One of my favorite ways to get coupons is directly from the Manufacturers. Just about every company has a website and a lot of them have printable coupons right on their site. What I like to do is email (or fill out their contact page) and request to be put on a mailing list for coupons or money saving offers. Most of them are very happy to do so and will even write back. But most of them I have found will mail me coupons.
When you receive coupons directly from the Manufacturer, they are usually a higher value than what you’d get in the inserts and the expiration date is a lot of times pretty far away. Thanks another bonus so you can wait for a sale. A lot of them will send you a coupon for a free item. I love those!! I almost always keep those for special sales where it helps to boost up my total, like for Extra Bucks or Rebates.
You need to be a little bit organized when you begin making your requests. I make a list of all the products I use by Manufacturer. I keep my list in a spreadsheet, but you can make it in a word file or even on paper. When I have some free time, even if it’s just 10 minutes, I grab my list and start emailing them. If you can’t find an email address they may have a contact page where you just fill out a form. I will usually write first what the product is (or are if they have many you use) and why we like it, how we use it etc. I then thank them for their great products and ask to be put on a mailing list for coupons. If there isn’t a place to put my address, I will include it under my name. It’s that simple.
When I contact them, I will note that in my spreadsheet with the date. I will also note if I received a response from them and what it was. This way if they tell me that I can only get the coupons in the paper, I won’t bother to email them again. Then when I receive something, I will note when I got it and what it was. Most of these companies will let you request coupons every 6 months. This is why it’s great to put down the date so you know when you can request them again.
It doesn’t take much time and it pays because these are coupons for things you really use. Of course if you have a complaint by all means let them know. They prefer to receive complements but if there is something wrong with their product they also want to know that. They won’t know if no one tells them. But don’t make up something just to get a Free item. That’s just not right.