Have you written to ask for coupons lately?

Back in July, I mentioned that one of my favorite ways to get hard-to-come-by kosher coupons was to write to the company and ask for them.

Since I have quite a few more readers now than when I launched this blog, I figured this particular coupon strategy bared repeating.

As I find myself buying products that just never seem to have coupons, I jot down the name of the manufacturer. Once every couple of months, I take 10 minutes to send out a handful of emails to these companies.

The easiest way to find their contact information is Google. Locate the “contact us” page — most have an automated form, but some give you a customer service email.

I used to just write a nice complimentary email about their products — and I found that 9 out of 10 companies would send me coupons as a thank you.

This time, I tried a different approach: I complimented their product and then directly (boldly) asked for the coupons. I wrote to three companies and got three packages of coupons!

Here’s an example of my basic letter, if you should want to copy it. (This one went to Eden Organics.)

My family loves your canned black beans! They meet three very important standards for us: 1) They are certified kosher (we are a strictly kosher-keeping family), 2) they are organic (our preference, when finances afford), and 3) you use BPA-free cans — very important to us as well! Plus, the taste is great and they are perfect for my black bean soup and black bean and sweet potato burritos.

I never see coupons for your products, unfortunately. We have a strict $400/month food budget, which is tight when you keep kosher and prioritize organics! I was hoping you might be able to send me some coupons for your canned beans. I usually shop at Whole Foods for Eden Organics.

A week after I sent this email, I received an envelope with more than $8 in Eden Organics coupons! Most were $1/2. Some were $.55/1. When combined with a sale and the 10% case discount at Whole Foods, these coupons will help me to pay well under $1 per 15 oz. can of organic beans.

If you want some ideas of which brands are “coupon friendly”, check out this list from MamaCheaps of companies that send coupons upon request. (Not all of these are kosher, since it’s not my list, so be sure to confirm that before writing.)