Building A Good Coupon Base

The most important part of getting started in couponing is having a good stash of coupons to pull from.  One of the best sources for coupons is the newspaper.  I have a subscription to the Sunday edition of the Raleigh News and Observer.  You can order additional copies of the Sunday N&O for just one dollar each.  This is the best and cheapest way to get multiple copies of the inserts in the paper.  We currently get 4 copies delivered to our house each Sunday.  I would suggest getting the papers from the gas station for a few weeks just to see if couponing is for you and that you are going to stick with it before making the commitment of a subscription.

Another great source for coupons is a magazine called "All You".  This is a really fun magazine and each issue has between $50-$90 worth of coupons!!!  It has some really great articles, savings tips, and recipes as well.  You can purchase this using magazines.com, but go through Ebates to do so!  For a two year subscription, which is 24 issues, you will pay $34.00.  By going through Ebates you will get 26% ($8.84) back at magazines.com which makes it $1.05 an issue.  There are some great coupons in this magazine and it will pay for itself.  You can sign up for Ebates by clicking here.  If you want to know more about Ebates or have reservations about using the site read my blog post about it here.

Another way to get coupons is to collect them while you are out and about.  In many stores you will see "take one" coupons jutting out from the shelves.  In the coupon world these are called blinkies, usually because there is a little red blinking light on the dispenser to catch your eye.  If it is a really good coupon it is ok to take two, but please don't go crazy and empty the dispenser for yourself.  Take two and walk away, the next person that comes along would like to have an opportunity at that coupon.  You may also see coupon booklets on a display, taking two of these is ok but no more than that.  Always be on the lookout for these things.  Another coupon you may see is one attached to the product which is known as a peelie.  Do NOT take these off the product unless you are actually going to purchase that product.  There is an ethical side to the couponing world and these peelies were meant for the customer buying that product.

The internet has a lot of printable coupons.  Some safe sites for printing coupons are Red Plum and Smart Source.  You can also go the the websites of your favorite brands to look for additional coupons.  If you sign up for Proctor and Gamble Everyday Solutions you can get coupons and even samples! 

Lastly, writing companies can get you some great and high value coupons that are not always available to the general public.  I have had success in getting coupons from Biersdorf (makers of Nivea, Eucerin, and Aquaphor) and Glaxo Smith Klein (makers of Aquafresh and other products).  I'm sure many other companies would be happy to send their loyal consumers coupons.  It's really trial and error.  Worst that can happen is they send you a nice thank you letter and tell you there are not coupons available at this time.  Just sit down, think of products you love or use often and send that company a nice little email.  Don't be afraid to ask for the coupons.  Tell them why you love their product so much and ask if there are any coupons available for them to send.  Its really that simple.

Good luck building your coupon base!

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