You may think couponing is not trendy anymore. You may believe coupon users are just a bunch of saving enthusiasts. Not necessarily so. Coupons are great tools to save real money. But should it be done to the extreme? Let's talk about that.
As in any fiction, a lot of things are exaggerated in such extreme couponing shows. In real life couponing should not be as extreme. Coupons may be over with all the hype around them these days, but remain a great way to save money and pay less for things.
In addition, couponing is much easier today than say 10-20 years ago. This is why we should take full advantage of these great savings and discounts. Let's see how to be a productive saver in Canada.
Top places to find coupons in Canada
It's difficult to get physical mail-in coupons these days as brands go fully digital. On the other side, the digital era offers speed. You don't have to wait for coupons to arrive. You print coupons out or upload them to your smartphone before going to your preferred grocery story.
In Canada you can use several popular coupon websites where you can order and print coupons. Yes, the caveat is you may need to have a home printer for some of this.
See our tips and recommendations about choosing a printer for your couponing needs here. The top line: choose an affordable laser printer, which is less expensive to operate despite their initial higher cost compared to ink printers.
Coupons with Save.ca
Save.ca is one of the oldest coupon sites in Canada. This site was built to collect orders for mail-in coupons working with multiple brands. With time, the site evolved to an online place with coupons, flyers, deals.
Save.ca is also a hosting platform for hidden brand coupons. Brands may choose to set up individual landing pages that are not visible on Save.ca. These coupon portals are usually accessed from individual links and are used by brands in their promotion efforts.
Save.ca has a large email list - we'd encourage you to sign up. The site sends early notifications and exclusive deals by email. This is a good way to stay informed.
Coupons with Websaver
We talked about Websaver in this complete Websaver guide. We'd like to mention this site again. Websaver.ca came into being as a competitor to Save.ca almost 10 years ago.
Websaver works in similar ways. It asks you for your province and will show you coupons valid for your location.
Websaver also has hidden coupon portals. This is done to help brands focus on promotions.
Unlike Save.ca, Websaver operates a different coupon site: Zebra Coupons. This site sends coupons by post against a small postage fee. The fee covers the printing and shipping of the selected coupons.
Coupons with SmartSource
SmartSource is another popular coupon site. It's not a fully Canadian product as the mother company is located in the US.
SmartSource Canada lets you clip and print coupons without signing in or signing up. Your printer needs to be on.
Our site actually offers SmartSource coupons too - you can check the SmartSource coupon section and print your coupons without leaving our site. What's the catch? Every time you clip and print 10+ coupons our team will get a couple of cents as a reward for hosting these coupons.
Brand coupon portals
Large companies like P&G, Danone Canada, built their own coupon portals. It makes sense for such companies with tens of brands to host their own coupons.
Check these coupon portals - they work in the same way. You pick coupons and print them out.
Brand coupons
A lot of individual brands prefer to announce their coupons along promos and deals on their brand sites. This trend is obvious with fast-food chains:
But this trend is also present in stores like Bulk Barn.
Retailer store coupons
Retailers and grocery stories may also have coupons that are only valid in their stores. Check the Walmart coupon portal, for instance. The same is valid for grocery stores and pharmacies:
- Metro coupon portal
- London Drugs coupons and flyers
Coupons in your mail
Don't throw the junk mail without looking through it. Every now and then you may get coupon booklets in your mailbox. These may be from P&G, SmartSource, RedPlum. Don't dismiss these papers as they may bring in some savings.
Coupon booklets come inside newspapers or brand magazines (Costco's, for instance).
In-store coupons
If you don't rush through to the exit in your grocery store, you may notice a board covered in coupons. Whether it's IGA, Metro, Super C, Giant Tiger - they all have coupon boards where you can find good deals and coupons.
In-store coupons change weekly. No one asks for your email, address or phone number to get these.
Coupons for online shopping
Coupons for online shopping are different in nature. These are mostly promo codes that you can use at checkout.
The problem with online promo codes is that it's tough to find valid ones. They expire fast and you may need to check several codes before you hit the right one.
Here are two sources of online coupons and promo codes you may want to try:
Honey: It's an extension to use in your browser. Before you click Purchase in the cart, activate the addon and it will try to find a valid coupon for you. This extension is super popular in the US and is getting a lot of traction in Canada too.
Amazon Assistant: You can install this extension from Amazon if Amazon is a go-to shopping place for you. Amazon Assistant actually helps to compare prices when you are about to buy something elsewhere. It may show that the same product is cheaper on Amazon. Sorry, BestBuy, it happened to us several times already!
Extreme couponing in Canada today
Extreme couponing is still a thing, whether it's on TV or real life. US-based TV channels had several shows and series where the main characters are supposed to use limited resources like $50 and show where this money will get them.
Extreme couponing is more of a new sport. A survivalist type of sports. Living in Canada and being exposed to the whims of our weather, we know what survival is. Can this survivalist extreme couponing happen in our land?
Unfortunately, extreme couponing is virtually impossible in Canada. The main reason is that local brands don't allow coupon stacking (using multiple manufacturer and in-store coupons on the same product). You may see it in the fine print. Most of Canadian coupons say that they cannot be used in combination with any other discounts.
Our coupons are also often limited to one person, per transaction.
Our coupons also have finite expiration dates.
If we compare with the U.S., they often have double-coupon days, when stores may double the discount in the coupon. We haven't seen anything similar in Canada, at least not in Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes.
We also see more restrictions in Canada vs. the US. Discounts and coupons may not be always used on items on clearance here.
Extreme couponing in Canada in the future
We believe extreme couponing or, rather, better savings are opening up to Canadians with the rise of loyalty programs.
Loyalty cards like the PC Optimum program used in Loblaws stores and Shoppers Drugmart (Pharmaprix) pharmacies may be an interesting way to save on items that you buy regularly. Your regular purchases help you accumulate points that can result in discounts or free buys.
Cashback apps like Checkout 51 allow to get some cash back when you scan and upload your grocery receipts into the app.
Is Extreme couponing a good occupation?
Couponing is a fun activity when you are able to save a good amount of dollars. Sometimes, couponing feels like making money. Couponing like any other activity is only good when it's practiced in moderation. You want to get discounts and rebates on the items you need. Buying for the sake of using coupons is not about saving, but hoarding. You want to have a clear vision about when the drive to save turns into a drive to hoard.
Want to read more about couponing? Here are more useful pieces to check out.