My Frugal Living Tip #11: Using FatWallet to search for Coupons, Clearance & Freebies

Keeping track of coupons, clearance deals and freebies can be a challenging and insurmountable task. Rather than googling for them, I find myself heading to FatWallet's forum to check out the latest coupons, clearance offers and free stuff.

How do you find the coupons you want on FatWallet's forum without searching every thread? Here is FatWallet's Official Master Thread of "Official Store Coupons & Clearance" -- where you can find coupons and clearance sales for major retailers and stores, ascertain which coupons are valid and which ones have expired, etc.

If you are looking for freebies, you should visit the Free Stuff section on FatWallet's Forum. If you are a Twitter user, you should also follow the FatWallet's Free Stuff on http://www.twitter.com/freestuffrocks

Links:
FatWallet's Official Master Thread of "Official Store Coupons & Clearance"
FatWallet's Free Stuff (Follow on Twitter)

Like this article? Read the other entries in my Frugal Living Tips Series.
.

Online Coupon: 15% off 1 item at BarnesandNoble.com

15% off 1 item at BarnesandNoble.com.

Use Online Coupon Code: X4L9P7H

The Fine Print:

For each customer, this coupon can be redeemed once at online at BarnesandNoble.com

This coupon is valid from February 26, 2010 to March 1, 2010 at 2:59 a.m. Eastern Time.

The 15% discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in the order - not the entire purchase - and will be deducted after all other eligible discounts, including (if applicable) the standard Member discount, are applied.

Additional Rules Governing Use of this Coupon: This coupon is (i) not redeemable for cash or cash equivalents (including Gift Cards and online Gift Certificates); (ii) not valid on past purchases; (iii) not eligible for purchases of the following products and services: Barnes and Noble Memberships, Gift Cards, Gift Certificates, gift-wrapping, textbooks, digital content (including but not limited to digital books, magazines, and periodicals), nook(TM) and related accessories, other hardware and electronics, software, products available for pre-order, products from the Rosetta Stone Series, shipping or handling expenses, or products marked as not eligible for "coupons or promotional discounts;" (iv) not valid on purchases made from third parties accessible from the BarnesandNoble.com website (e.g., used books, PC and video games, etc.); (v) may not be combined with any other coupon; and (vi) may not be combined with the Educator program discount. This coupon is not valid at Barnes & Noble or Barnes & Noble College retail bookstore. Void where prohibited by law.

Shopping with Coupons

New to using coupons? Wonder how is it like to start using coupons without prior experience? Slate.com's Alicia Barney has written about her experiences as a coupon newbie using coupons in a post entitled Supermarket Sweep: Using Coupons to Get Free Groceries. This article has links to useful coupon blogs and resources, as well as her own experiences.

Link: Supermarket Sweep: Using Coupons to Get Free Groceries

Do You Practice Extreme Couponing?

WCVB TV (Boston) recently featured a mom with extreme coupon skills: Mom Feeds Family For Under $10 A Week

Is it possible? Sure, it is, but it requires discipline, long term planning and flexibility (i.e., no impulse buying, on-the-spur-of-the moment cravings). I've previously blogged about using coupons here and here.

As for me, I use coupons primarily for household items (paper towels, detergents, etc.) and organic food (e.g., Mambo Sprouts, Organic Valley). My own savings from using coupons aren't as high because I avoid those coupons for processed food with artificial additives. Long temr health is more important saving money. I'd rather save on long term health costs in the future. It helps that there are organic food coupons out there. One just have to hunt harder for them.

Happy couponing!

Save More At The Supermarket

Looking for tips on saving money at the supermarket? How do you balance your frugal sensibilities with healthy living? Shopsmart has an informative PDF filled with tips and suggestions that you might find useful: Save More At The Supermarket.

Link: Save More At The Supermarket (PDF)

Seventh Generation Coupons & Special Offers

Seventh Generation Coupons & Special Offers (require membership in the Seventh Generation Nation)

source: www.seventhgeneration.com

Coupons For Nestle Products

Coupons for Nestle Products

via: Walmart.com

My Frugal Living Tip #1: Maximizing Savings with Coupons

I have blogged about using coupons here (Using Coupons), here (Online Coupons & Coupon Codes Sites) and here (Balancing Frugality with Healthy Living).

For my inaugural "Frugal Living Tip Series," let me share with you how I maximize my savings with coupons:

GOOD:

Using coupons to get a discount off the full retail prize (e.g., using a 50-cents off coupon to buy a tube of toothpaste at $1.50. Price paid = $1.00 + tax). This is where you start.

BETTER:

Combining coupons with store sales to get a discount off the sale price (e.g., using a 50-cents off coupon to buy that same tube of toothpaste at a sale price of $1.20. Price paid = $0.70 + tax). This requires some planning and figuring out the sales patterns/trends (e.g., supermarket A tends to have sales on toothpaste toward the end of the month).

BEST:

Using coupons at stores with a coupon doubling policy and combining that with store sales to get double discount off the sale price (e.g., using a 50-cents off coupon at a store with double coupon policy, i.e., 50 cents + 50 cents discount, to buy that same tube of toothpaste at a sale price of $1.20. Price paid = $0.20 + tax). For this you have to patronize stores with a coupon doubling policy (e.g., Kroger, Giant, Safeway, Meijer, etc.). Note that drugstores (CVS, Walgreens) and discounters (e.g., Target, Walmart) do not have coupon doubling policy.

PS: I personally don't have the time and patience to play the "Drugstore Game" (combining coupons + sales + rebates at Walgreens or Extra Cash Bucks/ECBs at CVS). If you, unlike me, have the time and patience, you could not only save but also get cash back under certain limited situations.

Read the other entries in my Frugal Living Tips Series.

Balancing Frugality with Healthy Living

Many of my colleagues and friends have asked me how I reconcile my frugality with my desire to maintain a healthy living lifestyle. Isn't it the case, I get asked, that manufacturer coupons are usually for processed foods that are laden with artificial colorings, preservatives or flavorings? I concede that many of the manufacturer coupons in the Sunday newspaper inserts are for processed food that I don't care much about. But it is possible to live frugally and healthily. Here's how I do it:

• I avoid all processed foods with artificial colorings, flavorings, preservatives, as well as artificial stuff like trans fat, hormones, etc. That means most of the coupons in the Sunday newspapers are out.
  


• I used to love red meat but gave it up after my doctor diagnosed me with high cholesterol several years ago. If you think this is extreme, latest medical research points to a whole host of health problems associated with consuming a diet that is rich in red meat.
  


• As far as possible, I eat fresh vegetables, meat, nuts, chicken and fish. Rather than buying frozen prepared meals, I buy the ingredients and cook them myself. I buy organic produce, meat, milk and eggs from my two favorite shopping destinations: Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.


• At both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, I buy their store brands (Trader Joe's and the "365" brand for Whole Foods). I find Trader Joe's private label products meet or even exceed commercial brands. For example, I absolutely love Trader Joe's Organic Concord Grape Jelly, which tastes so much better and costs much less than competing products (e.g., Cascadian Farm). Similarly, Whole Food's 365 brand Organic Morning O's are tasty and easy on the wallet, compared to competing products from Cascadian Farm, Kashi, etc.


• Wherever possible, I use manufacturer coupons to purchase organic products. If I can combine manufacturer coupons with sales, that's even better. For example, I use Organic Valley's manufacturer coupons from Mambo Sprouts, Whole Foods' Whole Deals coupon booklets and Organic Valley's coupon page to purchase Organic Valley products (milk, eggs, butter, etc.). I buy my Organic Valley eggs and milk at Whole Foods using Organic Valley coupons from Mambo Sprouts printed and online coupons booklets.
  

Frugal Living: Online Coupons & Coupon Codes Sites

Here are additional online coupons & coupon codes sites that I visit regularly:

• Organic Valley: If you, like me, love Organic Valley products, then you should bookmark and visit Organic Valley's coupon page regularly to print out coupons for their organic products (redeemable at Whole Foods, etc.).


• Fatwallet.com: The granddaddy of coupon codes websites. This is the very first site I visited. It's still the first site I visit before I surf other sites for coupon codes.
  


• CouponCode.com: One of the many sites I visit when I'm hunting for coupon codes for online purchases.


• Retailmenot.com: Another good coupon codes site that I check out regularly.

There's another site, CouponMom.com that may interest you. I have not personally checked out or used this site, since I don't do that much grocery shopping for conventional products (my personal choice). If you have used it, please feel free to share your experiences.

As someone who buys organic groceries as far as possible, I tend to get my grocery coupons from MamboSprouts and Whole Foods' Whole Deals coupon booklet. As far as I am concerned, I can be frugal and eat wholesomely by combining coupons for organic and natural food products with sales at my local Whole Foods store, as well as shopping at my local Trader Joe's. Using coupons doesn't have to result in eating food with artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives. I may be frugal but not at the expense of my health.

For further discussion, please see my earlier post: Using Coupons

Using Coupons

Growing up in a middle class household, I learned about the power of coupons at an early age. My mother used to cut coupons from the Sunday newspapers and used the coupons at the local supermarkets. For a while, marketers have wondered whether coupons have a place in the 21st century, especially since the U.S. economy was booming and many Americans have high aspirational goals that were financed through debt. Using coupons seemed so passé and screams of being a cheapskate. With the collapse of the US economy in 2008 and new layoffs announced every week, the humble coupon is back in vogue. More and more folks are using coupons and even trading coupons on Freecycle, eBay and Craigslist.

I have always used coupons, even when times are good. My childhood years of being part of a family where money was tight have taught me the value of frugality and saving money wherever possible. I must confess that using coupons at grocery stores in the booming years of 2000 led to many stares, especially since I, a guy was using coupons. Often, when I am in the line, I find myself as the only guy who is using coupons. I recalled the days when I used coupons at my local Whole Foods, and not only did the cashier not know how to handle coupons, I had to endure the stares of others in the line. But those days are now long gone, since Whole Foods is promoting their in-store coupons, which you can pick up at the store entrance.

Another gripe I have is the fact that coupon products are designed for, and marketed toward women. I wouldn't be caught dead with the coupon holders that are designed on the assumption that only women use coupons. Being the frugal person I am, I stuff my coupons in an envelope that I dig out before I head to the checkout. I won't be surprised that with the economic downturn, more men are using coupons too.

The internet has also revolutionized the way I go about with coupons. I admit that I no longer buy the Sunday newspapers, when I could read all the news I wanted to know on the internet. The demise of newspaper publishers because of people like me could be the subject of another discussion, but I think newspaper publishers should come up with a new business model. Anyway, since I don't buy the Sunday newspapers but get my news online, I am also getting many of my coupons online.

I frequent two coupon websites: coupons.com (for coupons that I use at my local supermarket) and mambosprouts.com (for organic products coupons that I use at my local Whole Foods). You can select and print coupons from the privacy of your home and use them your local retailer. Mambosprouts.com also has a sign-up option for you to receive their printed coupon booklet by postal mail.

Finally, I am not an extreme coupon user, in that I don't do what some folks do, i.e., using coupons at Walgreens or CVS combined with sales and rebates to get cash back on their receipts. OK, I am a guy and I don't have that kind of patience. But printing out grocery coupons on coupons.com and mambosprouts.com is something that I can do, and it saves you money especially if you are able to plan your meals and shopping in advance.

What about you? Do you use coupons? Have you found any good coupon ideas?