5 A Day – Write 5 Companies A Day and Hope For Coupons In Return
A great resource for coupons is by emailing the company directly. You can tell them your favorite things about the product, how you use it, who loves it the most in your family, etc. (If you have a complaint, be sure to be honest with them about your issues. They also appreciate it if you can include the product numbers from the packaging.) And hopefully they will reward you for sharing your opinions by sending you coupons. I NEVER ASK FOR COUPONS.
Instructions
- First you need to download the 5 A Day spread sheet. It contains links to the companies contact pages and a spot for you to write what coupons you received. You might also want to write the date you emailed them. Most companies will send you coupons for your comments about every 6 months.
5 A Day PDF
Editable Excel Spreadsheet
Editable Word Doc
Google Spreadsheet (you should be able to go to File > Download As to save it to your computer) - Choose 5 companies to email. I usually try to avoid emailing 5 brands made by the same manufacturer in the same day. (Like emailing Pillsbury, Totino’s, Betty Crocker, etc which are all General Mills brands)
- Hopefully you will receive coupons in your mailbox within a few weeks.
Example Emails
Writing to companies is a great way to get coupons. And the more coupons you get, the more you save off your grocery bill and the more extra you have to put towards other areas of your budget (like a Disney fund).
Each day (Monday – Friday) I suggest you email 5 companies from the above spreadsheet. These letters can be compliments, complaints or questions. 9 times out of 10, if you take the time to write a company, they will take the time to send you some coupons. Sometimes they even send coupons for free products!
So what should you write?
I always write about something personal. Earlier this month, I wrote to Raid. A wasp had gotten into my house. I am so terrified of wasps that I used a 1/3rd of a can of Ant and Roach spray on the wasp before killing it with the fly swatter. So when I wrote Raid, I shared the details in the incident with them. Then I told them how much I love their product and how it improves my quality of life. They sent me a coupon for a free can of wasp spray.
Here’s some basics to remember when writing a company.
- Be specific. Don’t just write Huggies for example and say you love their diapers. Tell them that you love their Snug and Dry line of diapers. That your son has to point to Mickey every time he gets changed.
- Make it personal. Tell them how much you, your kids, your dog, etc love their specific product.
- Talk about a specific time you used the product. Let them know if the packaging was easy to get into, if you liked the design, how fresh the product was, etc.
- Thank them for making the product. Be sure to tell them how much it improves your quality of life. Companies seem to really like the fact that they are making your life better.
- Always be polite. At the end, thank them for taking the time to read your letter.
- Be honest! Don’t make a complaint if you don’t have a legitimate complaint. They usually launch an internal investigation so it’s important to give them accurate information.
- If you have a complaint, make sure you have the product package available. They will want codes off of it so they can alert their quality control department.
Here are 2 sample letters:
Complimenting Minnie’s Magical Muffin Mix
I wanted to just take a moment of my time to write to you today and tell you how much my family loves your Minnie’s Magical Muffin Mix especially the Pluto Pineapple flavor. When I serve your muffins at my breakfast table, my whole family raves about how sweet and delicious they are. Thank you so much for making a great product that enables my family and I to make great memories around the breakfast table every Saturday. Thank you for your time.
(Ok I know it’s a little sappy, but that’s what works. Get as personal as you can about the product and tell them how much their product means to you.)
Complaint about Daisy’s Danishes
I recently noticed your product on the shelf and decided I would give it a try. I was so disappointed when I served your product during my weekly tea with my Disney World Lover’s Club and realized that the product was stale! Somehow the packaging had become unsealed before I went to open it myself. I was so disappointed and embarrassed. I’m not sure if I will try your product again in the future after this incident. Thank you for your time.
(See how I provided the information concerning the incident and my hesitation to try the product again? I never flat out asked for coupons. I just give them honest feedback and let the chips fall where they may. Also if you have an issue with a product, save the packaging so you can provide the company with the batch numbers off the packaging so they can investigate the incident.)
5 A Day Brags
Here are some of the coupons that have been received from the 5 A Day campaign…
Go here to see recent 5 A Day updates.
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
I have started doing this and have received some pretty good coupons. Bridgeford Frozen Bread automatically sends my coupons every few months. Nice. The cashier at the grocery store asked where I got such good coupons. I told her I wrote the companies and I wrote down your blog page for her. I told her how you wrote how to do it right!
Thanks for the savings!
I never thought to this until reading here a few months back! I have scored tons of freebies and some super hot coupons this way! My favorite company … JIFFY! They sent me a sampler box full of different mixes! PS – I would also love an Amazon card! :)
How often do you email same companies or do you just email them once and thats it?
Most companies will send you coupons every six months.
“I NEVER ASK FOR COUPONS.”
Why you should not ask for coupons upfront ? Is this bad or not polite? Do you send them mails or e-mails? Which way is better?
I hear some consider it rude, but I always ask. I compliment and then tell them I would love any coupons that could help a loyal customer out :) I usually get them :)
That`s what i thought.
If you write only compliments you get back only thank you letters, not coupons:)
Or may be i wrong….
I’ve gotten MANY coupons from writing and complimenting products…
I get a lot. Thank you so much for the great idea! Need to send another pic soon!
So far today I have emailed 4 companies asking for samples of gummy omega-3 kids vitamins. 3 have already sent out sample packs. If anyone knows of a good gummy omega-3 vitamin we could try, I would appreciate it. My 9yo has SPD and is one of the top 5 pickiest children on earth I think. Maybe the universe. :)
I have a silly question but if we email them and they want to send us coupons, how will they know where to send them. Am I supposed to put my address in the email?
nevermind :-) lol It asked me for my address when I continued submitting.
OH YEAH!
I decided to write my car company because I have over 200,000 miles on it and still runs great. Guess who got a free oil change for up to 100 dollars? oh yeah that’s right! 100 dollars towards Disney!!
That’s awesome!!!
I need to do that. My dad’s truck went to 300K and then someone rear-ended him and totaled it out. Mine has 209K on it now… :)
200000 and still runs – awesome.
What company? i`ll buy their car!!!
Chevy right? (:
LOL!! Actually, not mine… Both Ford (Ranger and Explorer)!
I can’t wait to do this! Time for some freebies!
I’ve been doing this for years!! My mom and aunt have always joked about “firing off letters” when they have been disappointed in a product or company so when I joined the conversation I said ya know what I will. They made fun of me for weeks until I got a $75 dollar check from tide and 6 coupons for free diapers in the first month. I really only did it when I had problems with products but I plan to start sending emails about how much we like products and why to see if its worth the time. Thanks for the tip!!
How in the heck did you get $75 from tide?!
that’s what I want to know? rofl
Hi there! I’ve done this in the past with a lot of success, but fell off the wagon for a bit. I’m starting back up and noticed that you have companies like A-1 which comes from Kraft. Has anyone received coupons from them in the past? Their website says they do not have access to coupons.
Thanks for all of the work you do to save us $$ :)
~Diane
I messaged Kraft Foods through their Facebook profile about their BelVita biscuits about a problem I had with the items and they were quick to respond with apologies and also asked for my address to send me something to make up for it and with a few weeks I received 2 coupons for free items. :)
I have gotten numerous coupons from kraft
I love Kraft! :)
I started to do this a few months ago and it seems I only get thank you notes sent to my email.
That is going to happen from time to time, that is why she recommends doing 5 different companies, every day or atleast 5 different companies every other day. Think about it, if you take the time to email/contact 5(give or take) companies a day for 5 consecutive days you will have emailed 35 companies down…you will eventually get atleast 2-3 in every 5 will mail you coupons. I know this sounds time consuming, but it works if you want savings! :)
Here are companies that I got feedback that I will be receiving coupons in the mail: Bath & Body works, Bayer, Campbells, Boulthouse Farms Juice, Silk Soy milk, Bush’s Beans…..
Also consider using this site http://www.freestufffinder.com to locate FREE SAMPLE offers, which usually come with coupons!
Hi. My name is Jennifer Pettiford. I recently had my first baby and decided to use Pampers Swaddlers because a lot of people told me that they are really good diapers. i only have one issue with the diapes, the taps keep ripping off. Other than that, the diapers are great!
I had this problem with my daughters diapers, but I found that pampers were a whole lot softer than Huggies, too bad they can’t make diapers that are soft and durable.
If you call the 800 number on the package of the company and complain about the tabs ripping they will send you a coupon for a FREE pack of diapers but you have to have the upc code from the diaper package you bought.
i seen a post of yours on pinerest about the disney princess autograph photos and when i went to your blog i could not find it there, can you send me more info because i have two little girls who would love this. thank you so much!
Keep putting it off…, Gonna start tom(MON). Got spreadsheets saved… Heres hoping I get something.
Thanks!!!!
Wow…I just started last night, and Jiffy already emailed me that they are sending a recipe book and a box of samples! How awesome. I’m firing off some more tonight.
Just got coupons in the mail from Pepsico for Izze. An email about Flintstone vitamins got an email that they are sending a coupon book for Bayer products. This is awesome.
I wrote one nice message to Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes- we love them in our salads! I mentioned it would be nice to be able to stay loyal to their brand by saving money on them. They wrote a nice letter stating that they normally don’t send out coupons but did include 2 coupons for FREE packages of NatureSweet Cherry Tomatoes and two 55cents off coupons (my store will double these too) So awesome to save on fresh healthy produce! Makes the dieting so much easier!
Thanks so much for the encouragement and motivation to save!
I just started doing this on Tues and so far I have gotten thank you emails from the companies but they don’t mention sending coupons or samples so does that mean that is all I will get is the thank you note
Some companies that I wrote just sent me a thank you note and never mentioned that they were sending me any coupons, but they sent some anyway. Some companies will write you back and tell you that they are sending some.
Meghan
I was wondering the same thing – kept getting very nice “thank you” messages with no reference to coupons. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they’ll start filling my mailbox!
SHe is talking about actually hand-writing a letter and mailing it, not just sending an email. A letter is a lot more personal.
I have been doing this for a few weeks now and plan to continue doing it. I have just been writing companies that we love and telling them how much I like their products. I have already received a bunch of different coupons, recipe books, and samples in the mail from 20 different companies. Some are companies that I recieved coupons from, I noticed that you did not have on your list. Breathe Right, Delimex, Dreyers, Kings Hawaiian, Nature Sweet Tomatoes, Rhodes, STASH tea, and Stubbs bbq sauce, marinades, and rubs.
Couponing is where it’s at. I wish I could become an extreme couponer like on the show Extreme Couponing on TLC but I have a longgg way to go before I am anything like that. I don’t understand how they can get so many groceries for so cheap and how they get so much stuff in their stockpiles? ….I have always dreamed of going to Disney! ;)
Couponing is awesome, WHY pay pull prices for products when you don’t have too?! :)
I started doing this last week. Yesterday I got 3 $1.00 off coupons from Johnson and Johnson. YAY!
what do you all say to company.. maybe we can share here.
I just tell them how I feel about their products. If I like them I tell them that. If I dont or have had a bad experince with theiri product i tell them that to. If I would like to try their products I ask for samples and coupons. So far so good. Friday I got 2 .50 cent off coupons for bagel bites which will double at my store.
Which store will double a $2.50 coupon?
I started the 5 a day yesterday and i have received emails back from 2 of the companies so far saying thank you for my comments. It didn’t mention anything in those emails if they would send any coupons or anything out to me. Have you run into this response and they still may send you a coupon or two in the mail? Just wondering. Thanks
I just started this. Today I e-mailed Kashi, Huggies, Schick, L’Oreal and Mid’s (pasta sauce). I’ll let you know what happens! This is a great idea!
Received this response from Gerber today:
We are glad to learn of your, and your son’s, satisfaction with Gerber® Graduates®. Since our primary concern here at Gerber is the health and well being of infants and small children, it makes our work more meaningful when someone takes the time to let us know that they enjoy using our products.
We have taken this opportunity to send you, via postal mail, some complimentary coupons and reading information which we hope you will find useful. The mailer should arrive in three to five business days.
Today I e-mailed Gerber, Glade, Johnson Baby, Juicy Juice and Knorr. Already received the above response from Gerber on coupons! Can’t wait for those!
Your link to Advil may be outdated. When I click on the link it tells me that the website cannot be found.
I wrote to Fancy Feast and asked if they had any lids for them. They said the lids are in short supply, but they would send me 2. I got FREE coupons for canned cat food 4 can total and the lids.
Okay, so I tried this for the first time this week. Sent an email to Huggies on Monday and three days later I got 3 $3 off any size diapers. I was totally impressed and way excited to try this with more companies now.
That’s great!
I emailed Pampers and Luvs and they told me that they do not mail out coupons on request, and I just need to look out for coupons in my newspapers.
I emailed Squirt soda and told them it reminded of my grandma’s when I went for a visit. They sent me a FREE coupon for a 12 pack.
Awesome!
I emailed Kraft and let them know that there was no cheese in the pack of one serving mac & cheese. She said she would send a replacement and I got 3 FREE coupons for their single size. Long exp too
Companies that have replied saying that they’ll be sending me coupons by mail -Bath & Body works
Bayer
Campbells
Boulthouse Farms Juice
Silk Soy milk
Bush’s Beans
Jiffy just contacted me, you’ll want to get emails to them! :)
I recieved more coupons in the mail for the following, as well: Sun brand(All laundry soap) and 3 coupon books from GlaxoSmithKline( 3 coupon books worth $10 each).
In todays mail, I recieved coupons from- Tyson Chicken, Mrs Bairds Bread, Tide, Boulthouse farms juice, Fresh Express salads!
I got (4) .55 off coupons for Fresh Express for emailing them that I enjoy eating their spinach and arugula salads.
I am still waiting for the sampler box and cookbook from Jiffy. I emailed them 4 weeks ago.
Give it time. It took nearly 8 weeks for my package from Jiffy to arrive. Well worth the wait!
I emailed Morton’s about a coupon for regular idodized salt, explaining to them I had developed some thyroid issues and thought it might be because of my non iodized salt use, and that I was having a hard time locating any coupons for Iodized salt. They sent me a coupon for a free Mortons salt product ANYSIZE.!!!!
So awesome!
I’ve found that products I love are my biggest thyroid aggrevators (sp). Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, strawberries, radishes, and spinach are the big ones. I have a goiter and when I eat those foods, it swells enough to be real bothersome. Sad.. I LOVE all of those :(
Hi Kristin,
Once you contact a company and receive coupons do you contact them again? I did this with Tropicana over a year ago. Do you think it’s inappropriate to write to them again in hopes of more coupons?
Denise
I had never thought about doing this until I read your blog. I love flavored oatmeal, and bought some of their new Real Medley Kind. I had coupons for $0.50 off which doubled at the store which made them only a few cents. One of the flavors didn’t really sit well with me, and I was having to cook them longer, so I emailed Quaker, told them what I thought, and within 8 hours had an email from them back and they are mailing me a free coupon. Totally worth the 5 min it took me to write the email!!! :)
I simply write to the companies and say this every time and I have gotten amazing coupons within days.
” I really enjoy your products and would love to be on your mailing list”
Just a quick note- your link to the Bic contact us site is broken. I went to the website to find the contact us link and there’s a notation in red right on the page that says “We do not send free samples or coupons.” I guess others have tried this a few times? :)
I have done this in the past, but just started again. I was so excited I just sent 10 emails!
I love this idea. I just wanted to let you know though, that there is a problem with link for Playtex. Whenever I click on it, it tells me that the webpage cannot be found.
I started doing this based on products I just finished so my information was right there on my mind, and for me the emails are easier to write then. In the past week I received coupons from P&G for Iams, we use there dog food. They sent me a green bandana for our dog, and 3 coupons for food & treats, about $5.00 worth. i also wrote Lysol about my hands free soap dispenser stopped working right, they sent me 5 $3.00 off coupons – and we are moving this week, so those will definitely help! I also got a $1.00 off coupon for Stayfree/Cayfree/OB products.
I emailed Food for Life about their gluten free products and the sent me 4 coupons for .50/1 product and a letter saying I could request coupons every month!!
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Hi there! Thanks for this advice. I wrote to several companies in the past week. Some have replied and said they’d send coupons. Today, I got 4 different boxes of Jiffy mix and a coupon book. It’s fun opening that kind of mail. Thanks again.
I am very new to this(writing companies…I just started today) but have already gotten a response from Cabot Cheese with a $1.00 off any product coupon. Thansk so much for sharing.
I haven’t had the best of luck so I am not sure if companies are starting to get people are writing for coupons or what but I would say one out of every 10 I email will send me a coupon. I have had luck with Zatarains, Bush’s Beans, Sunny D., michelina’s, Ocean Spray and Tide. Michelina’s and Ocean Spray were the only ones that sent coupons for something free. The others were just cents off. I have received an email back from most companies thanking me for what I said to them but nothing about coupons.
I wrote to Cottonelle, Jiffy, Juicy Juice, Laughing Cow Cheese & Purina. I received emails back from all 5 companies within 2 days. Jiffy sent a recipe book & then we got the box with 4 mixes in it.
On different day I wrote State Fair, Sunny D, SKinny Cow, Purex & Pepperidge Farm. I have only heard back from 2 of those.
No coupons YET but I know a few in the first batch said they were sending some.
About a month ago, I wrote to State Fair about an issue I had with their frozen corndogs. Within a week, I had 2 coupons for a free box of State Fair corndogs. My daughter was in heaven.