Coupons. Just the word alone causes a little thrill of excitement to shoot through me! I’m a long-time coupon user. From the early days of carefully cutting out coupons when I was real young, to the newer, sleek, digital method that I came to know later, I’m a sucker for savings! However, sometimes the process of finding those coupons and achieving those savings can make you feel like you’re hunting for a needle in a haystack, instead of the fun treasure hunt it really should be. And as a busy stay-at-home mom to a toddler, you better believe that my days fly by, and hunting down coupons isn’t something I can do for long periods of time, especially when I surface with none to speak of. For my sake, and your own, I found a few of the best places to find coupons so your own little coupon treasure hunt can go from gritty confusion to shimmering elation!
Where to Find the Best Physical Free Coupons
There’re numerous different places to find coupons, but for a moment let’s talk about free coupons. Which are some of the most fun coupons to stumble upon. Thanks to lots of research, no longer will you wander around in the dark trying to locate your discounts. We’ve got you covered!
One of the simplest places to locate physical free coupons is in the Sunday newspaper. I’m not sure how many people get the average Sunday paper anymore, but the number of coupons inside it is, I believe, absolutely worth it. Many papers have a small coupon insert in the centerfold, and that’s where the gem of coupons is contained. There’s usually a small subscription fee for a newspaper but nowadays a lot of publishers give you the option to subscribe to just the Sunday paper. (Or a great little life hack that I’ve personally used a few times, is picking up a Sunday paper at the Dollar Tree store, if your town has one.) True to their wonderful name, you can snag a paper for only a dollar. Newspapers are loaded with free coupons, many of which promote the items you buy on the regular, fun unique products, or discounts on experiences that you might otherwise have missed. Things like coupons for grocery stores, restaurants, and fun hot spots in your local community, are just a few examples of the nuggets of treasure found within those black-inked pages. Keep a sharp eye out for any weekly ads as well. Newspapers are really good a resource for that.
Also see: 10 ways to find coupons without buying the Sunday paper
Another great place to find free coupons is the normal stores and retailers that you frequent on a weekly or even daily basis. These could be manufacturer’s coupons that are directly printed on, or attached to any product that you buy in the store. Meaning as soon as you’ve bought that product, the coupon is yours to use for your next purchase of that same product.
Perhaps one of my favorite ways to score some good old free coupons, is to take a second glance at the junk mail that seems to arrive almost daily, or mail advertisements. It’s happened a few times where I’ve actually stopped and looked carefully through the miscellaneous mail, and I’ve found a gem of a coupon or a discount on something amazing. A restaurant for a fun date night in our area that just opened, or even a percentage off of a decadent facial from a nearby Zen-soaked spa. That one was coupon gold, my friend. (The moms will get it!)
A resource that is just a bit newer in the coupon game is coupons.com. It’s strictly a coupon site in which they have a whole section of printable coupons. You can just go to the site, search for the easily found printable coupon page, print out and cut out to your delight. There’s something kind of soothing about cutting out physical coupons and if they’re free, so much the better, in my opinion.
Where to Find the Best Digital Coupons
As with most things these days, they have a digital counterpart. Coupons are no exception. For this next batch of coupon-hunting ideas, you can set aside those sharp scissors and give your snipping hand a rest. Instead, you can pick up your phone and head to coupons.com again. However, this time you can scroll through their digital download coupon page! It’s chock full of tons of coupons that are as easy to access as just pressing a button on your phone to get some massive savings.
In case you’re new to the digital coupon game, they work the same exact way as physical paper coupons. Meaning you will redeem the coupon at checkout, but instead of a paper barcode, once you “click and clip,” your digital coupon you will most likely get a barcode or a coupon code that the cashier can scan to secure your discount on the product.
Social media is a fantastic resource for finding digital coupons, or mobile coupons, as they are sometimes called on the various social media platforms. They usually come with a promo code, or another type of barcode that will allow you to redeem your coupon at checkout. The next time you’re scrolling through Instagram, or your Facebook page, make sure to keep your eyes wide open for any great deals.
Along those same lines, Amazon is amazing for finding coupons. Even if you don’t currently hold an Amazon Prime Subscription, a lot of their products have one-time coupons. Things like grocery items, cleaning agents, pet supplies, electronics and baby supplies, have regular coupons and deals that you’ll be sure to benefit from. (As with any coupon, be aware of its expiration dates, and other fine print on your digital coupons!)
Also see: Can you use manufacturer coupons on Amazon?
A little further down the treasure hunt trail of searching for the best coupons, are coupon apps. Ibotta is a great resource. It’s more of a “save and earn cash back,” kind of a deal, and I have several mom friends who swear by this app. Sign up and see what kind of savings you can earn with this gem of a coupon app nugget.
Flipp is another great one. Meant mostly for grocery, home supplies, or pharmacy needs, this app caters towards shoppers with either iPhones or Android phones. It’s very simple to download and you’ll find a surplus of digital coupons sure to meet any and all of your shopping needs.
Also see: Is Amazon Prime worth it?
Where to Hunt Down Coupons for Specific Needs
Some of the most popular coupon categories are in the area of grocery, kids, and pets. If you happen to be looking for coupons in this area, listen close and we’ll tell you some of the best places to find these!
For hardcore grocery coupon hunters, you can’t get much better than Grocery IQ. This app will pull some of the best coupons from coupons.com as well as other online apps and places them all in one spot for you to digitally sift through. Get ready to cut that grocery bill in half, my friend! It seems that the app owner (coupons.com) is a bit behind on updating the app and some people have difficulties using it. Hopefully, they will continue development as I haven’t found anything that works as well.
Need a new seasonal wardrobe for the kiddos, but would like to save a bit of money while doing it? The Children’s Place is your best bet. With everything from kid’s clothes to shoes, and accessories for your little ones, the amount of access to discount deals and exclusive coupons on this site, is truly staggering. I’ve used it several times myself, and if my 3-year-old daughter insisting that she wear her pink and purple, flowy, tulle-covered tutu, ten days in a row without washing it is any indication of how many points you’ll score by your purchases, I’d say you’ll be in for a parent of the year award, for sure. They even have a whole “vacation,” clothes section, so if you’re planning a fun summer getaway for you and the kids be sure to check that section out!
We oftentimes consider our pets to be just as near and dear to us as our actual children, so of course we’ll give you the lowdown on one or two of the best places to snag coupons for pet food and other supplies for our lovey, furry companions.
PetSmart, which you might be familiar with, is just about the best there is as far as coupons go for all of your four-legged friends. They allow you to use their store coupons as long as they have a PetSmart barcode, these can be either physical coupons or digital that you redeem right at the checkout when you’re making your final purchases. They also have a wonderful coupon receipt option that you can take advantage of. This is where the coupon is printed right on the bottom of a previous receipt, which you can redeem at the time of your next purchase. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve received awesome customer service, in that my cashier reminds me about the coupon on the bottom of the receipt for my next purchase. I love that about my neighborhood PetSmart!
Hunting Down One Step Further Savings
Sometimes, as good as they are, one-time coupon savings doesn’t quite do the trick. If you find yourself in that same spot, you can do what I like to call, “one step further savings.” This is a semi-fancy way of saying, you can sign up for things like Target Rewards Circle, Kohl’s Rewards program, TJ Maxx Rewards, or Amazon Prime Membership’s Subscribe and Save.
These are rewards programs for these particular stores. (And, in case you’re not aware, most bigger stores like the ones listed above have a rewards program like this.) Even most online stores have them as well! They’re designed to cater to the loyalty of their shoppers and customers. Usually, they’re set up in the way that once you reach a certain number of “points,” or a certain amount of money that you’ve spent with them, you receive a percentage off of your entire purchase or individual items.
They really are wonderful programs. You can set yourself and your family up to save a bundle. If the stores mentioned here aren’t ones you usually frequent, never fear. As I said most bigger stores have these types of rewards for their shoppers and you can just about always find a great program fit at your favorite store to fit your needs. Places like Walmart, CVS, Home Depot, and Menards have been known to have them as well. And, as a little-known bonus, you’ll usually receive extra coupons during the year, and sometimes even a little special percentage off near your birthday. Well worth it for those little perks alone.
Hopefully, the way we’ve broken it down, your own coupon treasure hunt won’t be so much of a hunt anymore! Keep your eyes peeled, your hands outstretched, and your excitement on the rise as you gather up those big, glittering savings!