How to Get Coupon Inserts Without Buying a Newspaper
Know how to get coupon inserts without buying a newspaper? Since coupons are a great way to get what you need while saving some money, they're worth hunting down. But, most people get their coupons from the coupon inserts in a Sunday newspaper.
What if you don’t want to subscribe to a newspaper? Weekly papers are going out of style, and you may not want to pay for something that you’re not going to read. Coupons are about saving more money, not wasting more money!
Fortunately for you, paying for a newspaper is not the only way to get the coupons you need. Here are eight ways to get coupon inserts without buying a newspaper.
How to Get Coupon Inserts Without Buying a Newspaper: 8 Ways
1. Dumpster Diving
Well...not REALLY! Although, dumpster diving for coupons may seem like a tempting and viable option, let us remind you that it's probably not a good idea. Dumpsters are usually on private property, so pilfering in someone else's dumpster may get you in trouble. But, if you don’t mind getting a little dirty in the name of saving money, you have a couple other options:
Local recycling centers might let you go through their recycling bins; or,
If you live in an apartment building or anywhere that has a shared mailroom, you can almost always find a pile of unwanted coupons in the unwanted mail/recycling containers, left behind by your neighbors!
Pros
People throw away a lot of coupons. By asking permission to pilfer, you have the opportunity to find a wide variety of types of coupons and save them from being wasted.
Cons
This probably goes without saying, but dumpster diving is a dirty activity. It can also get you in trouble!
2. Look for Free Local Papers
Not all newspapers require a paid subscription. Some cities, towns, and other communities publish free local newspapers. And, yes, these free local papers often contain coupon inserts as well!
Do a little research online or call your city newspaper to find out what free local newspapers are available in your community. Perhaps they can be delivered straight to your front door, for free!
Pros
The “free” nature of these papers is the biggest pro, along with the convenience of having them delivered to your front door.
Cons
Not all communities have free local papers, and not all free local papers have coupons inside. Ordering a bunch of free local papers that you don’t really want to read, only to find that they don’t have any coupons inside, can be very frustrating!
3. Ask Other People
It’s possible that your friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors simply throw their newspaper coupons in the recycle bin every week. Reach out to them and ask that they collect them for you.
Pros
You can make sure that the coupons that your friends would otherwise throw away go to good use, without having to dig through recycling bins to find them!
Cons
Depending on your social circle and neighbors, they may already be taking full advantage of the coupons that they receive which leaves none to give to you.
4. Check Free Newspaper Stands
Most cities have free newspaper stands on the sidewalk, which often includes coupon inserts! Keep an eye out for these stands near restaurants, in subway or metro stations, at bus stops, outside liquor stores, or in libraries. You can also find these stands in local coffee shops and even some fast food restaurants!
Also, on Monday mornings, grocery stores often give away their unsold Sunday newspapers, either at a discount or entirely for free!
Pros
Just like the free local papers that get delivered to your door, these papers are for free, and so are the coupons that you may find inside!
Cons
Again, not all cities have these free newspaper stands, and not all free newspapers come with coupons. The coupons in free newspapers also tend to support a smaller range of products than other coupon inserts.
5. Contact Managers for Unwanted Inserts
Lots of places stock newspapers around town, including gas stations, convenience stores, hotels, post offices, and libraries. If these papers don’t get sold, the store needs to give the paper back to the newspaper carrier.
However, some cities only require that the first page of the unsold paper be returned to the carrier. As a result, the rest of the paper – including the coupon inserts – are thrown in the trash can!
When considering how to get coupon inserts without buying a newspaper, go to these locations. Ask the manager if they would give you the newspaper pages, or even just the coupon inserts, instead of throwing them away.
Also, consider contacting your local schools or churches. A lot of community centers use newspaper programs to help local youth become aware of current events and get involved in politics.
These programs require kids to bring newspapers to school or church with them, which means there will be a recycling bin in every classroom, full of coupon inserts among the articles!
Pros
All of these coupon inserts would go to waste if you were not there to pick them up! There also may be a less social risk in asking a stranger for unused coupons than someone you know.
Cons
This trick of how to get coupon inserts without buying a newspaper will not work in all cities. Sometimes newspaper carriers will come themselves and collect all pages of the unsold papers, including the coupon inserts!
6. Pay Attention in the Aisles and at Registers
While you're strolling down the aisles of your grocery store, keep an eye our for coupon booklets, tear pads, coupon dispensers, and coupon peelies on product packaging. And, at checkout, sometimes the register prints coupons onto your receipt! It’s easy to just throw the receipt away when you get home, so be sure to take another look. You might see something that you need is listed at a discount!
Pros
These coupons don’t require you to ask someone, subscribe to anything, or dig through garbage. They’re right there in the aisles or on your receipt!
Cons
Booklets, tear pad, dispenser, and peelie coupons are available in a limited quantity for products that you may not have any interest in purchasing. Receipt coupons usually have a very limited time offer, such as within the next week or month.
7. Trade Coupons
You’re not the only one looking for coupons. A lot of online forums allow you to interact with other people to trade or exchange coupons.
Pros
These coupon trading forums allow you access to a wider variety of coupons than your local newspapers.
Cons
You already know the dangers of the internet – you can’t tell whether the person on the other side of the chat room is telling the truth! It is very easy to get scammed on one of these forums, making the trade only to find that you are left with a fake, useless coupon or no coupons at all.
8. Use Coupon Websites for Free Printable Coupons
The internet is full of coupons that you don’t need to ask another person for in a forum. Stores, manufacturers, and brands all have websites these days, and they often offer coupons online as an incentive to buy their products. Simply print out the coupons for free and take them with you to the store!
Pros
If you are looking for a coupon for a specific brand or product, then this is the best way to find one. Also, you can rest assured that a coupon from a manufacturer’s website is legitimate!
Cons
Paper and ink both cost money and it is time consuming to research all of the websites to find the printable coupons that you would like to print. Additionally, most websites limit you to a 2 print maximum per coupon.
Bonus Idea: Try Sunday Coupon Inserts
Sunday Coupon Inserts offers Weekly Subscriptions, and sends your choice of coupon combo packs to your house weekly! You can subscribe to just one coupon pack or as many as you would like.
Best of all, you are in complete control of your subscription. You can change, pause, or cancel at any time! Each Saturday, Sunday Coupon Inserts will ship the next combo pack directly to you, without any extra newspaper clutter.
With Sunday Coupon Inserts, only a few dollars in shipping and handling cost will bring copies of coupon inserts to your mailbox every week!
There are lots of ways to get coupons without subscribing to a newspaper, from digging through dumpsters to asking your friends, to searching through the internet.
If you want the coupons you need conveniently delivered to you, sign up for Weekly Subscriptions today!