Melissas Bargains

Many beginning couponers often ask me where I find my coupons. The easiest place to start is with the inserts in the Sunday paper. They typically come out every week (the exception is holiday weekends) and a preview for the coupons that will be in the inserts for the upcoming week is posted on Wednesdays at Taylortown.

Look into getting a subscription to your local newspaper. I was able to get one for an entire year for $40. That is much less than it would cost me to get it at the store each week. If you have a 99 cent store in your area, some of them also carry the Sunday paper!

Here are some other places where you can find coupons:

*Online: There is a link on the right side of the blog where you can print coupons. Some other places where you can print coupons from are: smartsource.com, couponmom.com, couponbug.com, and coolsavings.com.

Be sure to check manufacturer’s websites. Look for a “savings” or “special offers” link. Many of them offer printable coupons for their products.

On Hot Coupon World, they have a coupon database where you can search for various products and it will tell you what coupons are available for different products and where you can find them.

*Blinkie machines – Blinkie machines are the machines you will find in stores that have the blinking red light and spit out coupons. Most of the time, these coupons are not store specific!

*On the packaging of the actual products – Some products have a “peelie” coupon on the outside that can be peeled off and used toward that purchase. Many products also have coupons on the box or inside the box.

*Tear pads – Tear pads are coupons that are typically found on displays of products in stores. They are sometimes also found on the doors in the refrigerated or frozen foods sections.

*All You Magazine – this magazine is found only at Walmart and contains a number of coupons. The cost at Walmart is $1.77 per issue, but you can usually find subscriptions for $10 for one year or $20 for two years through school fundraisers. This link will tell you how you can get a discounted subscription:

*Trading Forums – the two I use most often are the forum on Trading Mamas and the forum on Hot Coupon World.

*On eBay – Some of my favorite “sellers” are kalamazooclipper, lisajanet81, dans-katys-coupons, and forever_johnson. If you are buying coupons through a seller on eBay, be sure to check feedback. I typically only buy coupons there with a “Buy it Now” option. Also, make sure you look at the shipping costs.

*Through coupon clipping services – I have been using these more lately because the shipping & handling from many eBay sellers has become outrageous or it’s just too difficult to win the auctions for coupons on eBay. The services I have used are:
The Coupon Clippers
Coupons & Things by Dede:

The Coupon Clippers is based in Florida and Coupons & Things by Dede is based in Texas (so if you’re in Texas, shipping is super fast, but you have to pay sales tax)