Great online coupon sites for saving money

By Jennifer Chappell Smith

The stigma of using coupons died during the recession, and great online coupon sites abound. Saving money is trendy again.

Grocery coupon redemption alone increased by 27 percent in 2009 and continues to increase in 2010, reports CouponMom.com, one of the original coupon consolidation sites. Founder Stephanie Nelson remembers when her site and only one other “coupon match-up site” existed on the Internet, and hers was the only one that was free.

“We were the first site to create an online coupon database to make it easier for shoppers to organize coupon information to plan their shopping lists,” she says. “We literally entered the information from the Sunday newspapers into a spreadsheet and published it on the Web in the beginning. Today, we enter the information into an online database for 50 states.”

Learn how to shop with coupons

While Nelson is ten years into her mastery of online coupons, Ashley Nuzzo of FrugalCouponLiving.com began using coupons more recently. Now she offers a free blog about how to take advantage of online coupon sites. She recommends beginners start slow. “I always tell people to start with one to five coupons on a great deal and work your way toward having a whole shopping list full of great deals,” she says.

As you begin to master the art of using Internet-based coupons, keep a journal of what you save to understand the value of the time you spend printing and organizing your online finds. Here are some other ways to use online coupons wisely.

• Focus on one or two stores at first. In her blog, Nuzzo advises readers to start out with one store. “As you master one store, pick up another store,” she says. “Grow outward.”
• Get to know your favorite grocery store patterns and websites. “Being an expert at your own stores’ savings and coupon programs is the key to saving the most money each week,” Nelson says.
• Plan meal plans for at least the week ahead. Rely on your store’s key sale items or items you have on hand to fill out the game plan, recommends Nelson. Or, alter your meal plans to accommodate special deals. “When you see a deal you can’t pass up, such as 75 percent off or more, it may make sense to change your meal plan to include that bargain,” Nelson says.

Do watch for online scams, though. The Better Business Bureau warns consumers to watch for fraudulent online coupons. It warns against sites that ask you to pay for coupons or requires personal contact information; legitimate sites ask only for e-mail addresses to sign up for an account on the site.

Terrific online coupon sites

Here are some of the best coupon sites online.

• FatWallet.com: Listed by Consumer Reports on its list of favorite online coupon sites, this one offers lots of listings, reader forums, and cash back if you shop through its site links.
• Coupons.com: Connects you with a digital network of thousands of grocery, drug, and retail store sites, along with media, lifestyle, and recipe sites.
• SmartSource.com: Like several coupon sites, this one asks you to download its coupon printer, allowing clean printing of coupons for easy scanning at the store.
• RetailMeNot.com: This site boasts offers at more than 65,000 stores across all retail categories.
• Restaurant.com: You’ll get list of participating restaurants near you that offer gift certificates at discount prices. You might get $25 worth of food for $10, for instance. Some caveats may apply, such as two entrees required when you dine.
• Groupon.com: This site compounds the power of coupons with the use of social media. You get e-mail or Facebook and Twitter updates noting the daily deal in your hometown, and you’re encouraged to pass on the info to friends online. You also can earn $10 worth of Groupon bucks by referring a friend to sign up for the daily deal newsfeed.
• CouponMom.com: One of the original coupon sites on the Web, it promises to help cut your grocery bill in half. By maximizing store savings programs, using the site’s coupon database and other coupon sources, and timing your purchases right, you can save big.
• BabyCheapskate.com: One of coupon blogger Ashley Nuzzo’s favorites, this site posts entries from the organizer and fans of the site about current deals on toys, baby gear, Halloween costumes, and more.