Collect Coupons From…Everywhere (or Almost Everywhere) So you have to get some coupons in order to use them. You might occasionally find a coupon in the parking lot, as described in our thought experiment earlier. Or you may even find a coupon on the shelf or floor in the grocery store-usually left by someone who does not know how to use coupons; or possibly by the Coupon Fairy, leaving you a special present (some people say the Coupon Fairy isn’t real; I say otherwise!) Either way, this is of course a very unreliable way to get coupons. Instead you need to go to the best source, a place where, every week, you have the opportunity to get hundreds of dollars in coupons, usually for less than $2.00.

Where? Your local Sunday Newspaper. Sunday Newspaper Coupons I work with a number of local newspapers in cities and towns near where I live to offer the best deal on Sunday papers to those who attend my classes. But if you don’t live in North Carolina, there is still a way to get discounted rates on your Sunday Paper. I’ll show you how shortly. But before I do, let me point out something very important: You should buy more than one Sunday paper. I advise people to get at least two of three Sunday papers. Why would you get more than one newspaper? Well, consider an example: suppose an item you really need or want (barbecue sauce for your upcoming family picnic, or Smart Balance milk, or your preferred brand of dog food, or whatever) is on sale this week. A good time to stock up on a few at $0.50 or free, right? But you can only get one package, because you only have one coupon. Or say your children’s favorite cereal is on sale. With a coupon, you can get it for $0.25 (don’t worry: we’ll show you how soon enough). The problem is that you only have one lousy coupon. Some Coupon Experts say to get one paper for every person in your household. This is fine, but you don’t have to do it that way. I know families with six people in their household, who only get four papers. And that works great for them. You can start out with two or three subscriptions; then, after a few months, you’ll begin to see whether you need more newspapers. Eventually, you’ll discover your “magic number” for subscriptions. You might think it’s not worth it to buy extra newspaper subscriptions. But remember, for less than $2.00 (usually), you are getting hundreds of dollars in coupons. The amount of money you save getting groceries at $0.25 or free will more (way more) than compensate for the small amount spent on newspaper subscriptions. You probably noticed that I recommend getting subscriptions rather than buying newspapers from the stand or from stores. Why? Well, most newspapers receive a certain amount of coupon inserts to distribute: they fill their subscriber papers first, and newsstand papers second.

 This leads to the story I’ve heard way too often: good folks, just like you, have come home with their newspapers (bought from newsstands or stores) only to realize that all their valuable coupons are MIA. There are a couple of reasons why this might happen. It could be that the newspaper simply ran out of coupon inserts; or the missing coupons could be the work of Coupon Bandits. Yes, it’s sad but true: some people will go to the newsstand, pay for one paper, then take all the coupons out of the remaining papers. This is against the law, and the Bandits will be charged if caught. It’s a tempting, easy crime, but make no mistake: it is stealing, plain and simple. For these reasons, I suggest that it is much easier, not to mention less expensive, to get a subscription (or five) delivered to your door every Sunday (or whenever your coupons come in the paper), rather than depending on other sources for your newspapers. By the way, here’s a Coupon Makeover 101 tip: If you have a choice of cities from which to get your newspaper, always choose the larger city: you will most likely get more coupons by doing so. If money is tight, and you can’t afford to pay for the full year at once, most papers have an option for monthly payments.

 If there is absolutely no extra money available, you can try a couple of things: first, ask friends, family, or co-workers for any coupons they do not use. Another idea (one that will take you a little out of your comfort zone) is to get to know your neighbors, if you don’t know them already. Simply take Junior and Princess with you, and knock on a few doors in your area. Say, “Hi, my name is Angela [but please use your own name!], and these are my children; we live just down the road here. I am trying to save money by using coupons, and if you have any coupons from your Sunday paper that you do not use, I will be glad to come and pick them up every Sunday or Monday.” You can ask as many neighbors as you want; and you may end up with quite a stack of free coupons for your family to use. I realize that some will not feel comfortable doing this, and that’s fine; but lots of couponers do, and it’s important that I give you several ideas to choose from in building your coupon supply. For those who want to purchase newspapers at a good discount: I mentioned earlier that I would show you how to find your local newspaper at the best prices. It’s very simple: just click this link to go to DiscountedNewspapers.com, and search for your paper there. Remember to get at least 2 - 3 Sunday subscriptions! So what is your “magic number”? How many papers do you think you can use every week? We can put the same question in more applicable terms: how many of your favorite products would you like to get for pennies or free?

At the beginning of each month, these companies list new coupons for your printing pleasure. Once you reach your print limit, these coupons will no longer be available for you. What’s the limit? You can print two of each coupon. Print once, hit the back button, and print again. Please note that it is illegal to take that coupon over to the copy machine and make 50 coupons for you and your closest friends. Those printable coupons have little numbers printed all around them that are linked to your IP address on your computer. So if the “coupon police” wanted to come after you, they could find you! Note that some companies ask you to take a survey before getting your coupons. Others take you on a Special Offer Joyride, forcing you to accept or reject each offer before moving on to the next question. You will have to decide whether it’s worth the price of a little of your time in order to get a coupon you really need. Surveys are legitimate, but I usually stay away from the special offer gimmicks.