Insert Coupons FAQ's and User Guide for this forum

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Hello! I am Heidi, your Insert Coupons forum moderator. I am here to help answer any questions you might have about insert coupons so I have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ's) and put them here for you. I suggest that you read through this FAQ before asking your questions because often times the same questions get asked over and over again and you can usually find the answers here. However if you have a question not answered in this FAQ please feel free to reply to this thread and ask away and I will be happy to try and help answer your question(s).
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Q. What are insert coupons?

A. Insert coupons are the coupons that you find in your newspaper (Usually the Sunday paper). They can usually be found in with the other sale ad flyer's.
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Q. What are the types of inserts?

A. There are 3 major companies that put out the inserts. They are:

1. SmartSource (SS)
2. Red Plum (RP)
3. Proctor & Gamble (PG or P&G)

A few times a year there might be other inserts issued such as General Mills (GM) & Kelloggs (K)
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Q. How do you get multiple inserts?


A. Part of successful couponing is obtaining multiple coupons so that you can build a stockpile. There are many ways to obtain multiple inserts and here is a list of ways that we suggest.

• Purchase multiple newspapers. Some stores offer a discount. Research to see if anyone does.
• Dumpster Dive. Learn more here: http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/getting-started-couponing-basics-newbie/108-dumpster-diving-discussion-2.html
• Ask (in person) at your local grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, or anywhere else they sell the newspaper and see if you can get the left over newspapers.
• Look at places where people purchase the newspaper and leave it behind for other customers. Such as coffee shops, donut shops, fast food restaurants, laundry mats, etc.
• Ask your friends, family, co-workers, church members, PTA, etc to save them for you.
• Ask at places where they give free newspapers to patrons if you may have the left overs. Places such as hotels, nursing homes, hospitals etc.
• Trade for them in the Hotcouponworld Trading Forums
• Pay a handling fee by using a Clipping Service or on eBay

*PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS OTHER CLIPPING SITES OR EBAY AUCTIONS NOT LISTED IN THE ABOVE LINKS
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Q. Is it illegal to dumpster dive or go through other peoples trash or recycling?

A. Laws vary from region to region and you will need to ask locally if this is permitted. Begin with a call to your city or county trash service and if they do not know ask them who they think would know the answer. Also look for signage on or near dumpsters about dumpster diving. In some municipalities it is legal on city dumpsters while private dumpsters it is illegal. When in doubt, always ask.
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Q. Is it illegal to rummage through the trash cans at the post office?

A. Yes it is. Please do not go through the trash cans at the post office.
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Q. Is it worth it to get a subscription to the newspaper?

A. Only you can decide if it is worth the cost to subscribe to the newspaper just for the coupons. It will depend greatly on if you find the coupons offered in your local paper to be worth paying for. Smaller towns and communities will usually have less coupons, while bigger cities will have more coupons.
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Q.What is the link to the preview site?

A. www.taylortownpreview.com is where you can usually find a preview of the upcoming weeks inserts. The preview is usually posted by Wednesday or Thursday. Glenda the owner of Taylor Town Preview also offers her coupons for a handling fee (clipping service - to order send her a email her info is listed on her site). Usually one of our members will post the link to the preview when it is available, however you can also sign up for Taylortown's email newsletter to get the preview right in your very own email in-box.

*PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND PASTE THE PREVIEW FROM TAYLORTOWN TO OUR FORUMS THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF HER COPYRIGHT.
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Q. Why are the coupons I got in my local paper different than what is listed in the preview?


A. You may have noticed that different areas of the country often get different values for the weekly insert coupons or weekly sales. There are a couple of reasons for this, which include:

• Competition: some markets are much more competitive when it comes to grocery stores. If a store has to compete against 4 other major chains in the area, their sales and promotions are going to be better than a town where they are one of 2 stores.
• Double coupons: the areas where stores double coupons often get the $1/2 coupons for an item, rather than $.50/1, for example. Why? Because Chain X doubles coupons up to .99, and they don't want to double if they don't have to!

The Hotcouponworld Coupon Database however offers a listing of all the different values that come out so that you may try to trade for the values that work best for your shopping needs. For more information about using the Hotcouponworld Coupon Database please view the following link: How to Use the Coupon Database
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Q. How many inserts should I try to get?

A. While only you can judge how many coupons you and your family will need a good recommended guide is two (2) inserts per person in your family. This will allow you to have enough coupons to build a stockpile. Some people prefer to get many more than that, but (2) per family member is a good starting guide.
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Q. How do you clip and organize multiple insert coupons?

A. Organizing is a personal preference. You may wish to search our other forums on coupon organization. Additionally here is a nice You-Tube video showing how to clip multiple inserts...


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Q. Can I combine the coupons I find in the Sunday inserts with other coupons like tear-pads or blinkies that I find in the grocery stores?

A. The first thing you need to know about combining coupons it how to determine if a coupon is a Manufacture Coupon or if it is a Store Coupon. Most coupons you find in the Sunday paper are manufacture coupons and the majority of blinkies, tearpads and other coupons found in stores are also manufacture coupons. You cannot combine two manufacture coupons on one product. However you usually can combine a manufacture coupon with a store coupon. How do you tell the difference between a manufacture coupon and a store coupon? First look at the top of the coupon, usually next to the expiration date. Nine out of ten times, it will say right there at the top if a coupon is a store coupon or a manufacture coupon. However another way to tell is that all manufacture coupons have a UPC code that starts with either the numbers 5 or 9, while store coupons usually start with some other number, many times a 0 or a 4, but other numbers can be used too. If you have a manufacture coupon and a store coupon for the same product you usually can use both of those coupons on one item at the same time. It is a good idea to check each stores policies on this before hand though. Also look for any additional wording on the store coupon that would prohibit the combination. The presence of a store logo or store name however does not necessarily mean that the coupon is a store coupon. Additionally, Catalina (register rewards) coupons are manufacture coupons good only at the store in which they printed at. Unless you have a store that accepts competitor store coupons.
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Q. Why did I not get any inserts in my Sunday paper?


A. There could be a few reasons why your Sunday paper did not have any inserts in them.

1. There were no inserts this week. Often times there are no inserts on holiday weekends. You can find the insert schedule for 2009 located at the following link: 2009 Coupon Insert Schedule: SmartSource, Red Plum, and P&G. It is a good idea to double check to see if this was a no insert coupon weekend.
2. Your newspaper does not carry coupon inserts. Some newspapers just do not carry the coupon inserts at all. Because newspapers have to pay for the inserts many small newspaper companies cannot afford them.
3. You purchased your newspaper at a store or at a newspaper machine. Newspaper companies put the coupon inserts first in the home delivered newspapers. If they have any left they put them in the papers sold in stores and in newspaper machines. Most newspapers purchase enough coupon inserts for all of their papers, but sometimes they do not.
4. Someone stole the inserts from the newspapers. Unfortunately it does happen. You may want to call the newspaper office and see if they can give you a set of coupon inserts.
5. It was just left out of your paper. If you get a home delivered newspaper and the coupon inserts are missing from a paper that normally gets inserts (remember, not all newspapers get inserts at all) then they may just be missing. A call to the newspaper office usually will result in someone redelivering a full newspaper.

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Q. I remember that a certain coupon came out in a insert but I do not remember which insert it came out in, how do I find out what insert it was in?

A. The Hotcouponworld Coupon Database is the best place to begin your search for the coupon information. Begin a search in the Coupon Database by typing in the product name (leaving off all punctuation and trailing S's. Example type Kellogg instead of Kellogg's) and choosing "insert" from the source drop-down menu. A list of all matching entries will appear under the search box. If there are multiple pages of results make sure to look through all result pages. The insert date and source is listed at the end of each listing in the description field in the following format MM-DD-YY Insert. Example: 12-28-08 PG.
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Q. How do I search the Hotcouponworld Coupon Database for all coupons from a certain insert?

A. All insert coupons are entered with the insert source and date at the end of the description field in the following format MM-DD-YY Insert. Example: 12-28-08 PG. To find all coupons from a particular insert simply choose "insert" from the Source drop-down menu and type in the insert date an insert in the above format into the description field of the search box. Matching results will begin to display usually with multiple pages of results. The default search option of the coupon database is to search for only unexpired coupons, however you can search for expired coupons by changing the search options under expiration date.
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Q. What is the difference between SmartSource 1 & 2 (SS1 & SS2)?

A. Most weeks there is only one SmartSource insert, however a few times a year there will be two issues. The numbering of the inserts is just a way to differentiate the coupons that came in one insert over the other. There is no way to tell on a insert if the issue is 1 or 2. Meaning that SmartSource does not designate this number, we on the coupon forums and preview sites give them this number. Sometimes there is also multiple issues of the Red Plum (RP) insert as well and they will be designated RP1 & RP2.
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Q. I file my inserts whole and would like to know if there are any unexpired coupons left in them so I can toss those that are all expired. How do I find out if there are any unexpired coupons in a particular insert?

A. To search the database to find out what coupons in a specific insert are or are not expired ~ Enter the date in the description field. Example: 12-28-08 PG. The default search is to show all unexpired coupons. So if there is no unexpired coupons left in an insert there will be no results.
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[5swans0805]

I live in a very small town and we don't get inserts most of the time, so I "get" (forced) to buy my coupons or trade for them. I really would like to get whole inserts every week, but I feel like on e-bay they are too high with the shipping costs. I have bought from Coupons by Dede - she is better than e-bay sometimes, but still I have to have a min. order.


I have searched and searched and don't know what else I can do. I am open to any suggestion that anyone might have.

I have been spending about $10 a week for inserts and that is usually for 2-3 copies.

So all of you FANTASTIC couponers out there - what do I do??? I have 3 others from my homeschool group I am getting started couponing and doing rebates, but this is one area I don't know how to do better.

I didn't know if there was a place here on HCW - where some who have the pleasure of dumpster diving sell whole inserts? I can't find it, but I also have to limit my time on here, I could spend 25 hours a day if I don't watch it and we have school to do.

Reps to all who post. Thanks for your help.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

I suggest that you post in the trading forums that you are ISO whole inserts from a big city paper and tell them what you have to offer in return (PPHF, RME, etc) and see if you can find some that way. There are some great traders here at HCW that are willing to share their dumpster dive finds with you. I just suggest that like all trades, check feedback and all that jazz. Trade with someone that is reputable.

It worked for me, because I too live in a small town.

[Jonathon&MadsionsMommy]

I use Coupon DeDe for my inserts

[mooshisho]

You can also contact the closest "big" newspaper group and ask to have the Sunday paper delivered to you. Sometimes they'll deliver outside of their area.

-- Moo

[ihavebabyfever]

How do you save money when you have to spend money on newspapers?

[Ronald1]

I'm in Tampa, FL...the St. Pete Times Sunday paper is only .50, so if you are using a lot of Q's you are still saving...even with buying many papers.

Lots of people also trade for coupons that they want, or get extra papers or inserts from their neighbors or friends who don't use coupons. Some people get the inserts from stores on Mondays before the unused papers are returned.

[jf1777]

your savings are bigger than what you end up spending on newspapers ;)

[kindramae421]

I actually recycle dumpster dove today! aack! It was a large blue recycling bin and just for paper...it was actually clean! I lucked out and ended up with about 7 or 8 copies of each of the five inserts without having to do any nasty digging at all. SCORE!

This is the first time I have ever done that, and even with spending the $1.50 for multiple papers I still save a TON!! HTH

[longwood]

For me, I have a subscription to the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer, that I ordered online for just over a $1/week. Usually the first coupon I use each week pays for the paper. I've spent less than $30 for half a year and I'm sure that I've gotten $100's in savings from it. If there's good coupons in a particular week, I may get an extra paper or two from the store. You can also ask family, friends, or neighbors who get the paper if they use the coupons. Internet printable coupons are also big savers at little cost (paper and ink).

Like any 'business', you've got to spend money to make money.