Five Ways to Save Money with Coupons

I don't know about you, but most of the grocery coupons that come with the newspaper are not for anything I use. Here are five ways to get coupons and savings on things you actually want.
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1- Go Online:

There are several coupon websites that are free but ask you to sign up before you save money online, such as afullcup.com. That website includes a message board so people can give each other tips on how to save money. It also includes links to other grocery coupon websites.

Some companies such as Colgate and Energizer offer coupons to help you save money on their products, but also require you to sign up.

Smartsource and coupons.com, let you save money online and let you get coupons without giving away any personal information.

TheGroceryGame.Com offers to help you save money online for a fee. The introductory charge is one dollar for four weeks. That includes coupons, advice on when to use them and ways to coordinate your coupons with deals in the stores. After four weeks, the price goes up.

2- Think Outside the Box (or outside the grocery store):

You can save money online by printing out coupons for your car. Many dealers, service stations and tire companies, including Goodyear and Jiffy Lube offer coupons for oil changes, brake checks or new tires. The last time I got my car serviced, a ten percent off coupon saved me about $40.

In addition, you can save money online by finding rebates at stores, including Costco - which has a page in which you can click on your state and local store to find out which deals are available.

3- Sign Up:

Some stores such as Borders will let you sign up for their savings club. I get coupons e-mailed to me for specific books or CDs. My favorite is when I get a coupon for 20 percent off anything.

4- Swap Coupons:

Watch for places that will accept competitors' coupons. Many dry cleaners and car washes do that. Also, several electronics stores also advertise that they'll beat the price of their competitors.

5- Look for Deals:

Technically, they're not coupons but websites such as Overstock and Smartbargains will help you save money on assorted merchandise. Shopzilla will find deals for you at other websites.
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Obviously this isn't a comprehensive list of websites that offer coupons or deals to save money online. But, hopefully, it will give you some ideas of places to look before you shop.