Before you check out, always check for coupons

Sites like RetailMeNot are an excellent source of coupons you can use when you get to the checkout page.

(Credit: RetailMeNot.com)

This post is an update of one I wrote nearly a year ago. Due to recent events, I thought it deserved a second look.

There I was, about to order a pack of paper for my new Dell Wasabi printer, when I spied one of those omnipresent promotion/coupon code boxes.

The paper was already on sale at Dell, but I figured, hey, might as well try. So I did what I always do when faced with a checkout page: I went trolling for coupons.

In other words, I searched Google for "Dell coupon codes." These searches routinely lead me to sites like DealLocker, RetailMeNot, and Techbargains, which collect discount codes under one roof for easy searching and browsing.

And guess what: found one! There's usually trial and error involved, as some codes work and some don't. (Sometimes you'll know from the description if a code is valid for your item.)

But this past weekend I batted 1.000, scoring discount codes for four out of four purchases: the aforementioned printer paper, a Brother toner cartridge from SuperMediaStore, a hard drive from HP, and a patio furniture cover from Kmart. Total savings: about $30. Not a fortune, but a pretty good return on my investment of about 10 total minutes.

I can't guarantee you'll have the same level of success (I'd say normally I manage to find a working coupon one time out of three), but for heaven's sake, try! A few minutes of searching might save you a few bucks--or more than a few.

Got a "found coupon" success story to share? Hit the comments and make your fellow readers jealous.

[sholleran]

DrsFosterSmith.com is always at least $5 off on RetailMeNot. Every little bit helps!

[RCHOBO]

Nice! I just scored 40% off on a $50 book at borders.

[krubby]

I always do a quick google for coupons, have come up big a few times w. free shipping, %'s off etc about 1/2 the time. well worth the 5-10 minutes if your online order is big enough

[wwrrww]

Bing is offering 10% off any Dell purchase, regardless of coupons.

Go to bing.com, click on shopping heading, type Dell in search box and press enter, click on "Bing Cashback" under the Dell.com sponsored sites on the right hand side.

[josh81]

Bing Cashback works on eBay, too! Just saved $24 off a $299 purchase (8%)! It will work with any Buy-It-Now. Sometimes its instantly put in your PayPal account, other times you have to wait. I think it depends on the amount of the purchase.

[PeteyBrian]

Thanks Rick - Never thought to search for coupon codes prior to checkout... I'll try on my next purchase!!!

[HEM524]

Oh I do it all of the time. Last year for the holiday season I saved tons. One of the best ones was for a Logitech docking station. Everywhere I checked it was $100 dollars. No break anywhere. I checked around for coupons and I found one for 20% off. Saving $20 bucks in five minutes was great. How much better could I have done than that. So then I decided why not try for me. I mean I saved the @20 dollars on a present I was buying but now I decided to try it for something I wanted. I had just gotten a new cell phone and I never walk around without an extra battery. In this case, because of the graphics intense screen I wanted two. I looked it up on Samsungs site because a manufacturers site is where you find the most current and complete list of items for a specific product. Not only did I want two batteries but I wanted the self charging cases for each of them. Well I found what I wanted and then looked for the coupon. Again I found it on Retail me not. Just like for the Logitech dock. I couldn't have been any more satisfied. I saved about $28 I think it was on that site and $20 on the Logitech site. Not bad for a little research. I will use that site, Retail me not, again this holiday season. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes not. Still worth a try.

[tehpwnz0r]

I saved 200 dollars on a Princeton Review online course using a coupon code. I think I win :D

[tinabult16]

I checked out the site--thanks, that is a great one. I like that they have a forum too. I also like FreeStuffandSamples.com at http://www.freestuffandsamples.com and http://www.amplefreesamples.com for totally free stuff.

[AlbanyHDTV]

Fatwallet.com is a great place to find coupons, hot deals, and cash back.

[sharoncollinsr]

Yup, I like to use online coupons, The most frequently visited coupon codes website is http://www.couponsmarter.com, you can try it too, with daily updated coupons for most leading online stores

[bsklar1]

saved $250 on an hp hdx18 laptop last week, think the coupon was from logicbuy.com. Good stuff.

[peco412]

Duh! Online coupons have saved me thousands of dollars on many of my online purchases. I would never rent a car without using an online coupon. You can usually save hundreds of dollars on a weekly rental, especially if you need a larger vehicle like an SUV or minivan.

[vmquan]

$100 dollar Puma Drift Cats on sale for $60, plus 50% off coupon for $30 dollars total, plus shipping. Not bad.

[riggsmcx]

Just purchased a new HP desktop, did a quick search for coupon codes, and saved $40! Thanks Cheapskate!!