Back to Tangible FreebiesFree With Coupons
Sometimes I don't appreciate it when I go to free sites or free sample blogs and they list a coupon for for something that gives you 15% off. I understand the coupon itself is free, but the overall deal is not actually free because you have to spend money. When I go to a free site I want freebies, not discounts. There are ways to get freebies with coupons and knowledge of these strategies would make any "couponer" excited to see any coupons anywhere.
Other pages on this site have briefly mentioned ways to get freebies with coupons:
- The Free Samples page explains that a great way to get free samples is by writing letters to companies asking for the samples. Sometimes the company will send a coupon in the mail instead of the sample to lower shipping costs.
- Birthday Freebies, like ice cream and movie tickets, can come by mail or email in the form of coupons.
- The Bank Bonuses page has examples of free money from banks. Some of these offers were available in the form of coupons that were obtained in a moving kit envelope from the post office. The coupons had a number code that I entered into a form online when I was registering for a new free bank account.
- The Free Money page briefly explains that even though some coupons are only good for 15, 25 or 75 cents off, that is still 15, 25 or 75 cents in free money. This only applies if you actually need the product that the coupon is good for. Avoid changing your spending habits just because there is a sale. Sales entice customers to spend. Even if they are "saving" by spending less, they are still spending.
- The Perk Freebies page explains how to get freebies through your job. When I worked at a movie theater I got coupons or vouchers for free movies every month.
Coupons can be used as a bribe for customer satisfaction. If you're ever dissatisfied with a company then contact them to complain either by calling or writing. Be direct, cordial and professional when doing this. The company may try to appease you by giving you coupons that are good for freebies. This has been known to happen with fast food restaurants like McDonalds and others.
Whenever you're shopping online, a good habit is to search for coupon codes before you finish with the checkout, even if its just a Google search in another browser window or tab. Printed coupons are still a major part of couponing, however
electronic coupons or coupon codes online cannot be overlooked. Once I was buying textbooks online that would have cost me $350, but I was able to get a new customer discount and a coupon for 30% off and I only paid $200. It wasn't free, but that 15 seconds it took to do a Google search for a store coupon code saved me $150.
Coupon Code Websites.
Beyond the simple tips listed above, there is a complete other realm of couponing, called
Extreme Couponing or
Strategic Shopping, where people are able to use coupons in combination with store sales to get hundreds-of-dollars-worth of groceries for free. Here are two examples of extreme couponing:
- If a store has toothpaste on sale for 99 cents, and you have a coupon for $1 off that toothpaste, then you actually get paid a penny to buy that toothpaste.
- Grocery store A matches competitors coupons and they're having a sale on cereal for $3 a box when they're usually $5. Grocery store B has coupons that are good for $3 off any box of cereal. Take the coupon from grocery store B to grocery store A and you get a free box of cereal.
Couponing has gained enough attention to make a cable reality TV show. The program "
Extreme Couponing" on TLC shows people in every episode getting $500-worth of groceries for $10, or somewhere in that ballpark. These people have food packed into every corner of their house, in their pantry, next to the computer desk, under the beds, and its all food that they got for free or pennies on the dollar. They know every store coupon policy for their local stores and they get coupons from everywhere they can think of even if they have to
dumpster dive for them. The climax of every episode has the customer arriving at the checkout with 5 or 6 baskets packed overflowing with food and personal items. The clerk scans every item. The shopper and audience watch as the price goes into the hundreds, or sometimes over $1,000. Then they scan the store membership card which brings the price down to about half. Then they take out a shoe box full of coupons and the clerk scans every one. The shopper and audience watch as $300 gets reduced to $15.87, little by little, coupon by coupon.
Extreme couponing has received positive and negative attention. Some critics believe that its wasteful and selfish to pay so little for so much just to stack it from floor to ceiling in your house. The main reason that extreme couponers on the TV show are able to get
the dollar totals up into the hundreds is because they don't just get
one
item when they find a free deal, they get 20 or 30. Combine that with multiple other free deals and that's how they end up with 5 or 6 baskets full of
food. In fact, many stores have started to change their coupon policies because of extreme couponing and critics believe that the changes can ultimately end up making it harder for the average person to benefit from coupons. Critics also believe that its impractical to spend the time required to get extreme coupon deals. Some extreme couponers spend hours and hours per week.
Not surprisingly, extreme couponers have answers to each of these arguments. If they have the storage space and freezer space, then the choice is to either get as much as they can for free/cheap or pay full price for it. Why would anyone who is trying to save money pay full price for anything? When they have the storage available they can decide what to make for dinner at any time without going out to buy more ingredients and paying full price on the spot. If a person doesn't have the storage or freezer space, they don't have to practice extreme couponing at the level demonstrated on the TV show, but they can still do it at a level to meet their needs.
Stores will never eliminate coupons and they're not losing money. If anything, the attention of extreme couponing is probably bringing in more revenue. Stores may
change their policies, which isn't new, but they will eventually find a balance. The items that extreme couponers take home are probably items that the store wants to clear out anyway. The major manufacturers and brands pay for prominent shelf space and they want to load the shelves with new products, new flavors and new packaging that everyone else will pay full price for. The regular selling patterns of these companies is probably what makes extreme couponing possible. They release a new product, new flavor or new package and charge full price for it. Then after some time goes by they offer coupons to pick up momentum. Then after more time goes by they put they the items on sale to clear out the space for the new products so they can charge full price again.
Extreme couponers know the overlap between the release of coupons and the sales cycles down to a science. They fall into the same category as customers that seek out free samples, rebates, discounts and other deals. They represent a small portion of the population who are willing to work to spend less. They are the kind of people who can take advantage of cash-back credit cards by using their credit card and paying it off in full every month. They get the rewards and avoid the fees. All while the average Joe and everyone else goes into credit card debt, pays full price for everything and are too naive or close-minded to do things like clip coupons or use the store's membership card. When you have a small portion who are willing to work to spend less and the majority who pays full price then stores don't lose money.
Extreme couponers are always donating food to family, friends, neighbors, food banks and other charities. They've found a way to live within their budget, no mater what their income is, and they are still able to use their skill and resources to give to others. The art of couponing may take some time to develop, but once it is developed they are able to find deals and plan their shopping in a reasonable amount of time. The amount of money that is saved is worth the time spent.
There are even services online which help find good deals and collect the required coupons for you. Some of these sites charge for their service and argue that they will help you save more than what you would pay (which may be true). I suggest using free services, like
CouponMom.com. For more info on how to use coupons to get freebies, see
Extreme Couponing or the
Coupon Directory.
Coupon Directory
- Sites that list free coupons
- Coupon aggregating services and tutoring
- Grocery Coupons
- Drugstore Coupons
- Other Retailer coupons and electronic coupon codes
- Get Coupons Sent to your mobile phone
- More info on how to maximize coupons
Related pages and information: