Every penny you save is a penny you make. This is true, and coupons are one of the best ways to save money. You just have to know where to look, and you can get discounts on things you already buy.
Most people think that coupons can only be used for expensive things. This isn’t the case. Online coupons are available from most manufacturers, distributors, and stores. Even people who do business by dropshipping offer coupons.
Why? They want you to buy from them, so they are willing to make less money than usual. In return, they can make more sales.
Today, you’ll learn some tips and tricks to help you save money. In addition to showing you the best coupon sites, we will also explain how to use coupons effectively.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
The first thing you need to do is get things in order. What’s the meaning?
You can’t get coupons just because you saw them in a magazine or online. For example, you don’t really need a coupon for a laptop. To get things in order, you should make a list of the things you buy regularly.
These are the things you need:
- Notebook: Write down the prices of the things you buy most often in a notebook. This is your starting price. You want to find coupons that, when used, will lower the prices of the things on your list. You can also use a spreadsheet if you want to.
- Purse: You will put your coupons in your purse. Some places will only take printed coupons, even if you get them from a website. Put all your coupons in the purse.
The next step is to learn the different terms that people use when talking about coupons. If you know what the words mean, you won’t make mistakes or guess what they mean.
Here are some of the most common couponing terms:
Coupon code
Coupon codes can only be used online. When you check out of an online store, you enter the code. Most of the time, the code is set to only work for a certain amount of time. After you use these codes, you won’t be able to use them again. To use a coupon code, just type it into the space for it on the page where you pay.
Coupons for shops
This label is often found at the top of coupons for stores. This means that you can only get the deal at certain stores, which are written on the coupon. So, if the coupon is for a McDonald’s in Salinas, California, you can’t use it at any other McDonald’s.
Cash Back
With this kind of coupon, you don’t get a discount. You get a portion of your money back instead. After you make a purchase, the cash is added to your account. This is done before taxes and other fees are added.
Most of the time, the cashback is added to your online account instead of being given to you in cash. You can withdraw money to your bank account or debit card from your account, or you can use the cashback to buy other things.
Expiration Dates
All coupons expire. Basically, marketers use this to get you to buy right away. Check the back of the coupon to see when it will run out. Coupons that have already run out won’t be accepted.
Cash Back in Store
This works the same way as the cash back we talked about earlier, except you can only use it in stores. Most cash backs only happen when you buy something with a credit or debit card. Rarely will a cashier actually give you money as part of a promotion.
Coupons from the manufacturer
This is a coupon from the company that makes the item. Most of the time, coupons like this one can be used on any product made by the same company. For example, if Johnson & Johnson has a coupon, you can use it on baby lotions or other products made by the same company.
Manufacturer Coupons Printable
You can print these coupons from different companies. Because these coupons can be tracked, you can’t print as many as you want. Now that you know what the most common couponing terms are, we can move on to the best places to find coupons.
The websites with the best coupons that will save you the most money
Swagbucks
You can get free gift cards as well as coupons from Swagbucks. More than 7,000 gift cards are given out by the company every day.
Swagbucks has helped people save more than $400 million over the years. The company also has a point system where you do things on the internet and get points for it.
Here are some examples of these things:
- Look at videos
- Fill out surveys
- Check out the web
- Get good deals
You need to save up these points so that you can turn them into a gift card. You can use the money on the gift card at Amazon or Walmart, or you can transfer it as cash to your PayPal account.
How it works is easy to understand. You must create an account and then start doing the things above. You can also play games, shop at their partner sites, or answer some questions.
Swagbucks has an app that should help you keep track of your points and find things to do. Swagbucks works with about 1,500 online stores for shopping. When you buy from these partners, you’ll get SB points or Swagbucks points.
RetailMeNot
This website is a place to find deals online. It has coupons, deals, and cash back. There is a community online where you can find out if the coupons work. Even stores can post coupons on this site. This one has an app, just like Swagbucks.
The company has more than 130,000 partners, which are stores that post coupons on the website. You do not have to earn points like you do with Swagbucks. Here, the coupon is easy to get to. Just look around the website until you find something you like.
If you find one, just copy the code and use it when you check out on the retailer’s website. RetailMeNot has a lot to offer. You can get coupons for food, clothes, and more.
Here are some places where you can find coupons:
- Kohl’s
- Papa John’s
- Amazon
- Converse
- Bed, Bath & Beyond
- Agoda
The site has coupons for online, in-store, and even cash-back deals. There are cash-back offers from stores like Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and more.
Coupons.Com
This is by far the biggest website in the US that gives out coupons. You’ll be shocked by how many coupons you can find here.
You can find printable coupons, digital coupons, and coupon codes here. Use the menu at the top of the page to make your search easier.
You can also use the website’s drop-down menu to find coupons by category. You can narrow down the categories so that you only see coupons that fit your needs.
Here are the different types:
- Apparel
- Baby
- Beverages
- Care for
- Flowers
- Medical Care
- Household
- Foods
- Games and toys
- Care for yourself
- Travel
- Offers for credit cards
You have to print the coupons you want to use, except for the ones with codes. Scroll down the pages, add the coupons you want, and then print them all.
For digital coupons, you have to shop first, then upload your receipt to the website, and you’ll get cash back.
Rakuten
The name of this company used to be eBates. The Rakuten network is not only a company that gives out coupons, but it is also a group of affiliate marketers.
Rakuten has many different deals. Some of these coupons are for direct discounts, and some are for cash back. You can look through the discounts or choose from the menu at the top.
These are the main ones:
- Essential Stores
- Hot Deals
- Cash back in-store
- Vacations and Trips
You have to be a part of the Rakuten network before you can use any of these deals. Your Rakuten account will receive the cash back. Once you have enough money saved up, you can move it to your PayPal account or send a check.
Affiliate marketing is similar to how Rakuten works. Shoppers like you are sent to partner stores by Rakuten. If you buy, they get a cut of what you spend. This commission gives Rakuten the money it needs to give cash back and discounts. It gives its commissions to its users after they have bought something.
SlickDeals
This site has coupons for a wide range of goods and services. To use it well, you need to use the top bar menu to move around.
As the name of the company suggests, you can get deals here. You don’t have to pay the full price because you get discounts.
Here are the most important ones:
- Grocery
- Video Games
- TVs and Computers
- Charge cards
- Home
- Clothes and other items
- Tech
- Cameras
- Auto
- Wellness and Looks
- Babies
- Entertainment
- Travel
It’s like being on Amazon or eBay when you’re on SlickDeals. You will see a lot of items on your screen. If you see something you like, just click on it and then click on the “See Deal” button. If you do this, you will be taken to the site of the supplier.
The price is the same on the supplier’s website as it was on SlickDeals. All you have to do is finish the online order. The things will be sent to you.
Groupon
Groupon is like SlickDeals in that the prices of the items for sale are cut. You might see a dress that used to cost $50 but is now on sale for $9.
Groupon is interesting because you can also check out on their website. They will take care of ordering the product from the merchant in the background, and your item will be sent to you by shipping.
Groupon has the following types of deals:
- What to do
- Spa and Beauty
- Goods
- Places to Stay and Go
The site also has a section called “Coupons,” where you can find deals from a lot of different businesses. If a coupon catches your eye, all you have to do is click the “Get Deal” button, and you will be taken to the merchant’s website.
In this case, you will order from the merchant’s website, and Groupon will probably only get a commission from your purchase.
Savings.Com
On this site, you can get discounts not only on goods but also on services. The deals here come from store deals. If HP has an offer for 80% off, it will be here.
This site can be used to find an online store or brand. On the home page, there is a row of thumbnails with the names of these brands. The offer is also written next to the logo of the store.
Here are a few examples of the kinds of businesses you can find here:
- Samsung
- New Navy
- HP
- Kirkland’s
- Gap
- Lowe’s
- Home Depot
- Shein
- New Navy
- Macy’s
If you like something, click the button that says “Get Deal,” and a new window will open. This window shows a list of everything this store has to offer. If you click Get Deal again for a certain offer, you will be taken to the retailer’s website, where you can make the purchase.
Savings.com doesn’t have any cash-back deals, but it does cover a wide range of popular stores and categories, like food, toys, tax services, travel and vacation, and a lot more.
Coupons for Amazon
Amazon, which is one of the biggest shopping sites in the world, also has its own deals. Every day, just go to https://www.amazon.com/coupons/ to find the best deals.
As always, everything is bought on Amazon. The discount you get here is not really from Amazon, but from the seller who put the item up for sale on the website.
Here are some examples of the kinds of products you can find here:
- Care for babies and kids
- Makeup and other beauty items
- Health and care for yourself
- Pet supplies
- Electronics
Even if you have coupons, you still have to pay for shipping on your own. Also, it makes sense to look at what else Amazon has to offer. A seller may put a pair of shoes up for sale, but it’s likely that another seller has posted the same item at a lower price.
Hip2Save
This site also has a lot of coupons. You don’t just get discounts on regular goods; you also get them on digital goods.
There are three main types of discounts on Hip2Save. These things:
- Deals
- Stores
- Coupons
In the Deals section, there are things for sale, and Amazon is also here. This is where you can look for free stuff and deals at restaurants.
For stores, you will see a list of online stores like JCPenney, Kroger, Best Buy, and more that offer discounts. Click on the Coupons link if you want to find coupons. Under that, you can choose from the most recent printable and digital coupons, or you can go to the site’s entire database of coupons.
If you are looking for groceries, this website is great. Products that usually cost $5 can be bought here for as little as $2. But you can only buy these things online.
ShopAtHome
As the name of the company suggests, this is a site where you can shop online and get bonuses. You must first be a member. After you’ve signed up, you can now look around the website for deals from big online stores.
Here are some of the most important stores you can find here:
- Target
- Best Buy
- Macy’s
- The Hardware Store
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Expedia
- eBay
On this site, you get a cash back. Different stores offer different amounts of cash back. After you buy something from a store, the money will be added to your ShopAtHome account. You can then move the money to your PayPal account from there.
To get cash back, you must use the links from ShopAtHome. If you don’t, you won’t get any points. You can also ask for a check or just turn the money into gift cards that you can use at Amazon.
Joining is free, and the list of retailers isn’t limited to the ones we showed earlier. This website also works with the huge home shopping network QVC. There are also a lot of other partners, like HSN or Home Shopping Network, Bloomingdale’s, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and many more.
Brad’s Deals
Every month, 5.5 million people shop online at Brad’s Deals. It has helped people save $222 million just in 2022. There have been 19 years of it.
If you want to get coupons from this site, here are the categories:
- Men
- Women
- Shoes
- Home
- Charge cards
- Electronics
- Travel
- Tickets
If these aren’t enough, you can click “More Categories” on the menu to see more options. Here, you can find deals on speakers, cashback cards, rewards cards, fitness trackers, and so much more.
How it works is easy to understand. If you like a product, you can click on it to go to its page, where you can find out more about it. If you want to buy something, click the button that says “Check it Out.” A new window will open.
This window takes you to the seller’s site, where you can finish the purchase. Brad’s Deals is kind of like a place where ads are shown. It’s likely that it gets a cut of the things you buy through it.
Smart Source
This site really is a coupon site. The products are lined up nicely, and all you have to do to get them is click on them. When you click on an item, the coupon for that item will be “clipped.” You have to keep cutting out these coupons until you’re happy.
When you’re done, you have to click the Print Coupons button. If you do that, the website will make you a document. You need to print this page, cut out the coupons, and then give them to the store. The file type is PDF.
Before you can print the PDF, you need to be online. Each customer gets a different coupon code, which is based on their zip code.
Entering a zip code in the bar at the top of the page is the best way to use this website. So, the site will only show you deals and coupons for places near you.
Living Social
Living Social has its own store. But it gets the things it sells from its partners. If you buy things from the Living Social website, you will get discounts.
For example, a pair of shampoo bottles can be bought for $18 instead of $28. In contrast to other coupon sites, you have to buy something here. You won’t be taken to a different website.
There are only a few types of things here, like:
- Spas and Beauty
- Food and beverages
- Places to Stay and Go
In the “20% Off” section of the menu at the top, you can find deals that you can sort. There is a list of categories on the left side of that page. Choose the boxes you want, and then use the filter below that to choose how much of the original price you want to be taken off.
You can also sort the products by customer reviews and only show those with five stars, or you can sort them by price from lowest to highest or highest to lowest.
Summary
Use coupons to save money. They work, and if you do this as a hobby, it could become your full-time job. Years ago, there were even TV shows where moms were asked about how they used coupons.
These moms spent hours cutting or printing coupons from magazines. In the end, they got so many free things that they were able to store piles of goods in cabinets. Many of them didn’t spend more than $100 on groceries, even though it cost them thousands of dollars.
