3 little leaflet packets of coupons for grocery items in there. I can usually find a coupon for brands and products I buy anyway. My favorite coupons are the ones that will give you a free product. I’ve seen this often with new candy bars and dog treats. Basically the coupon is valid for whatever the product sells for in the store so you don’t have to pay a dime!

The Wednesday Paper (The Grocery Ads): I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere, but where I live, our Wednesday paper holds all the ads for the grocery stores. Browsing through these I can usually find coupons for specific items at specific grocery stores. Fred Meyer always has coupons for grocery items and Albertsons and Safeway often times do too (stores may vary in your area, but I’m sure you’ll still find coupons in their ads). Sometimes coupons are only valid for a few days because they are such a good deal ($1 for a jar of peanut butter or $.25 for a carton of eggs). The other day I found a coupon for Weight Watcher Smart Ones frozen meals for only $1 each (they are normally over $3 each) with a limit of 5. I actually bought 5, found another coupon and went back later that week for 5 more!

The Thursday and/or Friday Paper: Ok, this is the last newspaper one. I only get the Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday papers at home, but we get a paper everyday where I work and I usually find that there are special sale ads in the paper on Thursdays and Fridays that are advertising weekend sales, many that include coupons. These are often completely separate from the ads that come in the Sunday paper because they are for sales that usually only happen Friday and/or Saturday. JCPenney and Sears often have ads like these. This is especially true around holidays and at the end of seasons when they are trying to clearance things out. Often you can find coupons like “Save $10 off a purchase of $50 or more.”

Through Snail Mail: I usually hate junk mail cluttering up my mailbox, but a few times a month I’ll receive a coupon book or small leaflet full of coupons. Most people probably consider this junkmail, but I love it. Usually about once a month we receive a little coupon book that is filled with coupons and specials from businesses around my city. It usually has discounts on tanning, oil changes, home repairs, restaurants, dry cleaning, you name it. I like this because I become more knowledgeable about what businesses are around my house and I can try them out with less risk since I have a coupon. We also receive sheets of coupons from bigger chains like Dominoes, Pizza Hut, KFC, Arby’s, etc. These often have lots of valuable coupons that I store up for those eating out nights.

Entertainment Books: I love these things because they are an entire book full of coupons and savings, many of which are pretty substantial. They are filled with coupons for eating out, grocery shopping, fun activities, and all sorts of stuff. In our entertainment book last year we had a coupon for 50% parasailing at a nearby lake. My husband and I have always wanted to do this, but it can be pretty pricey. I found out that the price for the both of us to go up together was $80 — but it was only $40 with the coupon. So we saved $40 and did this on my birthday last year. The average price for an entertainment book is about $35, but if that is too much for you or you don’t think you’ll save enough to break even, you can often buy them later in the year for as little as $10. The coupons are only valid for a year so you have less time to use them which is why it’s cheaper, but we did this last year and didn’t miss much. Plus we saved $40 parasailing and it only costs us $10 for the book.

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