Think about coupons and I’ll bet you think of grocery coupons. After all, the average shopper can shave 30 to 50 percent off their weekly bill with some carefully placed pieces of paper.

Fortunately, there are plenty of blogs that tell you how to make the most out of grocery coupons (ours included). Today I’d like to focus on the orphan coupons–those you might overlook in your search for savings on breakfast cereal and rutabagas.

Sadly, I’m as guilty of sticking to grocery coupons as the next person. Other than restaurant coupons, I’m not so great in the alternatives category. Then several weeks back, a crack in my car windshield grew to monster proportions and I realized replacement was the only option. Fortunately, one of those unsolicited coupon booklets landed in my mailbox and I took the time to page through it. Low and behold: There were several coupons for auto-glass replacement. One of them even included free installation.

In an effort to share my new-found wisdom, here are nine coupons you might have glossed over in the past:

1. Pet Supplies

   Our office is filled with dog lovers, all of whom know many nifty ways to get around paying high prices for pet food and care. Clearly they’re not the only ones. Pet supplies coupons are as ubiquitous as, well, pets.

2. Oil Changes

   Show me a Jiffy Lube and I’ll show you five coupons for their oil-change services. Beware of the up-sell, however. These places often like to talk new customers into super-sized services not included on the coupons. Regular oil changes and oil, fuel and air-filter changes all legitimately help your car run with few problems, but many of the bells and whistles offered by these quickie joints aren’t really necessary.

   By the way: Major chains aren’t the only ones who offer coupons. I regularly patronize a little one-bay service station that offers excellent coupon savings. (I avoid waiting for that single bay by making an appointment.)

3. Eyewear

   There’s so much competition out there for customers that it’s easy to find coupons for contacts and eyeglasses. Since very few health insurance packages cover the actual eyewear–or only cover a small portion of the costs–coupons combined with sales can greatly reduce the price.

4. Flowers

   I tend to buy flowers on the spur of the moment (or when I’ve forgotten an important date), so I’ve started keeping a few florist coupons in my glove compartment to whip out at a moment’s notice. Most of these are local but you can often find coupons for online florists, like ProFlowers.

5. Shoes

   We tend to remember clothing coupons, but blow off savings on accessories and footwear. Heck, there are over 290 women’s clothing coupons on Coupon Sherpa right now, so it’s no wonder we forget about shoes.

6. Costumes

   Every Halloween I’m amazed at how many coupons crop up for costumes from zombie to sexy princess. With Mardi Gras just around on the corner on March 8th, now’s a good time to search online for coupon savings.

7. Ink and Toner

   With the price of printer ink and toner, you’d think we’d be slamming down the coupons like mad. Next time you need to fill ‘er up, look for coupons to online suppliers instead of running down to Walmart or Best Buy.

8. Lingerie

   The Victoria’s Secret annual sale is always worth a quick graze, but what about those of us who would like lingerie with fewer bells and whistles (not to mention sequins and rhinestones)? Soma is one of my favorite suppliers of quality lingerie without all the extra crap, and it’s easy to find Soma Intimates coupons online.

9. Web Hosting

   Here’s one think I bet you never imagined. At a time when grandmothers have their own websites, cheap hosting is a very good thing. Check out the Coupon Sherpa web hosting coupon codes if you don’t believe me.

This is a guest post by Coupon Sherpa, a simple and easy to use, all inclusive coupon site with deals on online, grocery, mobile and printable coupons.

Photo by MissMessie/Flickr