Buying newspapers vs using coupon clipping service

[rddonnelly]

I live in a rural area. I found best way for me to make sure I get all the coupons was buying whole inserts. I have only been doing this for a couple of months. I am trying to decide if it is more worthwhile to just look at the local ads each Sunday and just buy the coupons from the clipping services that match to what I want to purchase or continue what I am doing.

My concern in not buying the whole inserts and saving them is that when I do see a sale in the paper I won't find the coupon to match it.

Is anyone out there buying 1 or 2 Sunday papers and just buying clipped coupons for matched sales each week? I was wondering if this is the better way to go. Any advice would be appreciated.

[joshmamabear]

regarding buying the Sunday papers, it depends on the price (range from $1 to $5 per paper) and the quantity and quality of coupons found in inserts they carry, IF any. I've been reading many who have no choice but to buy on ebay, clipping services or coupon board traders simply because their papers DO NOT carry inserts anymore since they've been dropped by NA and RP from their list either due to certain violations or other reasons.

knowing that inserts do NOT carry the same coupons, you have to ask sellers for the list of what is in their inserts before you place an order. Many have been burnt by just going by the lowest price ONLY to find out the inserts they bought didn't carry the "hot" coupons in inserts previews and all they have in the inserts are useless advertorials and a few low face value MQs. In cases like this, you can't blame the seller if you don't ask. It is ALWAYS best to ask and know what you're buying than just falling for the lowest price, shipped. Lowest price of inserts is NOT always the best value.

Lately, there are reports that the inserts publishers, NA and RP are collaborating with CIC to stop the selling of complete inserts/coupons on ebay and coupon boards. Unless they file a lawsuit against one seller, we just have to take it with a grain of salt and consider it business as usual as far as inserts and coupon selling is concerned.

I'm fortunate to have good coupons in our papers so I just buy more papers if there are coupons I know I will use a lot of. It is a better deal to me since I don't have to pay S/H and I can get them immediately.

M2C.

[markyr17]

Something you may want to look into is getting an "advance" news newspaper. This is a Saturday paper that has Sunday content.. And inserts. I have a paper which is literally called advance news and it's only .60 and contains the SS. I buy 10 of them each week and only pay $6.00. As for red plum, I am not having any luck finding them anywhere around here. I've been forced to buy whole inserts (1.60 each I am paying)

Buying individually clipped coupons doesn't seem to work for me. If i don't have the coupon in my possession, it doesnt seem to work for me... I like having 10 or so of each coupon organized the way I like it.. But to each his own

[auntrae378]

I love to hear how everyone does things.

I have been buying only 1 paper each week and then searching thru recycling bins for more coupons. This has worked for me.

I have decided to not buy the paper anymor eand just search the bins from now on and see if I can still get enough to save big. So far so good.

I found 20 inserts form 6/26 this past week so that is enough for me.

Now unfotunately, this week there were no coupons so I may not have any luck in my bin searches but I may find more of the older inserts to add to my binder.

Just be sure if you are buying inserts or coupons it is cost effective. I always hate to spend any $$$ on free inserts but if you have limited options, I hope it can worj well for you...

[lovemygirls]

I do have a paper that comes out on Saturday with the coupons in it. It is the same cost as the paper on Sunday though. I live in an area that only has 1 bin for recycling and not a seperate one for papers any longer. I have found a guy that picks up the left over papers on Sundays from Saturday and he leaves them for me in his driveway. He has been leaving 5-10 papers each week and I'm loving it.

[auntrae378]

I do have a paper that comes out on Saturday with the coupons in it. It is the same cost as the paper on Sunday though. I live in an area that only has 1 bin for recycling and not a seperate one for papers any longer. I have found a guy that picks up the left over papers on Sundays from Saturday and he leaves them for me in his driveway. He has been leaving 5-10 papers each week and I'm loving it.

That's a great start... you may also want to ask any local gas stations or little stores if they would save you the inserts or left over papers on Sunday nights. I have my hubby pick them up around 11:pm on sundays from 2 local gas stations... they get credit for the papers by sending back the front page so they thrwo the rest away.

good luck..

[rddonnelly]

I usually can get to my supermarket which is the only one that carries all the large newspapers to get the paper but I found that many of the papers are missing the inserts or part of the inserts. It has been hit or miss. I can't get delivery for the paper as I am too far out.

This is why I started purchasing the whole inserts. I typically have been buying 10 inserts a week. Yesterday I cleaned out my binder of all the coupons that expired in June that I did not use and it prompted me to think that it might be less expensive to just wait for the supermarket ad/drug store ad/target sales for the week and then just order what I wanted from a clipping service.

Dumpster diving is not something I can really do. Our recycling center is only open limited time. It is constantly monitored and open either when I work or on the weekend when I am taking kids to sports events.

I just was not sure if it would be better to do the clipping service each week I need it because I have not used this before and I am not sure if there would be coupons that I need that would be from older inserts. I know when I buy the weekly inserts and save them that the coupons are there when I need them.

I totally understand it is much better to get the inserts for free by dumpster diving and buying the paper early and I would do that if I could. At this point I really needed to know if there is anyone out there that actually buys just 1 or 2 papers on Sunday and then gets clipped coupons for anything that is wanted at a higher quantity.

[SarahL]

I totally understand it is much better to get the inserts for free by dumpster diving and buying the paper early and I would do that if I could. At this point I really needed to know if there is anyone out there that actually buys just 1 or 2 papers on Sunday and then gets clipped coupons for anything that is wanted at a higher quantity.

This is what I do. I live in a rural area, smack in between Chicago and Minneapolis. Two great markets, but I can't get the Chicago paper at all and I can only get the Minneapolis one if I drive for 30 minutes one way to a gas station that carries it - and then it's usually sold out. I've checked with both papers (and several other markets in the vicinity as well) and I wouldn't get the inserts with a mail subscription either.

So, I have a subscription to my local paper, which does have inserts but they're terrible. Mostly what I do is cut up those inserts for what I want, and then either Sunday night or Monday morning I place an order with a clipping service - not for what I want to use that week because I don't usually get them in the mail until late Friday afternoon - but for what I know is in the inserts in decent markets that I will use.

I order larger quantities of Q's that I KNOW I will use, sale or not. A smaller quantity of Q's of items I will definitely use but only IF there is a sale to match them with. And, an even smaller amount of something I might use if the price is good enough. For instance, last week I ordered the maximum number I could of the Ortega 1/2 green chile Q's because I'm very nearly out, I use them a lot, and so whether or not I come across a sale before they expire, I'll definitely use the Q's. When I place my next order I intend to order more of those.

This is working for me for now, but every once in a while I change my methods and decide to just work with what I have - really it depends on my stockpile. If I have a lot to stock up on, I order more and the clipping service gets a fair amount of my business. If my pantry is pretty full and there isn't anything I need, I work more with what I have. Just depends.

[barbpatter]

I started this couponing about a month ago. I go out on Sunday to my local deli/convenient store and buy 2 papers. Then the same deli saves me the leftover Sunday papers. So far this has ranged from 3 to 17 papers that I pick up on Monday morning! However, I just found out that Dollar Tree (dollar store) sells our local $2 Sunday paper for $1!!!! Something to check in your area for extra papers. I will still buy a couple papers from my deli to give him the business since he is doing me a great favor.

[littlesara]

this is what I have been doing and it seems to work out pretty good. First, I look to see what was delivered on Sunday, then I either go to 7-11 or Dollar Tree to buy 3 more, so I at least have an even number for the BOGO sales. Then, on Monday, I go to the local newspaper and purchase either 10 or 20 copies for a discounted rate (they are always ready and waiting for me, so easy). I have just started to "look around", DD or go over to a friend's apt complex (laundry room trash, etc.), so it might take some work, but I feel that if I don't go and get them at the newspaper on Monday, I never know how many I would "find" so the newspaper is the safest bet. But, alas, my county, region, sucks as far as inserts, so I always check online, to see what other states are receiving, and I usually order from a clipping service for the rest, either the whole inserts or just some I want. Other states always seem to have more and better Q than we do out here. I just don't understand, do they think that people in California are all rich or something???