Angela sent this question, “Where do you find free coupons? I never get FREE coupons and would love to.”
Many of the free product coupons I receive are from being part of the manufacturer’s clubs or panels. Sometimes they will offer a free product coupon in exchange for taking a survey or offering to review the product once the item has been used. A few of my favorites include VocalPoint, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Pepperidge Farms Fresh Ideas panel (openings are limited and rare). Kraft First Tast is another great one. Loyalty programs like Coke’s, Huggies & Pampers are great ways to earn coupons too!
Many times companies will offer a free product coupon on their website or on Facebook. These will usually go very fast and many only last minutes, or even seconds. (Be sure to “like” MoolaSavingMom to be the first to know!)
Asking for free samples. Sometimes, not always, free samples will include a coupon inside. Sometimes it is a cents off and occasionally it is a freebie coupon. Anytime I see a free sample offer I request it if it is something my family would use.
Asking for coupons often yields great rewards. Simply emailing or writing to the company and asking them for coupons sometimes will get you a few cents off coupons but they may send you a free item coupon.
Sharing your experience may also get you some free product coupons. (Note: being honest and upfront is very important. Don’t become a serial complainer (or a liar) in order to get a free box of tea). Many months ago I had a bar of Cheese from one of my favorite companies. I love this cheese and was devastated to find that several of the bars, which had months to their “sell by date” were covered in mold. So I called the company because I felt that something was wrong with that batch and they would want to know. They took my info, apologized and promised to look into the matter. About a week later I had about 4 FREE coupons for ANY of their products. It wasn’t necessary for me to yell, whine or demand- I simply let them know that the product wasn’t up to their normal standard.
The other side of the coin is true. If you find a product that you absolutely love – tell the company. Don’t write just hoping that your flattery will get you freebies but write because you want the company to really know how amazing their product is and you may be rewarded (it’s not guaranteed nor required but it would be nice!)
A few words of caution: If you’ve seen “that show” :Extreme Couponing and watched them hand over hundreds of dollars worth of “free” item coupons- dozens of “free” toilet paper coupons, etc- know that many of those have been shown to be fakes. No one wants to be a thief- and that is what happens when fake coupons are used – the shopper gets a bunch of stuff for free and the store loses money just the same as if the shopper ran out the door with a cart load of stolen items. If you see “free” item coupons on third party sites be very cautious. The best rule of thumb is to not use clipping sites (some of these have been full of fake coupons printed at their request overseas in order to make money off bargain hunters) and ebay. Coupons are free, let’s keep them that way.
Also, remember that many stores will not accept internet printed “Free” Coupons. Thankfully these are rare now but some companies still put them out. In my area finding a store that will accept them is difficult and so personally I don’t even waste my ink!
If you are emailed a coupon for a “free” product manufacturer coupon in a PDF file 99.9% of the time it’s a fake coupon. Save your ink.
* Entering (and winning) giveaways from bloggers is also another way to get free product coupons.
* about the fake coupons, I’ve couponed for a few years now and I have never seen a coupon for free toilet paper. If you see them suggest Google it first to see if any bloggers are talking about it.
* the best way to get completely free items (except tax) is with stacking coupons, or doubling or tripling coupons