After being a devoted refunder and couponer for years I’ve found some of the best sites to find coupons. My own site:

www.couponqueen.com has upwards of 100 assorted free printable coupons, coupon codes, digital coupons, and phone applications among many money saving tips and more.

But specific companies offer some of their own coupons too. Here’s a few of the top ones.

Over $25 in coupons from Eat Better America
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/?WT.dcsvid=MzQ4NjY4ODU2NQS2&rvrin=A1E617CE-8126-40A3-BC59-DA5994952FA1&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_EBA_2011_5_18

$19 in coupons from Betty Crocker
http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default?wt.dcsvid=mzyyotq4njq2mws2&rvrin=6ce24513-5e46-483d-9d8c-0564013ee5de&wt.mc_id=newsletter_bc_05_12_2011_icons

Aveeno printable $2 product coupon
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=yenifcl42497348&bt=vg&ci=1&o=86469&c=JJ&p=GTfAmxB6

Nestle coupons worth $4

Scotch Brite has a printable form for a free reusable shopping tote, plus a printable $1 coupon good towards any Scotch Brite Greener product
http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/scotchbrite/images/coupons/emailcoupon_20100903.pdf?WT.mc_ev=clickthrough&WT.tsrc=email

$14 in coupons from Arm & Hammer
http://www.armandhammer.com/Resources/SavingsCenter.aspx?utm_source=Multibrand_April_2011&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Get_Your_Coupons_Header_Image&utm_campaign=Multibrand_April_2011

Kellogg’s has over $8 in printable coupons for various Kellogg’s family products
http://www2.kelloggs.com/Coupon.aspx?utm_source=newsletter042011&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=v2_coupons_image&utm_campaign=kcrm_aprilobty_v2

Inmar, the nation’s leading promotion transaction settlement provider, reported that annual coupon use is on the rise for the first time since 1992 and coupon distribution hit the highest level recorded since the company began tracking trends in 1988. For the first time in 17 years, consumers used more coupons than they did the year before, with 3.3 billion consumer packaged goods coupons redeemed, an explosive 27% increase over the 2.6 billion redeemed in 2008.

The rise in coupon use started in October of 2008, coinciding with news of the U.S. financial crisis. That has led to five double-digit growth (based on percentage change from the same period of the previous year).

The increase in redemption goes hand-in-hand with an increase in distribution. Despite the tight economy, marketers invested heavily in coupons, boosting the number available to the highest level in over 30 years.

Online coupons also contributed to the rise in coupon distribution and redemption, with Internet distribution up 92% and consumer redemption of these coupons up over 360%.

With this news it’s a great time to be a consumer with coupons filling not only our supermarket basket but also our other retail purchases. For over 125 free printable and digital coupons and coupon codes go to my site www.couponqueen.com.

It would be impossible to count, but the average supermarket contains about 70,000 different products and variations of the product that could make any shopper dizzy.

How do manufacturers manage to get your attention with yet another new product? COUPONS. Coupons are still one of the best forms of promotion, and as good shoppers we want to please the manufacturers by using them, and using them a lot.

Most new products never make it past the first year. Depending upon its’ budget, information about the product floods the market during that time. Which mean more promotions, more coupons and more sales.

General Mills is one of my favorite companies for coupons and new product introductions. My family has always been a fan of Honey Nut Cheerios, but when Chocolate Cheerios was recently introduced it captured the palate of one of my sons.

When I found a sale 2/$5 I bought 4 boxes, using a coupon on each, and getting double value to boot. My final cost was 2/$3 or $1.50 per box, about a 75% savings. General Mills made the coupon value so attractive it was hard to pass up the special deal. And it served its purpose, we now buy Chocolate Cheerios on a regular (sale of course) routine.

Enewsletters from many of the manufacturers also alert you to the new introductions and high value coupons on their web sites. That was the case with Comet Cream. The product was introduced with a $1 coupon.

Using high value new product coupons you will reduce your grocery bill and get to try lots of new items, so now it’s time to give it a shot.

Coupon organization is key to saving. If you can’t find a coupon, if you leave them at home, no matter how many coupons you have, you won’t save a cent. With a little bit of time, preplanning, and organization you can begin your savings journey.

Start with an organizer and divide it into categories just like the supermarket aisles. The categories should be in alphabetical order. Keep all varieties of the same category so you’re ready when then brand goes on sale. For example, in my detergent category I have coupons for All, Biz, Cheer, Dynamo, Era, Fab, Gain, and Xtra among others. When I recently found Dynamo on sale for $2.99 I could easily locate the coupon. With 3 Dynamo coupons, I snagged 3 bottles for $1.99 each, a great buy.

My cereal category looks the same. I’ll try and so will my sons try almost any brand if the savings are substantial. One of our favorite brands is Honey Nut Cheerios, so of course when it goes on sale, I’ll not only use coupons, but I’ll stock up. Trying new brands can be exciting too. Just recently Corn Flakes came out with a ‘Simply Cinnamon’ selection with a full purchase price refund. The new variety was delicious.

If you’re just getting started with coupons, try a few categories to ‘get your feet wet’ so to speak. Since household items such a detergent, cleaners, fabric softeners are among the most expensive start with that category. Then use the ‘sale plus coupon’ method and see how much fun saving money can be.

It would be impossible to count, but the average supermarket contains about 70,000 different products and variations of the product that could make any shopper dizzy.

How do manufacturers manage to get your attention with yet another new product? COUPONS. Coupons are still one of the best forms of promotion, and as good shoppers we want to please the manufacturers by using them, and using them a lot.

Most new items are accompanied by multiple promotional techniques: taste tests, samples, media advertising, and coupons. In general these coupons are of high-value, and when accompanied by a store sale, can almost be gotten for free or at a sizeable discount.

Stacy Pita chips issued a $1 coupon accompanied by $1.99 sale. Each bag, now selling for $3.49 cost me $.99, about an 70% savings. Silk milk created Almond Silk. The milk was featured at $1.99 with a red dispenser coupon for $1. With the long expiration dates on the milk, I could stock up on at least 4 ½ gallons using a $1 coupon on each.

Most new products never make it past the first year. Depending upon its’ budget, information about the product floods the market during that time. Which mean more promotions, more coupons and more sales.

When I checked out with the 4 Almond Silk the register spit out more coupons, again a $1 savings on each ½ gallon. I’ll hold onto them for the next sale.

Many new products are variations of popular existing products, some involving another flavor, others offering reduced calories and others yet meeting special dietary needs such as gluten free, salt free or the whole wheat version.

These adaptations are more likely to make the cut, since the product is already proven. For example I always drink diet Coke; now there’s Coke zero, both are 0 calories; but Coke Zero is marketed for its better taste.

Arnold and Pepperidge Farm Bread have many varieties, one of the newer offerings is the Whole Wheat package. With Whole Wheat products being touted for better health, that’s another new intro that will probably make it.

Special diets have foods that have come a long way. My grandmother could not use any salt in her food. There were so few packaged products that she could use, everything had to be made fresh. If she was around today she’d have a ball picking and choosing from an endless selection of sodium free goods.

Enewsletters from many of the manufacturers also alert you to the new introductions and offer coupons and refunds on their web sites. That was the case with DiGorno Flat Bread sandwiches from Kraft. With a sign up, you could get a free coupon mailed to you.

Using high value new product coupons you will reduce your grocery bill and get to try lots of new items, so now it’s time to give it a shot.

It’s fun collecting the coupons from all the various sources: the Sunday inserts, the internet, specially marked packages, trading and from www.couponqueen.com.

So now it’s time to use them. Did you forget where you put them, have ½ of them expired, are the other half in an out of the way drawer? So what’s the best way to make sure that the coupon savings actually make their way into your hands.

Organization. Don’t turn away, it’s easy. Have you organized your dinner, have your helped your child get his school supplies, that’s all part of organization. Now let’s just take it a little further: coupon organization.

It starts off with collecting as many coupons as possible and then to devise a system to keep them orderly. I actually used the supermarket as my guide. When I walked the aisles I notice the division of products: dairy, meat, frozen, cereal etc.

Knowing I couldn’t improve on this idea, I copied it. I put my coupons into categories just like the supermarket aisles. I then put them in alpha order, but you can also put them in supermarket order, your choice. Here are some of my categories in alpha order:

• Baking
• Beverages
• Bread/Crackers/Cookies
• Cereal/Breakfast items
• Coffee/Tea
• Condiments
• Dog Food/Products
• Drug Items
• Frozen Food
• Household

I have another 10 categories, but you get the idea. Behind each category are my coupons, again in alpha order. So in back of coffee/tea, I might have at any given time, Celestial Tea, Chock full ‘o Nuts, Eight O’Clock, Folgers, Lipton Tea, Maxwell House, and Starbucks. I keep all these choices so I’ll always have a coupon for the sale item.

You may wonder if I’m brand loyal. I am to those products I enjoy. But I am flexible so that I can get the best ‘bang for the buck’ so to speak. Flexibility is fun too, you get a chance to try all different products you may have overlooked in the past.

If I find Maxwell House coffee on sale for 2/$4, and save another $1 with my $1/2 coupon, that’s my favorite coffee for the moment. But I’d be just as happy with the same sale on Chock full ‘o Nuts.

It’s good for kids too. There were a few products over the years that I could never switch, like Skippy Chunky peanut butter for Michael or Honey Nut Cheerios for Mark, but in general my kids knew they got what was on sale and couponed. And when they followed me into a store I could always get out of buying items by saying ‘I don’t have a coupon or it’s not on sale.’ And guess what, that ended the discussion.

So take the leap, get those coupons in order. I use an expandable check book file that’s about 8” x 4”, with tagged cardboard dividers that my mother typed for me and close it all with an elastic band.
To make it more manageable you can limit your categories to 5 or 10, and add more as you reach your comfort level. Let me know how you do.

The good old barter system, is alive and well especially among couponers.

If you get a chance to view Refundle Bundle, www.refundlebundle.com there is a whole page dedicated to about 40 people who want to trade, mostly coupons and related items. Most traders use the following lingo: trade coupons 1-4-1, which translates to: trade coupons your 25 for my 25, or your 35 for my 35, one for one.

It’s fun to try a few traders. Some close by, others from other cities to see what coupons they have available.

I used to trade during my bowling league. Each of us brought our unused coupons, placed in an envelope with our name, and passed them up and down the lanes. You took out any that appealed to you.

Another great trading time is during play dates for the little ones. We’d meet at McDonald’s once a month for the kids to play and for us to trade coupons and coupon gossip. Everyone had a great time.

Even the Brooklyn Public Library had a coupon trading section. Begin one at works, in the library, at a group center. Not only will you save money, you’ll probably make some new friends too.

Over the 37 years that I have been refunding, there have been lots of changes in finding and submitting the offers. The biggest is of course the internet. When I began everything was via mail, no shortcuts.

But times have changed. Probably 1/3 of all rebates are now found on the internet, and about ½ of those can be submitted online directly.

For example at Staples.com I can submit rebates directly online. It takes about 1 minute. The reason it’s so easy is that all my information has been preloaded through my frequent shopper card.

RiteAid.com has a wonderful program too. Throughout each month you enter receipts, and at the end of the month submit the total. You receive one refund for all your purchases. These can sometimes be as much as $500. Best of all unless you don’t have access to a computer everything is done online.

Other refunds are printable off the site. You can then submit them with the correct proofs of purchase. The check, free gift or free product coupon will be mailed directly to you.

This is such a benefit since years ago rebates were distributed through the supermarkets, and once all the forms were gone, you were out of luck. This method gives everyone an opportunity.

www.Refundlebundle.com lists about 400 different refund offers each month. Have a look at the discussion board on our site for almost daily updates of rebates and freebie.

The horizons of savings are almost limitless and what a boon for the consumer especially the saavy shopper.

Upromise was started at least 10 years ago as a form of a college savings program. You can enlist friends, grandparents and others to help contribute to your student’s long-term goals. I started one for Adam years ago, and it’s easy to sign up.

Just go to the web site: upromise.com and have all of your frequent shopper cards ready. Each time you purchase many of the 1000’s of items listed, you earn money which goes into a 529 account.

Give it a shot, and share this information to help others get started too.

Have you noticed how many coupons are issued outside the supermarket from books to clothes and everything in-between.

Competition and the economy are creating new and innovative marketing tools that can save us money on almost all of our purchases. That doesn’t mean that we have to run out and buy it all, it just means that if we need it, we can effect great deals.

For example, I received 3-$10 Old Navy coupons with a minimum purchase of $10. Each coupon was to be used one a week over a 3-week time frame. The first week I purchased 3 pairs of boxers for $12, my cost $2. Week 2 the handkerchief bags were on sale for a little over $5 each. I bought 2 for about $1. The last week I needed jeans, not on sale, still a good deal at $19.

Next onto TruValue hardware for the $5 coupon off a $25 purchase. I bought compact fluorescent bulbs in size R30 and R40 for our high hats. Both sizes were on sale, and I got enough to cover the $25.

The ever popular Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% coupon came in handy during a recent cold snap. I got the Lasko heater, priced at $50 for $40.

Before making purchases check for the likely places and coupon deals and add to your savings.