[samantha21]

I am fairly new to the coupon network. I started about 2 months ago and everytime i go to the store i get printable coupons, coupons from the company, and coupons out of the paper. I have noticed online you can buy coupons for a few cents and they seem to have better coupons. In the long run is this a really good deal or can i find those coupons somewhere else and i am just not looking. Also, if you buy your coupons which place(s) do you buy from? i know this probably should not go under commissaries but that is where i get most of my groceries so I thought you ladies might know. Anymore tips would be helpful. I know some of you get really good deals.

[morgzack]

Though I have never shopped at a commissary, I may be able to offer a little advice on coupons in general. Many of us - including myself sometimes - "pay a service fee" for coupons. Technically, coupons aren't supposed to be sold, but a person can charge a service fee for finding, clipping and mailing coupons to another person.

Since the coupons in different areas of the country can be different, it's a helpful way to get Qs you might not get in your area for products you use or upcoming sales. I generally go to Ebay and I compare prices for any Q that I am looking for. THe total you pay with shipping can vary a lot. You can also go the the FSOT boards on this website and find people trading or selling Qs you might need. Every week, when SUnday Qs come out, I check seveal different sources to find as many Qs that came out around country as I can. Sometimes I still find out about one that I didn't know existed weeks later. You can check AFCs coupon database from time to time and enter the "TYPE" as Sunday SUpplement and the enter the date of the insert (like yesterday's Qs would be 08/16/09) and the insert you are seeking from the drop down menu. You can sometimes find Qs your area didn't get or a different value than your area received in the paper. I also check Taylortownpreview.com (hope I am allowed to say that here) to see what Qs she has listed in her area. She is a coupon service. I then check under the "Let's Talk Coupons" forum here on AFC. You will see a "Current Coupons" catagory and when you click that, you will see a "Sunday Supplement" catagory. Some of the great members of this site list what was released in their areas. These are all great way to find what came out each week. I check AFCs database a few days later again to find any Qs that come out on Sunday that members entered after Sunday.

Make a wishilst! THis is a great way for you to keep up with which Qs you need. If you aren't sure how to do this, you can PM me or post on the boards for help. You can look at my wishlist (click the little wishlist link by my name on the top of this post) if you like. I break it down by the week the Q came out so when I trade or when someone on a coupon train is sending to me, they can see exactly what Qs I am looking for, the value, and when/where the coupon came from. A lot of people have extra inserts unclipped that they trade from or clip as they need. It helps them be able to find the Q you are looking for without going through a ton of Sunday Inserts to find a generic Q. You can also make an ISO list by searching the coupon database here on AFC by week, coupon, product, source, etc and click the little box next to each coupon you would like to have. At the bottom of each page on the search results, click "add to ISO list" and this will save that info on your ISO list.

I hope I helped a little! Good luck to you and welcome to AFC! THere are always great folks here to help you along the way.

Sherry