Using the Tools at How to Shop for Free
I’ve been Couponing practically my entire life. I would sit down with my paper flyer in my hand and my coupon organizer and put together my shopping list. It was a lot of work but it was definitely worth it because I was saving a lot of money. A little over five years ago a friend posted a link to Kathy’s NECN special. In the special she talked about her book and website, How to Shop for Free. After watching the clip I went to the website to check it out. What sets HowtoShopforFree.net apart from other sites was how interactive the site is. I have yet to see anything that compares to our Forums. As I navigated around the Forums and started posting I realized what a safe and friendly environment it is. I also noticed all the great tools How to Shop for Free has to offer like the Coupon Database and Price Comparison Tool. This week’s installment of Couponing 101 is going to be your road map to HowtoShopforFree.net.
Forums – The Forums are where you will find all the best deals for the week. We break down the ads and give you step by step instructions for each deal each week for your favorite stores. Those instructions include the quantity to purchase, which coupons to use (including a link to a printable coupon or which insert the coupon can be found in), and any rewards points coming back to you. We do all the work for you! In addition to Forums for all your favorite stores we have Forums for everything else you can think of coupon related such as “Coupon Trading and Selling”, “Free Samples and Freebies”, “General Discussion”, and “How to Use the Forums”. If you haven’t stopped by the Forums, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Coupon Database – Looking for a particular coupon to match up to a sale? Check out our Coupon Database. It’s simple to use and quicker than putting out the question, “Is there a coupon for that”? in one of the Facebook Groups. Simply type in the brand (i.e. Colgate) or the type of product (i.e. Cereal) and all the applicable coupons will populate. The Coupon Database will provide you with a clickable link for any printable coupons or will provide you with the insert type and date of any paper coupons available.
Price Comparison Tool – Let’s say you are looking for the best deal on Tide because you’ve got some coupons burning a hole in your pocket. “Back in the Day” you would have to get all your flyers together and just look for the best deal on Tide. With the Price Comparison Tool you would simply enter the item that you’re looking for and you will be given a complete list of current and upcoming sales or offers at all the stores we cover. You still make the decision as to where you want to shop or even if the deal is hot enough right now – we just put all of the necessary information right at your fingertips.
Couponing 101 – The Couponing 101 tab on the main page provides you with lots of valuable information from tips and tricks to a guide to all the coupon lingo. Here is what you will find
- Tips and Tricks – Posts covering everything you need to know in order to Shop for FREE. Topics like How to Get Started, Getting Coupons , and Understanding Stop & Shop Gas Points
- Lingo – Have you ever read a post or comment and wondered what OOP (out of pocket) or YMMV (your mileage or market may vary) meant? Wonder no more. We have a complete list of the most commonly used Coupon Lingo.
- Coupon Classes – Here we list any upcoming Coupon Classes or Events. If your interested in having a class in your area but don’t see anything posted email us at [email protected] to express your interest.
- FAQ – Frequently asked questions about How to Shop for FREE can be found here
Coupons – In addition to providing your one stop shop for printable coupons you’ll find so much more!
- Coupons – Here is your link to the best Printable Coupons
- Insert Schedule – Did you know that there is a schedule of which inserts (SmartSource, Red Plum, Proctor & Gamble plus any special inserts) are coming out which weeks? It’s a great tool to use to ensure that you don’t miss out on any great coupons!
- Money Saving Apps – Paper Coupons aren’t the only way to save money. We have a list of rebate Apps available like Ibotta and Savings Star along with a current list of available offers. These apps add offers everyday so once you set up the app you can set up alerts on your phone or via email directly from the app alerting you to new savings offers available. These applications are a great way to cash in on additional savings for products you’re probably already buying. Make sure you’re not leaving any money on the table!
- How to Shop for FREE – Have you read Kathy’s Book yet? We refer to it as the Couponing Bible. Whether you are a couponing novice or expert you’ll pick up some great tips and tricks from the book. It helps you to rethink things to get your mindset beyond just saving a few dollars to actually Shopping for FREE. It provides a whole new viewpoint and helps you to make small changes to your way of thinking in order to maximize your savings on everything from toiletries, to groceries to heating oil. If you haven’t ordered it yet, there is even a convenient link to do so.
Ad Scans – As easy and convenient the Forums are for deal seeking, sometimes you just want to see the ad. Often times, we have the ad scan before anyone else. As soon as we have it, you have it. Check this tab for the most recent ad scans in one convenient location.
Match-Up Lists – The weekly match-ups list all the ad items for each store along with any available coupons. While our Forums highlight the best deals, the match-ups provide you with all the deals in a convenient format that also allows you to put together a printable shopping list.
I could go on for days in order to show you all the cool things available at HowtoShopforFREE.net. This will provide you with the most commonly used and helpful tools that we have to offer. If you haven’t checked out our website yet, use this guide as your road map to savings.
Happy Shopping!
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