Coupon Sources

Traditional Sources:
The biggest source of coupons is the Indianapolis Star. Recently RedPlum, the publisher of one of the two weekly coupon circulars, pulled out of the Indy Star, but it's still well worth it to subscribe. The best price I've seen is at http://www.subscription-offers.com/newspapers/indianapolis-star/ where you get a 6 month intro rate of $6.50/month for Thursday and Sunday delivery. After that I believe the current rate is $9.35/month.

As I said, Redplum pulled out of the Sunday paper and is direct mailing their circular. So far I've gotten mine without asking for it on Wednesdays, but you can ask to be put on their mailing list to help ensure you get it. The place to do so is here: http://www.valassis.com/1024/Contact/MailingListAddition.aspx. I'm not sure what their official policy is, but I signed up for myself, LT, the cat, both dogs and one of the parakeets... I'll let you know how many I get in 6-8 weeks.

I signed up for the Proctor & Gamble coupon book. 6-8 weeks for delivery, but supposedly chock full of high value coupons. You can sign up for it here.

Online Sources:
MyPoints is a "get points for reading emails" type of organization. I've been a member since 1998 and have received a number of gift cards for reading emails and taking part in offers that interest me. Right now MyPoints has teamed up with 2 coupon publishers to offer members their coupons. For every coupon I print through them and redeem, I get 10 points. Redeem 10 coupons in a month and get a bonus 25 points. I'm working on getting a referral link on here so you can click and join (and I get a bonus of 10% of your earned points). Until then, shoot me an email, coupon.rat@gmail.com, and I can send you a referral email. It's an interesting way to squeeze a little more out of your coupons.

If you don't want to hassle with MyPoints, you can just go direct to the coupon publishers:
SmartSource.com
Coupons.com
RedPlum.com

Printing coupons online generally requires you to install a small coupon printer app on your computer. Once you're up and running you can generally print 2 copies of each coupon per computer. And don't bother printing coupons you might use. Go for the ones you will definitely use. Huge paper saver (I also print on the back sides of pages to make myself feel extra frugal, black ink only!). Coupons are generally available on those sites for the entire month, though it doesn't hurt to check back occasionally. Sometimes new coupons are added during the month. Some of the really good coupons have a limited number of prints, so they get pulled after it's been printed X number of times. Always check at the beginning of the month for the uber-Qs.

Store incentives:
Marsh has a Fresh Idea Card, Kroger has a plus card, CVS has the ExtraCare card. Sign up for all of them if you haven't already. There's been some debate on consumer privacy with these, particularly CVS, because of medical information. I personally usually pay with a CC so they have the ability to track my shopping habits anyway. Plus, I'm broadcasting my purchases online for all to see, so track away!

Kroger sends out custom coupons based on your shopping history. I haven't received mine yet,but my step-mother gave me some my dad had earned. They package I had was a mix of store and manufacturer coupons, so watch them.

Another awesome source of coupons is the website of the store you are about to visit. I'll keep a list here of stores that offer coupons. Remember, stores that offer coupons generally accept 1 store and 1 manufacturer's coupon per item. Combine coupons and look for items on sale/clearance and you can usually score a few freebies.
Meijer MealBox (coupons in the box on the right under the "specials" tab)
Target

Walgreens publishes weekly coupons in their circular. They also release a book of store coupons each month, and their Register Rewards program can get you all manner of freebies. Combine the Register Rewards with coupons and they can pay you to shop there.

Trading:
A great way to get the coupons you want is by trading for them. Example: I don't have children, so when I come across a coupon for baby food, diapers or formula, I don't just throw them out. I catalog them and offer them up for trade. My $1.50/1 Pampers might just get me 1-2 extra $.50/1 coupons for frozen vegetables. Given the recent sales on frozen veggies, and coupon doubling, I could end up with 2 boxes of peas for the cost of a stamp! Also save Coke points and Box Tops for Education. Others out there will trade for them if you don't use them.

THE best place to trade is We Use Coupons. If you don't already have an account there, please take a moment to sign up and enter my user name, ratman1369, as the referrer. I'll be your bestest friend forever if you do.