so for the people that get multiple copies, how do you do that? because buying multiple sunday papers at $2.50 a pop kind of defeats the purpose, so how do you get multiple coupons without paying for them?
There are a few places to get multiples:
Neighborhood recycling centers or the "Recycled paper bins" are usually really clean because all they have is paper in them. No sticky goop or spilled coffee, just paper.
Starbucks on Sunday mornings. Customers usually bring in their own newspapers or buy the one there, then
leave them for others after they finish reading them, in the front area where the customers sit.
Starbucks routinely throws them out after a few hours of piling up. You don't have to buy any coffee. Just go in, find the basket or tables where the the newspapers have been left, quietly take the inserts & leave. They don't care if you take the papers that would go in the garbage or recycling bin anyways. Go to 2 or 3 different Starbucks on a Sunday morning, get 2 or 3 inserts at each one, and you have a stack of 6 (or more) coupon inserts.
There are usually two different inserts in each paper:
Valassis and
Smart Source. Every few months, Proctor & gamble puts out an insert.
Most newsstands and stores throw out there excess Sunday papers Sunday nite or on Monday. Only the top page has to be returned to the newspaper company to get credit back. So the papers are usually bundled and tossed out. You can often ask them if they would save you the inserts, or if you can go through the bundles to
carefully take out the inserts without messing up their bundles and strewing papers all around. Or stop by after they are closed, grab the inserts from the recycler.
Another way is to ask you neighbors. They may not coupon. There's no shame in it. ask them if they don't coupon, could they simply put the inserts off to the side for you, or ask if you can go through their paper recycling bin.
Lastly, if you or a friend works in a corporate office, many people bring their newspapers in to read on Monday & then toss them in the recycling bin. Just reach in and quickly grab the inserts, or ask them to save/get the inserts.
When most people ask you why you coupon, you can also state that you like to donate to battered women & homeless shelters. Couponing helps you do that. You won't be lying, because in several weeks, as you start accumulating a small stockpile, you WILL have enough to donate and make it true. Also, make it a goal.
If you ask people for the inserts and give them to you, it's great to reward them by giving them some stuff once in a while, that you got with coupons. Once you give them something and they understand what it's about, and they happily save you the inserts. It's paying them back for helping you and the shelters out.
People like to be rewarded and they like to know they are doing a good thing, especially when it's so little as saving newspapers for someone.
I get my list together, and shop every Sunday. My 9 year old LOVES couponing. He can spot a blinkie faster than the blink of an eye.
He can hardly stand the excitement, waiting for the cashier to state what we saved that week. He also gets the benefit of picking out flavors of things I have coupons for.
Yes, for those with kids old enough, make a game out of it. Hand them a coupon for an item that you know is in that aisle and play the matching game. They have to find the item that goes with the picture on the coupon.
Could some of you Coupon Queens post a bit about how long it takes you to check out at the cash register?
Are you getting a lot of "harumphs" and sighs of exasperation behind you? I hate peer pressure!!!
The first few times you may feel guilty. What I've learned to do is tell people behind me that I have a bunch of coupons and hold them up so they can see the stack. If they only have one or two items, i may let them go first. If they have more, then they've been politely warned and it's then up to them to decide if they want to wait. usually coupons scan quickly. It may take about an extra 2 minutes if all goes smoothly.
Also, I try to pick my cashier well. Some look like they will complain about a sunny day.
Others, I really say a sincere "Hi" to, so they feel like I'm connecting to them as a human being. Many are sympathetic and want you to get the savings.
Others, as they get to know you, are also curious to see how much you can save.
Walmart is dreadful about coupon usage. Even though they have the lowest prices around, I tend to avoid them because it always takes forever(20+ minutes) to check out.
Walmart is just dreadful period, with or without coupons.
Actually, they do have a good "trial size" aisle for shampoos, soaps, mini deodorants, toothpastes, etc. At many Walmarts, any coupons which actually state on the coupon: "Good for ANY SIZE," they will accept the coupons for the trial size item. Technically they are
supposed to since it says
any size, but some don't. (No problem. Just politely say you don't want the items then.) If you have 6 coupons for 50¢ off a trial size shampoo, and the end price comes out to 5¢ for each 2 oz bottle, you've only spent 30¢ for 12 oz of shampoo.
BTW: Soap is
soap. Doesn't matter if it's liquid "shampoo." It can be put in a cheap pump bottle, diluted a little and used as liquid hand soap or even to clean the scum off the bathtub. Just because you don't use that brand on your hair doesn't mean it can't be used as soap. The ones with conditioner added are actually good for the hands.
I have 3 full size bottles of assorted Garnier shampoos I got from Rite Aid's "Free After Rebate" stockpiled for hand soap.
All you have is a big bag of canned tomatoes? (You even question your own common sense on this.) Sure you can use a can, but you feel like you wasted 90¢ of the excess of the other cans.
Those of you who live where larger coupon amounts are doubled are lucky.
I couldn't do this on my own without them.
When they say there's a sale for 6 pack of toilet paper for down to 50¢ with coupon and give which week's date of insert the coupon in. That's when I clip it and any other coupons for that week's sale. I restack all my inserts neatly again, ready for next week. 
