How to Coupon in Fairfield Part 1—Grocery Stores

You may be wondering, “Where do I get those darn coupons?!”

Don’t worry, you don’t have to go dumpster diving! (That’s a bit hard to do now, anyhow, thanks to single-stream recycling—there are no longer walk-in paper recycling bins at the dump in Fairfield.)

Here are some solutions to the coupon conundrum:

1. If you shop at ShopRite in Fairfield, you do not need many coupons, other than the store’s own Super Coupons, which are readily available in their hundreds of sales circulars readily found in the store. I list the good Super Coupons and non-coupon deals in the Two Frugal Fairfielders’ Facebook page every Sunday or Monday. In addition, most of the store associates have Super Coupons at their register so they know which ones to use even if you do not know the item is on sale. ShopRite has so many good sales and Super Coupons, you don’t even need many regular manufacturer coupons to cut your grocery bill in half every time you shop.

2. If you shop at either of the Stop & Shops in Fairfield, you may have noticed they are competing with our beloved ShopRite in the Super Coupon and 3-day super sale arena. Often times, they will have readily-available Super Coupons in their store sales circulars. (And remember, you can use these Stop & Shop coupons at ShopRite in Fairfield since they accept competitor’s coupons.)

Confused yet…?

3. If you really want to get your hands on multiple coupon inserts, and you want them for free, visit the Fairfield Woods Branch Library. There is a little table downstairs tucked in a corner near the elevator where you’ll find baskets of free inserts. In addition, the same coupon inserts are available at the Stratford Public Library (near the Resource desk). I post on the Two Frugal Fairfielders' Facebook page when I deliver those inserts so you know to go get them.

Important note: People who are unfamiliar with couponing tend to think that the coupons in the inserts have expired. Coupons are updated every month so you may encounter some expired coupons. But, if there is, for example, a September insert, the coupons INSIDE the insert will be good for 2-3 months. They do not expire IN September. The insert was distributed in the newspaper IN September. People frequently are confused with this. My best advice: go through the inserts to find coupons that are not expired! Bring a magnifying glass with you -- those expiration dates are tough to read most of the time.

4. If you prefer to get coupons delivered directly to you, you will need to take out multiple newspaper subscriptions. You can always call the CT Post to see if they have promotions for just the Sunday paper. If you want to contact the Hearst promo person directly, his name is Steve Esposito, and he often has great deals. You may have seen him in person selling promotional subscriptions at a department store or drug store. His email, and do not hesitate to contact him: espo17@gmail.com. (One promotional example: weekend CT Post for $15 for a 3-month subscription. That’s half the cost of spending $2.50 every Sunday for the paper at the local bagel shop. I use these promotional subscriptions all the time, but you have to remember to renew, which I never remember to do!)

5. There are always online and digital coupons, another subject that I will talk about in future column (it is too large of a subject to discuss here).

Any questions about couponing in Fairfield, please ask here or on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/twofrugalfairfielders.