Surprise savings in the junk

It’s tempting to toss all the stuff in your mailbox, email inbox and apps that looks like ‘junk mail.’ Not so fast! Here’s what to look for to score big savings

Probe the Valpak envelope

Only glance inside your Valpak envelope because it rarely has coupons you need? Start looking more closely— chances are, you’ll discover a wide array you can use. That’s because Valpak recently partnered with the shopping analysis firm Catalina to send you coupons customized specifically to your household’s buying habits and preferences. This means if you regularly eat at Italian restaurants, get manicures or have a pet, your envelope will contain coupons for these types of purchases.

As a result, you pay less for all you buy and do!

Sift through the postcards

With most of us spending more time at home, many stores, restaurants and brands are increasing the offers they send by snail mail. Take a peek before tossing these postcards, envelopes and catalogs aside since you’re likely to find they contain high-value coupons. And it’s smart to look as soon as they arrive because many have short expiration dates to encourage you to use them quickly. For example, you might receive $10 in Kohl’s cash that’s redeemable for only a few days or a Bath & Body Works coupon for 20% off your entire purchase that expires at the end of the month.

Look for e- coupon alerts

If you shop via store apps, great news: More and more store apps (like Dollar General Cart Calculator and Target) alert you when coupons are available for products you’re buying as you shop. Just select the coupon you want, and you’ll get the discount during checkout. Shop online? If you use the Microsoft Edge Internet browser, a price tag appears in the web address bar if coupon codes are available. Using a different browser? Download a coupon-alerting browser extension, like Honey ( Joinhoney.com) or Capital One Shopping (Capitaloneshopping.com), which notifies you about deals as you shop.

Open your emails

Got into the habit of pressing “delete” on emails from retailers without reading them? Start opening them now, and you may be surprised by the offers. A growing number of stores are sending out more coupons via email, and they’re turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out which offers you’d want the most based on previous shopping behavior, such as items you searched or browsed. In fact, in one recent study, Ai-powered email coupons led to a 58% increase in coupon usage.