Hidden coupons: a gold mine of opportunities

When I tell people I always look through my Val-Pak coupons when they come in the mail, a lot of them don’t believe me and give me a weird look. I think a lot of people get into the habit of just throwing out “junk mail” when it hits the kitchen table and don’t bother to look through some of it to see what little gold nugget of savings they might be able to find.

Perhaps it’s the bargain hunter in me, but I started to meticulously study any coupon booklet, be it the Valley Sun, the Val-Pak of coupons or the Big Book of Good Deals: Mat-Su Borough Edition as it came across my door in the hopes of scoring some freebie or great deal.

In the past couple of years I’ve found a couple coupons that were definitely worth mentioning. The free chocolate bar I got from All About Herbs a couple of years ago to celebrate its birthday and the little free kits from Scraptique Boutique were really nice finds.

The coupon I’m really still having fun with currently is the $5 in free books from Books, Inc., a local used bookstore. They have been releasing this coupon in the Big Book of Good Deals: Mat-Su Borough Edition for a while now. Being a fan of Books, Inc. before the coupon ever crossed my door, I try to make it into Books, Inc. to take advantage of this coupon when I can. The best part is that after you have read the book you bought, if you no longer want it you can return it for credit to take some money off your future purchases. I call that win-win. Even if you can’t use this coupon yourself, consider this: Do you have someone who loves books in your family? This coupon could result in really cheap Christmas gifts for the book-lover in your family.

And remember, just because something looks like junk mail doesn’t necessarily mean it is. A while back I received a coupon booklet in the mail from a company I had completed a survey for over a year ago in an envelope that clearly shouted “junk mail.” I figured it was nothing big, so I handed the unopened envelope to my daughter to destroy at her leisure. I would have lost out on some very nice coupons if not for my daughter coming up and handing me the coupons that came in that envelope instead of her tearing them up like she normally would. If she hadn’t handed me those coupons I would have lost three very high-value coupons that I used to get nearly free coffee cream, macaroni and cheese and free (after coupon) bandages. That’s when the lesson to always check my mail for coupons hit home.

Just remember the saying, “never judge a book by its cover.” Wait until you know what is inside the envelope before you hand it to your 2-year-old to shred.

Erika Buswell runs a blog dedicated to coupons and deals in Alaska (alaskanbargainhunter.blogspot.com) and lives in Palmer with her husband and two children.