Step 1: Get Inserts & Coupons

Now that you’ve read the basics to couponing, let’s get your feet wet with some actionable steps and practical experience. 🙂

Are you ready to save some money? Let’s dive in.

Where to Get Insert Coupons

One of the very first steps to couponing is to collect inserts from Sunday newspapers. The cheapest place to buy Sunday newspapers is at the Dollar Tree or other dollar stores in your area.

Tip: if your city’s newspaper has an early Sunday edition paper (Or weekend editor paper) that comes out on Saturday, then its best to go on Saturday instead of Sunday to avoid the Sunday rush. Sometimes, if you check on Sundays, the papers may be all sold out. Alternatively, if you can only get the paper on Sunday, go early.

To make sure your Dollar Tree carries them, give them a call and ask. The other tip is to flip through the paper before buying to see if the inserts are actually in there (RP, SS or P&G). Occasionally, people may take the inserts out, so its better to double check, just in case you get an “empty” paper.

You’ll want to get multiple copies of each Sunday paper, since when there’s a killer sale, you want to have enough coupons to buy multiple units to stock up.

Some people use the rule of thumb of buying a number of paper that equals the total number of people in your household. For example, if there are 4 people in your household, then get 4 papers. However, its okay to also start with 1 or 2 papers each week, just to get your feet wet.

Keep in mind that there are NO insert coupons on holiday weekends.

I started with 5 papers a week, simply because there was a really cheap promotion ($0.20 per paper) for a local paper, and 5 was the maximum per household.  Keep an eye out for newspaper subscriptions in your area when they have promotions for less than $1. Many times, getting a newspaper subscription delivered to your home can be cheaper than purchasing the paper at a store.

I also find inserts in “used” newspaper piles at some restaurants and coffee shops on weekends. I usually have good luck finding these after 10 am, after the breakfast crowd has come and people are leaving behind papers they’ve finished reading. It’s a good idea to check with the management to make sure you can take the discarded papers. Usually they’re perfectly happy to let you take them because it’s one less thing they have to clean up!

Some regions have their Red Plum inserts delivered in regular mail, along with the grocery store weekly ad flyers. If so, you could always try asking neighbors , friends and family who might not want their Red Plum. You could even ask your postal person. Let them know that if they ever have extra, you would love to have them.

I find that my 5 papers per week to be plenty enough for my family. Additionally, there’s also the option of buying whole inserts. They range in price between $0.25-$0.50 per insert, plus $5.60 for priority shipping. When these services say “per insert”, they are referring to one insert and not a set of inserts. For example, if a weekend had three inserts (ie. RP, SS, PG), then you will pay $0.75-$1 per set of inserts plus the cost of shipping.

Printable Coupons

If you have a printer, you can get started right away on deals that only use printable coupons, or mobile coupons, or no coupons.

If you don’t have a printer or you are in the market to upgrade printers, I highly recommend getting a laser printer. They print faster, and the ink lasts longer than inkjet printers. Thus, saving you time and money in the long run.

I also highly recommend getting a wireless printer with Apple compatability because they are the only printers that allow coupons-com coupon printing from Apple devices (ie. iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch).

In our deal breakdowns on the blog, if a printable coupon is needed, we will always include a link to print the coupon.

But if you were looking for specific coupons, I recommend going here and clicking on the “Categories” tab to further narrow your coupon results. This will help you find the coupons you are looking for more easily.

You can also use the Coupon Database to see if any coupons are available. Note: The Coupon Database shows ALL potential coupons available for an item, not only printables.

Homework:

1. Call up your local Dollar Tree or Dollar Store and find out if they carry Sunday Newspapers. Also find out if they have the Sunday papers on Saturday
2. Go to Dollar Tree Saturdays (if they carry early editions before Sunday. If not, go Sunday morning), and pick up two newspapers. Double check that there are inserts in the newspaper stack before purchasing. If you do not have a Dollar Tree or other dollar store, you could get inserts  for free from friends and family, or pick them up where newspapers are sold.

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►NEXT: Step Two: Sign Up Reward Programs