Organic Coupons are not easy to come by but last year I put in some work on this and found some great ways to get your paws on what's out there.
- Clip from Newspaper Inserts - Organics are few and far between but there are some, so look. Muir Gen and Cascadian Farms often run coupons in the inserts.
- Clip from Store Flyers - Many stores like Publix, Whole Foods & Market Street do their own in-store flyers or magazines with coupons to clip. Ask about when these come out and whether they have a mailing list. Mambo Sprouts(available at Whole Foods stores) is a good organic coupon circular. Unfortunately, I have to have my Mom send it to me from Texas becasue although the coupons are not store specific, they won't let me go on the mailing list because there's no Whole Foods within who knows how many miles of me. They think all we do up here in Idaho is eat potatoes.
- Ebay - Yep, you can even buy coupons on ebay. It's a good option for things you buy weekly or can stock up on. Be sure to check expiration dates though and pay attention to seller feedback.
The next 4 are my ORGANIC COUPON SECRET WEAPONS!
- Printables from Online Coupon Sites - This is an EXCELLENT way to get organic coupons. You usually have to download a small (and safe in my experience) coupon printer, but once you do you can print coupons at home straight from the internet. Though mostly conventional products, these sites often have organics as well.
Coupons.com
Eat Better America (also great recipes)
Health e Savers (emails your coupons to you)
- Coupon blogs also fall under this category. Most coupon blogs focus more on conventional products but some of the bigger ones have a section on organics as well. Here are a few I like to check from time to time:
Mommy Saves Big
Rebecca's Bargains
- Printables from Manufacturers Websites - The biggest chunk of work I did when I was getting into couponing was to make a list of all the organic companies whose products I bought, get online and go to all their websites. Several offer printable coupons right on the site. Look for a tab that says coupons, offers or promotions. I found printables on the following sites:
Organic Valley
Horizon
Stonyfield Farms
7th Generation
Brown Cow
- Email or Mail Requests to Manufacturers - Sometimes the
website might not have printables but will offer coupons if you sign
up for their newsletter. Some others had no offers at all but did have
a comment or contact us section. I wrote them all a brief email
telling then I loved their product and specifically asking for coupons
for the products I use. I also provided my mailing address. Below are
the ones that actually sent me coupons in response to an email or
form. I'd say I spent about 2 hours going to sites and sending
emails. It was worth it. Some companies (I love you Amy's!) sent a ton
of coupons.
Amy's Kitchen
Imagine
Annie's
Van's
Gold'n Plump All Natural Chicken
Earthbound Organics
Orowheat
Some Online Couponing Tips
I highly recommend creating a new email account (gmail or hotmail or an extra one on your domain) specifically for use when you sign up for coupon groups, manufacturers websites and newsletter. That way you can keep all this stuff in one place and not junk up your regular email account. But check it from time to time too because those newsletters sometimes contain coupons or links to printables.
Start out by going through your fridge and pantry and making a full list of all the brands & products you buy. Use this list when you start looking at manufacturers websites for prinatables and ways to send requests. It's also worth a quick search for "[Brand name] Printable" to see if anything comes up on another site.
Many printables only give you 2 prints per offer. But if it's something you use a ton of, print 2 from your work computer too or get your husband to at his. I sometimes get my sister and mom to print extra milk coupons for me.
The Bottom Line
On May 1st I spent 2 hours couponing online. I printed $30 worth of coupons right then and there. I emailed coupon requests to 8 more companies and, 4 weeks later, 6 of those companies have sent coupons totaling another $30. I also purchased 15 $1/off Milk coupons (before I discovered the local dairy we're using now) and 15 .75/off Knudsen's Juice Coupons for a total of $4. So....
My Cost: 2 hours + $4
My Savings: $86.25 (online coupons only)
Online and clipped coupons, together with my stores sales and specials, and I'm able to save from $15-35 each week. It would be a lot more if I had stores to chose from but that's all at one store that isn't a national chain and doesn't double or triple coupons, so it's pretty good. If you are actually able to comparison shop for the lowest prices and even match coupons with different store sales you are going to be able to save lots more.
Please feel free to add other ideas and sites you use in the comments section!
