My opinion is that if you enjoy reading a newspaper and would have a subscription anyway, at the very least you should keep the coupons that come in your Sunday newspaper. You’re not paying anything extra to get them, so it’s really like throwing cash in the trash if you don’t. And even if you decide that couponing isn’t for you (gasp!), you should save the coupon inserts and give them to someone you know who will use them!
If you don’t read the newspaper, I don’t necessarily suggest buying one just to get the coupons. First see how many you can get for FREE – let family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and your church family know that you’re interested in having their coupon inserts if they don’t plan to to use them.
A word of caution about “Dumpster Diving” for coupons… Paper recycling bins have nothing but paper in them, so it’s really not as gross as it sounds. BUT, read the signs posted on the bins before you just “dive” in and take them! In most cases it’s considered stealing to remove anything from a recycling bin.
If you don’t have a source for getting them FREE, contact your local newspaper and see if they will offer a discount for a multiple-subscription home delivery. The Toledo Blade (our biggest local newspaper) recently offered a special promotion of $1 per copy to add extras onto an exisiting subscription. That’s 50% off the regular newsstand price. And so much more convenient than making a trip to the store on Sunday morning!
Also check some of your local/small-town newspapers. I discovered that the Crescent News (Defiance, OH) has Smart Source coupon inserts in their Saturday paper. And it only costs 50 cents!
On the east side of Toledo, the News-Messenger in Fremont and the News Herald in Port Clinton cost only 75 cents each, and both have coupons in their Saturday editions since they don’t publish on Sunday.
You may have heard that you can also purchase extra coupons through a clipping service. At one time I did recommend this as an option, but I no longer support this practice. Why? See my article Think Twice Before Using a Clipping Service.
Lastly, while there are still a large number of pre-printed coupons available in the Sunday newspaper, it’s no longer the exclusive source of grocery coupons, and you can still save a bundle without them. You will be amazed at the volume and value of grocery coupons that can be printed from the internet!
