When you’re on the go and you want to find coupons, what do you do? Find mobile coupons with your cell phone!

If you have a smartphone, there are lots of free apps to help save you money on groceries, restaurants, shopping, health care services, and more.

Here is my review of 9 mobile coupon apps.

1. Foursquare

Foursquare is a mobile  app that lets you check in to places, earn points, and unlock badges for discovering new things. If you check into a place more than anyone else, you become the “mayor” of that place. At some places like Starbucks, mayors earn certain privileges, like a discount or free item.

But for many places, you don’t have to become the mayor to get discounts. Some places offer coupons for free food or discount off merchandise just for checking in. I have checked into Sports Authority and to my surprise, found a $10 off coupon. I just showed the code from my phone at the register. Another time, I checked into WingStop and got free wings. My husband had already paid for our food before I found this coupon. But they still let us redeem the mobile coupon! So it’s worth it to check in because you never know what coupon is waiting there for you to unlock.

2. Groupon Now!

The popular daily deal site, Groupon, has expanded to instant deals called Groupon Now! Based on your location, you can use the mobile app to find deals on something to eat, get pampered, see a show, etc. These are deals that you must purchase beforehand to use at the business.

The caveat is that the deals expire the same day you buy it. For instance, if you bought a Round Table $10 for $18 instant deal, it expires at 8:00pm. However, the cool thing is that if you don’t redeem it in time, Groupon will give you an automatic refund so you won’t have buyer’s remorse.

3. Living Social Instant Deals

Living Social, another daily deal site, also features instant deals. The only difference is that it’s easier to look at your choices on LivingSocial’s mobile app. Nearby deals are listed all at once on one page, like a menu, along with the times they are valid. With Groupon’s app, you have to scroll through your choices. Just like Groupon, LivingSocial will give you a refund if you don’t use your Instant Deal coupon in time.

4. Wowpons

Wowpons offers grocery coupons from Coupons.com, that you can load directly onto your savings card. The are affiliated with Safeway, Albertson’s, Costco, Whole Foods, etc. See the full list of stores here. But when I downloaded the app, they only showed the Safeways near me and not Costco. I don’t really know how they work with Costco and Whole Foods. There’s no mention of their coupons anywhere and I live near 2 Costcos.

What is cool about this mobile coupon app is that once you click onto a coupon, it loads it onto your store savings card and gives you the option to add the item onto a grocery list. You can also scan barcodes to find coupons or add to your grocery list. Everything is integrated, which is a nice feature not found on other mobile coupon apps. Also, they show you how much you have saved using coupons.

5. GeoQpons

Shows nearby deals for a wide variety of businesses – clothing stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. A lot of the coupons are scanned images. You’re supposed to show it to the cashier so they can scan the barcode. There’s no guarantee that the business will accept your coupon because there’s a disclaimer right on the coupon that says the “business reserves the right to refuse offer.” Comforting, isn’t it? Maybe it’s just a blanket disclaimer to protect them if a business refuses a coupon.

I do like that it lists the latest coupons for an extensive list of nearby businesses that you can’t find through any other mobile coupon app. These coupons are not exclusive to GeoQpons but are the latest coupons you can find for that particular business. They even list the latest Costco coupons! It’s great for reference purposes. And I’m sure I’ll keep referring to this app for the latest mobile coupons.

6. Coupons.com

Quite a few mobile coupon apps use Coupons.com as their coupon database. Why not go straight to the source? I find their app easy to navigate. You can see all of the coupons without clicking onto another page, just scroll down. Then you can add them directly to your store card or have your coupons sent to your email to print later.

7. Grocery IQ

This is a grocery list builder and coupon database together. It has great reviews in the iTunes store and I downloaded this months ago. But I find it hard to use even though I read through the long set of instructions.

If you can get past this, then you can scan barcodes to find coupons and build a grocery list. When you go grocery shopping, you can check off what you buy and the item disappears from your list. You can also sort by aisle and share your grocery list. They use Coupons.com as their coupon database. I’d rather use the Coupons.com app since it’s simpler.

8. Cellfire

Cellfire works with a limited selection of grocery stores like Kroger, Cala, Ralphs, etc. to offer coupons that you load directly to your savings card. See the full list of grocery stores here. None of these stores are in my area. So check to see if they are in yours.

9. Yowza

Seems promising except it has only 2 star reviews in the iTunes store. They only had a few coupons near me. But they did have a coupon for GuitarCenter and REI which I’ve never seen anywhere else.

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• 7 Extreme Couponer Blogs to Follow
• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?
• 25 Extreme Couponing Tips
• 7 Coupon Clipping Services
• Why You Need a Grocery Price Book
• Where to Find Printable Grocery Coupons

Featured in the Festival of Frugality #299 – Money Saving, Credit Card Advice, & More! hosted by Credit Karma.

If you’ve watched TLC’s Extreme Couponing show, you have seen extreme couponers use coupon clipping services to get additional coupons to score a massive stockpile of products.

What is a coupon clipping service?

A coupon clipping service clips coupons for you so that you can get multiples of the same coupon easily. So if you want 10 coupons for $1 off dishwashing liquid, you won’t have to look for or buy 10 Sunday papers to get it. Then they mail the coupons for you within a few days. You pay for the service, not the coupon.

Reasons to use a coupon clipping service:

• You don’t want to buy more Sunday papers to get more coupons on a particular product. And for this reason alone, coupon clipping services can be cheaper than buying additional papers.
• Not all areas have the same coupons and you want the coupons with the best deal. (I’ve seen a $1 off dishwashing liquid coupon offered in another area, which made the product free with a store sale. But in my area, the coupon in the Sunday paper was only for 50 cents off!)
• You don’t want to spend money on expensive ink cartridges to print coupons.
• There’s a limit on the amount of coupons you can print online, usually only 2 copies of each coupon.
• You live in a small town that doesn’t accept printable coupons.
• You don’t have time to look through the paper and clip coupons.
• You want to get more coupons easily.

How does a coupon clipping service work?

Choose from a selection of recent coupons, laid out in shopping cart style. The coupons will have a handling fee of 5 cents and up per coupon, depending on the value of the coupon. Coupon clipping services can’t charge you for the coupon itself, just the service of clipping the coupons and maintaining the website.

Most of these clipping services require a minimum purchase of $3.00 – $4.00 per order and may include an admin fee to make it worth their while. A shipping fee is added to your order on top of that. Then they will mail it to you within a few days, depending on how far away you are and which shipping option you choose.

If you don’t want to deal with the per coupon cost or the admin fee, then there are subscription options where you pay a flat fee or a set number of coupons.

Tips on choosing the best coupon clipping service:

• Beware of the coupon expiration date.
• Go with a coupon clipping service closest to you for faster shipping.
• Decide on how many coupons you want to order. If you tend to order a lot, then maybe the subscription option may work better for you.

Coupon Clipping Services by Region

Midwest

Coupon Carry-Out - Located in Ohio. (min. order $3.00) They offer coupons from P&G, Red Plum, SmartSource, Walgreens, and more.
Save 10% off your first order at The Coupon Carry-Out with code SAVETODAY!

Northeast

The Coupon Master - Located in Rhode Island (min. order $3.00 plus $.50 admin fee) A minimum order of 3 per coupon is required.

South

Coupons and Things by Dede - Located in Texas (min. order $5.00 plus $.50 admin fee) Their site is SSL certified, which I haven’t seen on other sites. That means your order, credit card info, and personal info are secure when transmitted through their site. The process of getting SSL certified is a long and arduous task, taking several months. So I applaud Coupons and Things by Dede for doing this. They offer email updates of the newest coupons and a rewards program towards more coupons. And they have a maximum order quantity per coupon.

The Coupon Clippers – Located in Florida (min. order $3.94 plus $.50 admin fee) The Coupon Clippers is probably the most popular coupon clipping service since they have been featured on The Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, and Woman’s Day. They have a wide variety coupons, a count on how many coupons are remaining, live customer service, and a link to store sales.

My Coupon Hunter - Located in Florida. (subscription based) They offer a flat fee for a set amount of coupons rather than a per coupon price. For instance, 60 coupons are $10 with a subscription good for 90 days. And you must create a login account in order to view coupons.

West Coast

Collectable Coupons (NO LONGER IN BUSINESS!)- Located in Arizona. (min. order $2.50 + $.50 admin fee) What’s different about Collectable Coupons (not a typo) is that they sell whole inserts as well as individual coupons. Their site is also SSL certified.

West Coast Coupon Clipping - Located in Washington. (no min. order required) Coupons are listed by coupon insert company (eg. Red Plum, P & G) not by category like the other coupon clipping sites. This website is a littler harder to navigate but they don’t have a minimum order requirement like the other clipping services. And you can get free shipping if you order $4.00 or more. West Coast Coupon Clipping also offers the option to pay in person and pick up your coupons if you live in the area.

Have you tried any of these coupon clipping services? What’s your experience with them? Are there other coupon clipping services you recommend? Please leave a comment.

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• Where to Find Printable Grocery Coupons
• Why You Need a Grocery Price Book
• 9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go
• 7 Extreme Couponer Blogs to Follow
• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?
• 25 Extreme Couponing Tips

Photo Credit: krossbow

Featured in the Festival of Frugality #297: The Cockney Slang Edition hosted by Totally Money.

If you’ve been couponing as I have been, you will start to notice that not all sales are really a good deal. And sometimes buying an item in a bulk pack is not necessarily cheaper.

It gets confusing at first since every store has a different sale and you don’t know which one has the best deal. Sometimes it gets overwhelming when I’m looking through the Sunday coupons and inserts.

The key is to be organized about couponing. Our grocery bill is the next largest bill after rent. So it was definitely worth my time to figure out how to do this. And I want to stay a stay at home mom.

As I read a lot of  frugal living and stay at home mom blogs, I’m learning about the grocery price book. A grocery price book is a record of your past purchases on items you buy the most so you can determine which store had the lowest price on a particular item.

What’s in a grocery price book:

• Date
• Store name
• Item/brand
• Size
• Unit price
• Notes: Was it regular price, sale, or with coupon?

You can even go a step further and have one page per category like for baby items, frozen foods, paper goods, etc. Do what works best for you.

There are 3 ways to track your grocery purchases:

1. Past receipts
2. Sales inserts
3. In the store

Yesterday, as I was waiting for my tires to be changed at Costco, I had 2 hours to kill. I decided that it was the perfect time to go through the whole store and record all of the items I usually buy. Since my daughter wasn’t with me, it made it easier.

I walked down every aisle and recorded the item, size, and price into my iPhone. Anyone can do this but you just have to invest your time.

I have already saved money on baby formula, an item we need every week. Instead of waiting until we run out of formula, I buy it a few cans when it’s on sale. If you wait until you need it, then you’ll be desperate and will pay full price on an item.

The formula can comes in 2 different sizes – 25.7 oz and 23.2 oz. Sometimes the bigger can isn’t available. But the sales and coupons apply to both sizes. As I look at my grocery price book, I notice that what I thought was the cheapest price, $17.99 for a can from CVS.com, wasn’t the lowest after all! Because of the different sizes, it’s confusing and deceiving.

Now I know that if I buy the 25.7 oz sized formula at $19.99, I’m getting the best deal. If I can’t find that size, then the next best thing is to buy the 23.2 oz during the Target sale or CVS.com with a 25% coupon code.

I save at least $5/can for formula per week when I wait for a sale. That’s $20/month! If I combine the sale with a formula check, I save even more.

What I do know is that I’m never paying full price for formula again. That’s where the grocery price book comes in handy and why you need to start one!

You can create your own grocery price book with a simple notebook, binder, or Excel spreadsheet. Anyone can do it.

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• 9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go
• 7 Extreme Couponer Blogs to Follow
• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?
• 25 Extreme Couponing Tips
• 7 Coupon Clipping Services
• Where to Find Printable Grocery Coupons

Photo Credit: Polycart

If you don’t have time to get the Sunday paper or simply don’t want to pay for one, just to get coupons, there are other options – printable grocery coupons! And yes, these websites offer most of the same coupons you’ll find in the Sunday paper inserts!

You’ll find coupons for groceries, drug store products, limited restaurant deals, as well as coupon codes for online shopping. Just select the coupons you like and print.

You may have to install their coupon printer program the first time you print, but it’s simple to do. After it’s installed, you can print anytime.

Here are the 5 main databases for printable grocery coupons.

1. Coupons.com – Here you’ll find an extensive selection of drugstore and grocery coupons. You can print coupons straight from this site on our coupons page. Select the coupons you like, then click the right and left arrows to scroll through the pages without having to refresh to a new page. I love this feature! And they have coupon codes for online shopping.

2. Mambo Sprouts – If you’re looking for printable coupons for healthy and organic foods, then check out Mambo Sprouts. They are part of Coupons.com and feature coupons from Organic Valley, Earth Balance, Nature’s Path, Numi Teas, and more. You can also find their coupon book at Whole Foods. Who said you can’t be healthy and save money at the same time?

3. Coupon Network – This coupon database features printable coupons and coupons that you earn towards future purchases, called YourBucks Offers. Printable coupons are listed in blue and YourBucks Offers are in green. However, you must create a login account to earn these register rewards. And you can only earn and redeem YourBucks Offers at certain stores.

4. SmartSource – If you’re a Sunday coupon regular, you are probably familiar with SmartSource. They have a good mix of drugstore and grocery coupons.

5. RedPlum – RedPlum also has inserts in the Sunday paper. They feature more drugstore coupons than grocery coupons on their website.

Want to find coupons on-the-go? Check out how to find mobile coupons with your phone.

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• Why You Need a Grocery Price Book
• 9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go
• 7 Extreme Couponer Blogs to Follow
• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?
• 25 Extreme Couponing Tips
• 7 Coupon Clipping Services

I hardly used coupons before TLC’S Extreme Couponing show. But after I saw what was possible, it motivated me to try some of their techniques.

My goal isn’t to get $1,000 worth of products for $40. Let’s be realistic here. Most of what we saw on TV was that person’s biggest haul. That means that they don’t get that kind of savings every single week!

Also, some of the rules are bent so that the extreme couponer can be filmed for the show. For example, there are limits on the number of coupons that a register can handle per transaction.

When the camera shows the store manager going to the back office to bypass the system so that the coupons can go through, they aren’t going to do that for everyone else! Or when they showed someone doing 9 transactions on 9 different registers at once, let’s be real! They’re not going to let you do that either!

The store wants the cameras there to film for publicity purposes, that’s why some rules are bent. Otherwise, if the couponer isn’t successful in completing their transactions, there would be no show!

So don’t have those kind of expectations when you start couponing or you will be severely disappointed and give up. The goal here is to save money, more than you did before.

I’m not trying to compare myself to someone else but more like trying to one up myself. And if I use that as my measuring stick then I am successful.

Now I never pay full price for these things and you won’t either.

Don’t know where to begin? Here are 21 extreme couponing tips to get you started.

1. Subscribe to the Sunday paper.

Find out which Sunday paper has the best coupons, then subscribe to it. My coupons come from a free Sunday paper that we used to throw away. It was like throwing money away! I bought the regular Sunday paper, which was a whopping $3, and it only had a few more coupons. So now I only use our free Sunday paper for coupons.

2. Use a coupon clipping service. 

What’s great about a coupon clipping service is that you can get coupons from other parts of the country, that might have a higher value than the coupons in your area. And you can stock up on coupons for your favorite products without buying more papers. Here are some coupon clipping services to check out.

3. Join the store loyalty program.

Most stores have a loyalty program and it’s free to join. So there’s no reason not to join except that you’ll pay more if you don’t! Sometimes coupons are loaded onto your store savings card like at CVS.

4. Stack coupons with store sales.

You can also follow bloggers who do this. They spend hours matching up coupons with store sales to get the best deal. Don’t re-invent the wheel! Follow these extreme couponers and get the same deals that they get!

5. Get familiar with store couponing policies.

Does your store allow double couponing or using more than one coupon per product? Find out. Each store has a different coupon policy so it pays to know. For instance, did you know that Trader Joe’s accepts coupons? And Walgreens only allows 1 coupon per item.

6. Get around couponing policies.

So what do you do when Walgreens only allows 1 coupon per item? Buy a “filler” item, which is a cheap item like a 5 cent pencil, that will allow you to use that extra coupon.

7. Know what a good deal is.

Start a grocery price book. Compare apples to apples when it comes to deals. Make sure you compare the per unit price to see if you’re really getting a good deal. You can do this by dividing the price by the number of items in the package. For example, with diapers you would divide $27.99 by 192 = $.14 per diaper.

8. Be aware of the coupon expiration date and exclusions.

Sunday paper coupons usually expire within 30 days. And with the popularity of TLC’s Extreme Couponing show, there are limits now on how many of the same coupons you can use per transaction and how many products you can buy with the coupon. With CVS, since the coupons are loaded on your card, they place a cap on how many times you can take advantage of an in-store coupon or sale.

9. Shop at more than one store.

The way extreme couponers are able to save 90% or more on their purchases is because they shop at multiple stores, multiple times. To save the most money, be willing to go to the store with the best sale for toilet paper. Don’t be loyal to only one store.

10. Make multiple transactions.

Extreme couponers will make multiple transactions to maximize savings, depending on the coupon. This would allow you to maximize savings if there is a limit of coupons per transaction. You can do this by asking the cashier if it’s ok to do so, if the line is short, or be willing to go to the back of the line or come back another time. Some extreme couponers will do their grocery shopping separately from their sales runs.

11. Plan out your shopping trips.

Instead of just heading out to the store, plan ahead to see what’s on sale and which coupons you can use. When you have a plan of what to buy and which coupons to use, shopping trips will be faster. And you won’t be stuck figuring things out at the store.

12. Shop with a store circular in hand.

Even if you know what you’re going to get and which coupons to use, sometimes you might not be sure which particular product the sale pertains to. For example, the 2.5 oz moisturizer is on sale but the 7 oz. version isn’t. With the store circular handy, you won’t have any surprises at the register.

13. When in doubt, ask.

Sometimes the store circular isn’t clear or has misprints. One times CVS printed that Aquafor was on sale for $1! But when I got to the store, it was actually only $1 off.

14. Use overages to get free stuff.

An overage is when a coupon is worth more than the product itself and the store gives you store credit towards something else you are buying. Not all areas or stores allow this. So check your store’s policy.

15. Use store rewards towards your next purchase.

When you earn store rewards, use them to your advantage. Don’t lose them because they’re like store credit. Use them towards your next purchase perhaps on items that never have coupons or never go on sale.

16. Stock up during a sale.

When something good is on sale, stock up! Get enough to last you until the next sale then you won’t have to run out and buy something at full price.

17. Start a stockpile.

Extreme couponers have a stockpile of stuff in their garage or closet. The reason for having a stockpile is not to become a hoarder, but it allows you to buy stuff only when it’s on sale. Then you won’t be forced to pay full price on something you need because you have it in your stockpile. Your stockpile doesn’t have to be 100 packs of toothpaste, but enough to last you until the next sale. And start your stockpile slowly, buying 2-3 of an item when it’s on sale. Then you’ll be able to stick to your budget.

17. Anticipate store sales and plan your savings accordingly.

After awhile, you will start seeing a pattern at each store and know when things go on sale. Save the most during seasonal sales like after Christmas sales or Back to School sales. Here is a list of Grocery Sales Cycles and when things go on sale.

18. Shop online.

Couponing doesn’t always have to mean going into the store. The CVS.com website, for example, offers discounts like 20% off everything, from time to time, that can be used on anything you buy from their website. It’s like having a 20% coupon for every item you’re buying. And you know some products never have coupons so it’s great to use this to your advantage to stock up on these things. Plus, CVS.com gives you coupons and free samples with your shipments!

19. Print coupons online.

There are some coupons that you’ll never see in the Sunday paper. They’re available only online like at our Coupons.com database. Here are some other resources for printable coupons.

20. Subscribe to magazines that offer coupons.

All You is a favorite magazines among couponers. It’s popular because it has high value coupons you won’t find anywhere else.

21. Follow your favorite brands on Facebook.

Some coupons are available only on Facebook. Follow your favorite brands and be the first to know about special sales and exclusive coupons.

22. Don’t get suckered into buying things you don’t need.

Yes, coupons are great, but don’t let it become an addiction where you buy something just because you have a coupon and it’s on sale. If you buy something that you or your family will never use, it’s wasteful and you’re not really saving money. You’re spending money on things you don’t need. Then you have to ask yourself, are you buying things just because they’re on sale or because you really need them?

23. Don’t compare yourself to others.

Sure, that person on the Extreme Couponing show got $1000 worth of stuff for only $60. That’s not a realistic measuring stick of success. You may not live in an area where there are double coupons, overages, or high value coupons.

Plus, manufacturers are cracking down on extreme couponing. If you look at most coupons, the fine print limits the number of products you can buy with that coupon and how many like coupons you can use per shopping trip.

24. Check out dollar stores.

Some items are cheaper or just as cheap at the dollar store than they are with a coupon and on sale at the grocery or drug store. One example is Softsoap liquid hand soap. With a coupon and on sale, the cheapest I have gotten this is $1 at CVS. While at the dollar store, it’s only $1 everyday and without a coupon!

25. Review your strategy.

Did you get the best deal this month on that product or did another store have a better deal? Could you have used a better coupon? Don’t feel like you have failed if you didn’t get the best deal. Learn from your past purchases and put together a better strategy for the next sale.

* How to make the coupon binder pictured in the photo.

Need coupons? Print coupons here.

Photo Credit: jenniferworthen

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• 7 Coupon Clipping Services
• Where to Find Printable Grocery Coupons
• Why You Need a Grocery Price Book
• 9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go
• 7 Extreme Couponer Blogs to Follow
• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?

Photo Credit: jenniferworthen

I recently wrote about Extreme Couponing Fraud. However, not all extreme couponers cheat to get deals. Featured in this post are extreme couponer blogs that I follow.

Ever wonder how extreme couponers save so much money? They spend a lot time matching up coupons with store sales.

Don’t have time to do this but still want to save money? Follow these extreme couponers and get the same deals that they get.

Why reinvent the wheel? They put together the best deals, match up coupons and current sales, to share with you! Check out theses extreme couponer blogs and subscribe to their daily emails  to see how they do it.

1. Money Saving Mom - Not only does this mom of 3 feature the latest coupons and deals, but Crystal also includes recipes for delicious snacks and meals as well as recipes for homemade household things like soap and laundry detergent. And she has a freebies and giveaway section.

2. Deal Seeking Mom - Tara is a mom of 5. As a former career-oriented professional turned stay-at-home-mom, she gathers the latest deals and match-ups for you.

3. The Frugal Find - I like the Frugal Find because she lives in California. Her deals pertain to me. Julia is a homeschooling mom of 4 and The Frugal Find is their main source of income. She shares the latest deals at popular stores as well as deals that can be found at the 99 cent store.

4. The Krazy Coupon Lady – Joanie Demer was featured in TLC’s hit show “Extreme Couponing”. She was the one who dumpster dives for her stacks of coupons. Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler put together daily deals for food, toiletries, clothing, bath and body products, etc. They share deals found at Albertson’s, Safeway, CVS, Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Walmart.

5. Living on a Coupon – Jessica Hacker was also featured on “Extreme Couponing” for having a monthly budget of $160 for groceries, medicine, diapers, cleaning products, and toiletries, for a family of 6! She puts together deals but also includes a menu plan and recipes.

6. Healthy Life Deals – Jennifer puts together deals for healthy and organic foods and products. She uses coupons and saves at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I love this! You can eat healthy and save money at the same time.

7. Organic Deals – Susan shares coupons and match ups for organic foods and products. She also features ways to earn coupons on organic products. Susan shops for deals at Co-Op Advantage, Henry’s, Publix, Ralph’s, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, CVS, Target, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.

Beginning Couponing Articles:

• How to Coupon in 10 Minutes or Less
• Grocery Sales Cycles – When Do Things Go on Sale?
• 25 Extreme Couponing Tips
• 7 Coupon Clipping Services
• Why You Need a Grocery Price Book
• Where to Find Printable Grocery Coupons
• 9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go

Photo Credit: dmdonahoo

Featured in the Festival of Frugality #278 – Military Money Edition hosted by The Military Wallet.

Do you like saving money on groceries, hair care products, makeup, medicine, and whatever else happens to be in your cart when you reach the checkout lane? Of course you do!

There are a variety of ways to save money on the items you purchase by using coupons. Once you start looking you will soon realize that coupons can be found all over the place! Here are a few places to start:

The Sunday Paper

Bargain hunters anxiously await the Sunday paper each week (and not just for the great articles). The Sunday paper is known for having the best coupons for the best products. On weekdays, the paper might have a few coupons. On Sunday, the paper is stuffed full of glossy inserts featuring page after page of money-saving coupons for popular brands and products.

Insider tip: Some deal lovers buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper to get extra coupons. Don’t be afraid to do the same. Another tip: ask your friends for any unused coupons that you could use.

Online

If you prefer to read your news online, use the internet to find printable coupons. Love social networking? Find your favorite companies and products on Facebook. Many companies offer special coupons and deals for their Facebook friends. If social networking isn’t your thing, there are tons of other ways to get coupons online. Many forums and blogs are dedicated to helping people find printable coupons online. There are also forums filled with folks who want to trade their coupons for other coupons, stamps, or rebate forms.

Insider tip: Check manufacturer websites for printable coupons, as well as sites devoted to online coupon clipping.

Snail Mail

The junk mail sitting on the counter may be useful after all! Try opening a few of the envelopes with unfamiliar return addresses rather than tossing them directly into the trash. You might find all types of treasures, including coupons for your favorite items. Coupons for food and beauty products can be found in sealed envelopes or mixed in with the grocery store ads.

Insider tip: If you are looking for local coupons for your favorite restaurants or salons, those are often sent in the mail as well.

Directly on the Product

Companies often attach coupons on the outside of products to attract the attention of potential customers. Remember to look for a coupon directly on the product you wish to purchase. Store coupons can usually be combined with manufacturer coupons for extra savings.

Insider tip: Store coupons are often attached to meat or deli products that are nearing their expiration date.

Don’t be discouraged by high prices. Stick to your budget by using coupons as often as possible. Remember to look for coupons in newspapers and online sites, as well as your mailbox and directly on the product you want to purchase.

What will you do with all the money you save this year?

This guest post was written by Sally, who writes on health and wellness for Eat Breate Blog.

Photo Credit: kodomut

It’s a common misconception that there are no coupons for natural and organic foods, that if you want to eat healthy, you don’t “coupon”. That’s not true. You just have to look harder!

Most coupons for natural and organic foods aren’t available in your Sunday paper like most other grocery coupons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Save money while being healthy.

Here are some great resources for organic coupons and deals.

Organic Deals is a blog, updated daily, featuring organic deals, such as organic food coupons, cosmetics, and clothes. They also have a Facebook Page that you can “like” to get the daily deals in your Facebook feed.

Amazon.com Natural & Organic Section features deals on natural and organic grocery items. You name it, they’ve got it. Whether it’s coconut water, organic teas, organic baby formula, or organic snacks, you’ll find a good deal. You don’t need coupons for these deals. However, the natural and organic items are sold in bulk packs, like Costco.

Save even more by using the Subscribe & Save option. Subscribe to items you buy frequently and save an extra 15% off. You can choose the frequency of your subscription, every one, two, three, or six months. You’ll only be charged when the item is shipped. This is convenient for things you need often.

The Whole Deal offers coupons for items sold at Whole Foods. Recently, they put their coupons online so you can view and print coupons at home. If you shop at Whole Foods often, this is a great resource.

Mambo Sprouts features manufacturer coupons for some of your favorite natural and organic foods and products. You can redeem these coupons at your local natural food store.

Photo Credit: ricardodiaz11

Featured in the Festival of Frugality #274 – Where Did Everyone Go? Edition hosted by StupidCents.

Here are some of the best deals that I scoured the web to find. Some are expiring today so act quickly! Enjoy!

Barnes and Noble – 15% off one item for all customers with coupon code W7K3B7H (expires 12/1)

Bath and Bodyworks – $10 off no minimum with coupon code F102785 (expires 12/31)

Borders – 33% off 1 item with coupon code BLX5879E (expires 12/1)

Current Catalog – 20% off and free shipping on orders of $40 or more

Kohl’s – 50% off sale on select items, 20% off sitewide with coupon code EXTRA20 and free shipping with coupon code: CONTACTFR (expires 12/1)

Macy’s Friends and Family – 25% off and free shipping with coupon code MACYSFRIEND or Print savings pass (expires 12/6)

Walgreens Friends and Family – 15% off in-store purchase, 20% W and Walgreens brand products, one day only (expires 12/1)

Who doesn’t love free shipping? Avoid the holiday crowds and fights over parking.

Order your gifts online and get free holiday shipping! Most of the deals below don’t require a coupon code. Plus, a few sites offer free holiday shipping on all orders!

Amazon.com – Orders of $25 or more

Athleta.com – Orders of $50 or more

BananaRepublic.com - Orders of $50 or more

BarnesandNoble.com – Orders of $25 or more

BedBathandBeyond.com – Orders over $100, expires 12/16

Borders.com – Orders of $40 or more for nonmembers; $25 or more for members

ChefsCatalog.com – Orders of $49 or more. Or pay only $3 shipping on any order through Coupon Cabin.

Chocolate.com – Orders of $60 or more

ColorfulImages.com – Orders of $25 or more

CurrentCatalog.com – Orders over $40, receive 20% off, expires 12/1

CVS.com – Orders of $60 or more, receive $15 off and free shipping (promo code: CYBERMONDAY), expires 11/30

Drugstore.com - Orders of $25 or more

eBags.com – All orders (promo code: LINKFREES), expires 12/31 – special offer from Living Richly on a Budget

Gap.com - Orders of $50 or more

Kohls.com – Orders of $50 or more

LLBean.com – All orders

Macys.com – Orders of $99 or more (promo code: GIFTS) expires 12/20

OldNavy.com - Orders of $50 or more

Piperlime.com – All orders

Target.com – Orders of $50 or more

Walgreens.com – Orders of $25 or more

Zappos.com – All orders