How Many Inserts to get when first starting?

[couponator89]

What do you think is a good starting number for a couponing newbie, without being overwhelmed? I still want the couponing to be worth it, so I think 4 would be a good number. How many inserts do you guys get per week?

[christj13]

I have been couponing for over a year now, and i have always only bought 2 papers a week. I look at the sale ads, and read posts on here to find the best deals. If i need extra coupons then i trade for them. Because Im not going to use EVERY coupon in the inserts, and to me it would be a waste of money to buy the whole paper when i just want a few of the coupons. And like i said i trade for the extra coupons.

[Gardencook]

A lot depends on how many people you are buying for and how many Qs are in the inserts that you can use that week. If you are buying for one or two people, you won't need as many coupons as a family with eight or ten children. If you don't have a pet, but do have a baby, you might not be as interested in inserts filled with pet food Qs as you are in weeks with diaper Qs.
HCW has a thread that lists what coupons MIGHT be in you inserts each week. After you've couponed for a while, you will have a better idea which Qs are likely to be in the papers in your region. Some newspapers have a lot of inserts, others only have a few. Some regions have high value Qs, others get really low value ones. In our region, a grocery store offers doublers you can ONLY get by purchasing the newspaper, since they are only good for three days.
Since I ride a lot of trains, I keep Qs in mind that are popular with others when I'm buying newspapers. We don't have pets, but riders I trade with might, since we often get the high value Qs.
All of those factors can determine whether you feel that week's paper is worth purchasing in multiples. One week you may only want one paper, another you may think there are enough coupons to justify purchasing 10.

[chocat]

I recently began buying 2 papers a week ($1 ea.) after realising I DO have the space to stockpile. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't get more papers when the $1/1 Garnier Q's were out since that's my preferred shampoo/conditioner and a local sale made it .75 a bottle after Q's. live and learn.

like someone else said before me, it really depends on the size of your family how many make sense for you.

[accred1]

I have a paper delivered each week to my house. After reviewing the coupons I get (amount is often different from lists given here) I decide if there are enough coupons that I would use to pay to buy more papers. My Sunday paper costs $2 so there has to be at least $2.50 worth of coupons for me to go out and buy more. (Got to cover the gas as well as the paper)

[fluttervale]

I only feed myself (and a dog & 2 cats, and the guinea pigs but good luck getting coupons for them!) and I get 2-4, depending on the inserts. I usually go out early, get the paper, peruse the inserts in the lot, and then go back for more if I feel it's worthwhile.

My stores only allow up to 4 of the same Q to be used at a time, and I don't split up transactions (because as a retail employee, I "get" it), so having more than 4 is overkill for the most part. I don't trade because I know I'm not reliable about getting stuff in the mailbox. My favorite store is 50 miles away but doubles up to $1, and they only allow 3 like coupons. It's worth going to as a friend lives 10 minutes down the street from that store, so I don't always have to do "great."

[queenofthehivemomof5]

I like to suggest for building a reasonable stockpile 2 inserts per person in your household is a good starting point.

However you need to find what works for you and your household. We have a family of 6 and I do 10 inserts because my little kids are little. However I fully expect that I may need to bump that up when they are teens.

10 works for my household. If there is something I need more of I buy or trade for them.

[TheatreMama]

I bounce back and forth between 4 and 6 a week. We have a family of two adults and one small child. When I have more time, I get more inserts, and weeks I know my time is low, I buy fewer. I shop with my DH, so it makes it easier to buy more coupons in each trip. Check out the coupon preview too. Some weeks, it's not worth buying more inserts! And remember to trade the coupons you don't use in order to help recoup some of the cost of the coupons! HTH!