~Where to Get Free Product Coupons~

A great deal of my savings comes from the use of free product coupons. I have a coupon holder that holds just FPCs! Often they have long expiry dates and so I've got some that I'm saving for a rainy day! Where do I get them all? I get asked that all the time!

First place to look is in coupon inserts in your local paper. These inserts come out at random times of the year according to a schedule. There are two main ones that are listed on that schedule: Smartsource and Shop & Save. These inserts are usually found in your major city papers or the one that all your other flyers come in. It is worth it to pick up the paper on the weekend these come out! Coupon distribution varies across Canada so not every region receives the same coupons. There is also another insert that comes out in papers called the P&G Brandsaver. The Brandsaver coupons can also be selected online and are distributed by save.ca. Brandsaver doesn't tend to distribute FPCs but I have gotten BOGO offers from them. You can however find FPCs on Save.ca quite often. If you are surfing online they sometimes have banners for their current save.ca offers posted on different search engines. That is often how you can discover them! There is always of course the thread on Smart Canucks that I refer to all the time! They keep this thread up to date with current save.ca offers!

Second place to find them is on products. Cereal boxes often have them but they can be found on many products. You just need to keep your eyes out! Of course don't purchase the product if you don't need it unless the value of the product less coupons and the FPCS on it makes it free. In that case you can donate it to your local food bank!

Another place I get many is from trades! Many members on Smart Canucks put together bundles of FPCs and trade for gift certificates or other FPCs. I often get huge bundles of these by redeeming airmiles for GCs and then trading them for the FPCs that I can use.

On Ebay you can find sellers that are listing FPCs! I know you're thinking "Why would I pay for a FPC???" Doesn't make sense does it?!? Well sometimes it works out. For instance, I've purchased Source and minigo yogurt FPCs in bundles of 4-10 per at the cost of one yogurt. So I've gotten one less free, not a biggie to me. But I use mystery shopping payment money, or money I've earned by selling items myself on ebay to pay for them. I've never taken money from my bank account to buy coupons. It's always been 'extra' money!

Join companies mailing list or clubs! I've received Always pads or Tampons FPC, LaCoupe shampoo, Nestle Tollhouse chips, Kashi Cereal FPC. Also many will send out cents off coupons when you sign up! Sometimes these are one time offers so watch the forum at Smart Canucks for announcements!

Finally, and this is a little known fact, is to write companies and ask! Yup! if you shoot off a nice compliment letter that says something like: My family loves your (insert product name) and we use it all the time! I would love if you could share any coupons that you may have so that we can try other products you offer and continue to enjoy the ones we love! I use different variations of this kind of letter and write to companies via their online contact form and I've had a lot of luck. Companies that send FPCs include: Pinnacle Foods (Duncan Hines, Vlasic Pickles, Hungry Mans, Aunt Jemima Breakfast products) Cloverleaf (Tuna, Salmon, plus cents off coupons), SC Johnson (Saran, Ziploc ,other brands), Colgate/Palmolive ( will mail out $5-$10 off coupon), Clorox, Fleishmans Yeast, Johnson & Johnson (Replacement coupon for Parents Pack). Other companies replace their products if you have a legitamite concern with one you have purchased but most companies will mail something out even if it is only cents off coupons if you compliment.

It is trial and error but please don't abuse the good nature of these companies and only request one for yourself!

Happy hunting for FPCs! I hope you enjoy many savings with these tips! In the future I will post any particularily good FPCs that I come across and share with you all how I got them! Coupon Trains is next on the blog in a guest post from Deb, the moderator over at Canadian Coupons Exchange Yahoo group! I'm a member there and can't say enough about what a great group of people there are on there! There is a link on my sidebar to join up and be a part of the group! Looking forward to hearing any of your tips on getting FPCs! Drop me a comment and share with other readers!