7 Easy Ways to Save Money at Shutterfly

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean you want to pay for the difference! Fortunately, you'll rarely have to give full price for photo books and other products from Shutterfly! Here's a handy guide to saving money with this photo printing service.

Finish Your Project Before You Buy

This is our first tip because without it, the other tips aren't going to be nearly as useful. Most of us lead busy lives and don't have the free time to meticulously adjust and arrange a hundred photos at the drop of a hat, which means short-term deals will simply lead to frustration. Either you'll miss the coupon, or you'll scramble to put together a project you would have preferred to spend more time on.

Since Shutterfly offers individual deals on almost every product, as well as occasional steep sitewide discounts, you'll be best served by getting your project ready first, then looking for deals.

Know Predictable Sales and Freebies

Shutterfly offers three sitewide sales you can count on: one around Black Friday, one near Christmas, and a Friends & Family sale in June. During each of these sales, expect to save 40% to 50% off sitewide.

SEE ALSO: A Complete Guide to the Best Friends and Family Sales and Coupons

It's not uncommon for Shutterfly to offer freebies, although you'll have to pay for shipping. While many of these can't be predicted, a few can. You'll likely see an offer for a free custom calendar in November. Also note that Shutterfly's most common freebie is for 99 4x6" photo prints; the company offers this deal every one to four months.

Search for a Groupon

Shutterfly regularly runs multiple Groupons. At the time of this writing, for example, buying a Groupon can save you more than 50% off wedding invites, wedding save-the-dates, and select sizes of photo books. The site is always worth checking out if you're looking for Shutterfly bargains.

Check Shutterfly's Own Coupons

Shutterfly knows many of its customers hunt deals, and helps out a little by listing all currently running promotions. Plus, Shutterfly will email you more coupons if you sign up for its email list.

Find Coupons From Other Sources

Shutterfly regularly partners with other merchants for promotions — especially those that sell products for kids or special occasions. For example, in 2015 The Children's Place offered $20 Shutterfly coupons to those who tagged back-to-school photos of their kids on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

We've seen similar credits bundled with everything from movie tickets to camcorders. While you can't count on running across these codes, they're common enough that you're bound to see some, so scoop them up when you do.

Join Rewards Programs and Email Lists

Many email lists offer Shutterfly coupons, and rewards programs often allow you to redeem points for Shutterfly products. Here are a few you might want to check out.

• Shop Your Way
• Jo-Ann Fabric emails
• My Coke Rewards
• Kellogg's Family Rewards
• Pampers Rewards
• Huggies Rewards
• Similac StrongMoms
• Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials
• P&G Everyday

Save Coupons to Your Shutterfly Account

Whoa, that's a lot of potential coupons — almost too many, it seems. Fortunately, there's an easy way to keep track of them. Log in to Shutterfly, and click on your name at the upper-right side of the page. This will open a drop-down menu. Select "Account Info," and you'll go to a page with a box to enter coupon codes. There's also a link you can use to view all of the coupon codes you have stored. Some are good for months! If you've found a good coupon, save it to your account and don't worry about it. Since Shutterfly allows coupons to stack, it's great to have a full arsenal.

Readers, do you know of other rewards programs that offer Shutterfly discounts? What's your best Shutterfly saving tip? Let us know in the comments below.