How many newspapers should you buy when using coupons?

I get asked all the time "how many newspapers should I buy when couponing"?

Since this is a common question I thought I would address the subject.

The fact is no one can really tell you how many to buy because different families and their circumstances will depend on what they can afford.

When I first started out I was getting only about 2 papers.  However, I quickly advanced to about 10 per week because I am able to preview what coupons are going to be in that week's paper.  If I see there are not really any big value coupons for items I use then I may not get as many for that week.  Yet, if I see there are some great coupons coming out then I might actually get a few more than just 10.

I try to think of others when getting my newspapers.  I usually will go get a few in the morning.  (Well my husband does, lol) Then later in the day we will go get more.  This way we are not buying up all the newspapers. There are people that purchase 1 paper every Sunday to read the news, get coupons, etc. and I do not want to be the reason they were not able to get a paper.

The other reason I may get 10 or a few more some weeks is because I also try to donate some of the items I can get for free or near free.

I would say start out small (if your budget allows it).  After you see that you are saving money then you can decide if you want to get more papers or not. Always stay within your budget! 

Don't forget you can Print Coupons for FREE online too.

You can find coupons in many different places online.  Social Networking sites are also buzzing with coupon deals.  Many times couponers will share links of coupons they locate online with their social networking friends.

You can also ask friends and family if they use their coupons.  If they get the paper and usually throw away the coupons; I am sure they would love to share them with you if you just ask.

My point is there are many ways to obtain coupons both online and offline.  I do not recommend going out and buying a lot of papers your first week.  You really need to start smaller and work your way up as you save more.  Also remember that some coupons will have limits on them.  There are some that will say (no more than 4 like coupons in same trip), of course this could be any number; that was just an example.

I recommend looking at what coupons are coming out before buying several papers.  We always post a coupon insert preview for the Sunday paper by Friday of each week.  You can click here to view our newspaper preview of upcoming coupon inserts. Remember to bookmark the page because as I mentioned before we have updates listed by the Friday before the paper of each week.

Also, remember that there are usually no coupon inserts in newspapers if it is a major holiday weekend. For example, this past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and there were no inserts. We do have a coupon schedule posted on our website as well, but we will post the schedule to this blog too. :-)

TIP: The June 5th paper will have 3 different inserts! Red Plum (RP), Smart Source (SS), and Proctor & Gamble (P&G). The P&G insert usually comes out only 1 time a month.


God bless,

Lynn