If you are a seasoned coupon clipper, you might have already noticed the times when you hand out a coupon and the cashier just doesn't know what to do with it. If you are, then you are probably also familiar with the sweet feeling of getting things for free when others, without your coupon clipping powers, had to pay full price for.

So how do you get those exclusive food coupons that most people don't even know exist? The secret is very simple, but is still overlooked by many bargain hunters: Narrow down your search.

A short example will demonstrate this best: Thousands of people search for "Subway coupons" each and every month. Most would love to get a "buy 1 sub, get 1 free". However, most of them end their search without any such coupons, when these are actually pretty easy to find.

The coupon clipping world is one that works according to zip codes. If you start looking for free Subway coupons in Thousand Oaks, California, you are moving to a whole new playing field.

My Parents Rewards, for example, provides thousands of coupons to Subway, Dominos, F.Y.E and many other chains, but first you are prompted to enter your zip code. This is a bit tedious, but proves to be very efficient.

This way, the coupons you will find for the 2 McDonalds branches that are closest to your home, might be totally different ones. More options to choose from, bigger savings potential.

The same is true for drink coupons. Don't look for "milkshake coupons", but search for the specific type of drink, in the specific location that you plan on having it.

These coupons are a little harder to trace down, and your cashier might have to check with his manager before giving you the discount, but as long as you do your part – You are guaranteed to nail down some freebies that others simply don't.