Welcome back!  It's been a bit of time since the last parts of this series, thanks for hanging in there! 

Once you have a good grasp on where to get coupons and how to use them, you can start noticing sales and start getting freebies.  My best advice is to start paying attention to prices you pay for certain items, as well as how often you see sales.  Some people have notebooks which they write down prices, but I just do a quick mental note.  For example, I know that grocery stores have sales on toothpaste for $1.00 (usually Colgate) and there are always $1.00 off coupons.  When this sale happens, I use up all of my coupons and build a stockpile of toothpaste.  Other items that are frequently free or less than $1 are: razors, toothbrushes, floss, cleaning supplies, fabric softener, baby wipes, shampoo/hair products (usually Aussie, Garnier or Pantene) and most food products.  Unfortunately, sales and prices always vary by region or store, but in every area there are deals to be found.  Usually when there is a great coupon coming out or a free item with sale going on, the message boards will be going crazy about the deals.  This is why I love A Full Cup! Less work for me! 

Another way to get freebies is to email companies.  Ricky always makes fun of me because the minute I complain/compliment something, he knows I'm planning a letter.  I write letters for everything, but I am never annoying or mean in them.  It only takes a minute to look up the company and send an email.  I have gotten great coupons sent to me, including free diapers, free dinners at restaurants and food products. 

Final way to get freebies: sign up for store mailers.  Kohls & JcPenney both recently had $10/$10+ coupons sent through the mail and I was able to stock up on some baby clothes for the little lady due in June.  When you get these coupons, you can easily find something in store for less than $10.  I also subscribe to texts for every store I love, but I will admit they get annoying.  Make sure you have unlimited texts if you do this!!

My goal for my Twitter account will be to fill you in on any super great deals.  Like I've said before, I am not a blogger who tells EVERY deal that is going on.  There are plenty of other people out there doing that for us!  (Check out my blogroll to the left).  Anything special that catches my eye, I'll give you a heads up!  Follow me:  beincheapiseasy.

Here's the rest of the series, just in case you've missed out:
1:  Where to find coupons
2:  Doubling & stacking coupons


How do you get freebies?  Let me know!

Back to Basics #2: Doubling or stacking coupons

Welcome back!  Last time I covered where to find coupons, now its time to cover stacking coupons.  This means using a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for one item.  Many stores allow this and it is a great way to get products super cheap, if not free.  This concept was a bit confusing for me at first, so I thought I should show some examples of the two types of coupons.  The best places to stack coupons are drugstores and larger stores like Target or Walmart.  Most couponing forums will post any great deals out there.  Since I am a visual learner, here are my examples for you!

• Target Coupons.  My favorite!  Probably because I could spend hours in that store.  You can also get Target coupons through the mail, but they are very hit or miss with their mailing lists.  Either you randomly get them or not.  Through the Target website you can print regular coupons and ones like this example.  Unfortunately you cannot tell what type they are before printing.  This is an example of a store coupon, since it states Target Web Coupon on the top.  If you had a Caress coupon you could combine the two at checkout.  NOTE: Always read the fine print for sizes/quantities or any other restrictions with store coupons.

• Drugstore Coupons.  I am not a huge shopper at drugstores, simply because I find their prices too high and I usually only have time to shop at 1 or 2 stores.  They have great sales and deals with coupons though!  I will go out of my way for the great diaper deals or something else that really catches my eye.  Here is an example of a Walgreens coupon.  RiteAid and CVS also offer store coupons, but I couldn't find any examples. 

• Babies R' Us.  These come in mailers or you can print them off online.  Although there aren't a ton of store coupons to stack, I always keep them in my coupon organizer.

•  Some tricky manufacturer coupons.  Although it states "use at a Supercenter near you", in most cases you don't have to use it at Walmart.  Target has some that aren't store coupons, yet they have the Target logo on them.  MOST stores will take them, as long as they say "manufacturer" at the top.  I have had issues in the past at Meijer though.  If a cashier questions the coupon, be nice an point out that it isn't a store coupon. 

As always, send any questions to: beingcheapiseasy@gmail.com!


Next up: how to get stuff for free!

Back to Basics #1: Where to find coupons

Since it is about my one-year anniversary of blogging (yay!) and grocery prices are getting ridiculous, I thought I would revisit some coupon basics for any newbies out there.  Plus, there have been so many changes in the past year with more mobile coupons and Facebook "likes" that I have some new additions.  I am planning on making this a 4-5 part series to span the next few days.  I apologize if this is "old news" to some.  You never know when you might learn something new though!

Where to find coupons

1. Sunday paper.  Most Dollar Tree stores sell Sunday papers for $1.  For some reason, this isn't the case in the Grand Rapids area.  I was a very sad lady when I found this out after the move.
• I get anywhere from 3-6 papers a week, depending on the coupons.  I usually recommend the number of people in your household.  Why so many?  Great for stockpiling and getting freebies with sales
2. Online.  I set my printer to do "print preview" so I can see what is being printed and it helps to save ink if you stop after the coupon is printed (a lot of coupons have large, ink absorbing images after the coupon).  Here are my favorite sites to find coupons: 
• Coupons.com
• Smartsource.com
• Redplum.com
• Target.com This is the main source to get Target coupons, as well as manufacturer.  I'll explain the significance of store coupons later.
• Facebook.  I can't think of a brand which isn't on Facebook now.  If you "like" the brand, there are usually great coupons available.  I am still not sure if I like the way brands are taking over my favorite social network, but I can't complain about the coupons.  Tip: un "like" after you print the coupon to avoid annoying updates.
3. Mail.  Pretty much every brand has a mailing list.  I am a geek who LOVES mail, so I sign up for everything that I love.  Here are some great mailers to be on:
• Vocalpoint  They have "try-and-tells" which they send out free and high value coupons every month or so.  
• P&G Brand Saver.  They dont have printable coupons available for any of their brands, so they mail out brand savers, which you sign up for the samples/coupons you want.  They also have a big coupon booklet the first Sunday of each month in the paper. 
• Kraft First Taste.  I love this because you get samples & coupons for new craft products.

That is all for now!  Next time: How to double up coupons for bigger savings.

As always, send any questions my way at : beingcheapiseasy@gmail.com or comment on this post!  If you are new here, don't forget to sign up for emails!