How to Save Money on Everyday Items Part II: Finding Coupons

While I was off on maternity leave I became obsessed with coupons (yup I can admit it – I was and still am obsessed!). I was extremely overwhelmed with them at first. There are so many different kinds, different rules and each store has their own policy in regards to accepting coupons. Don’t let this discourage you! You can cut off some of your grocery budget with them (I find the most savings is found when you combine them with price matching – you can read more about my price matching tips here). You can find coupons for all sorts of items, not just food, I recently used some getaround promo codes and they saved me so much money!

So you know you want to coupon but how do you find them? Companies have made it super easy for us to save. You can find coupons not only in store but online or even delivered in your newspaper (if you are so lucky!). I will break it down for you as best as I can.

In Store

Some stores will have coupons directly in front of the product and others will have coupons on a board in front of the main entrance (these are usually coupon zone coupons that can only be used at specific stores – so make sure to read clearly!). My favourite stores to look for coupons are Sobeys, Metro, No Frills, Fortinos and Shoppers Drug Mart. I will occasionally find coupons at Food Basics as well. These coupons are helpful but tend to be for newer items in store. You can also sometimes find coupons attached to personal hygiene products which really goes a long way!

Ordering Coupons Online

My favourite way to find coupons? Online of course! There are some pretty great sites out there that will allow you to order the coupons you specifically want and will use. The four main ones are P&G Brandsaver, Save.ca, Websaver and GoCoupons. Each site offers a variety of different coupons to choose from. Some are available to print while others you can select and they will mail them to your home. Some companies will also have coupons available through their Facebook page that will link them to one of the above mentioned coupon sites.

Flyers

Many homes are very fortunate and will have weekly coupon inserts sent to them in their newspaper! We just had this service start with us and I am super stoked for it! We have had Redplum come twice already. Also look out for coupons in flyers for stores that you like to shop at or clothing retailers.

Coupons matched with price matching allows you to save a great deal of money on your grocery budget section. We usually save anywhere between fifteen to thirty dollars each grocery trip between coupon use and price matching. Which may not seem like a lot but add them up over a course of a year and bazinga! Extra savings that we can put towards our home.

Do you use coupons? Why or why not?