The question I get all the time is “How are you saving money couponing if you have to pay for the coupons?” Well, what if I told you there are ways to get your Sunday coupon inserts and newspaper coupons for free?!
I’ve found some out-of-the-box ways to get free (or super cheap) coupon inserts without subscribing to the Sunday paper. And if you’re wondering why you need them — and all those nitty-gritty details — we have a full guide to Sunday newspaper coupons to help you out, too.
Don’t forget to download the KCL app to find all the best deals while you’re at it.
But first — the 411 on Sunday coupon inserts:
Here at KCL, you can learn exactly how to use coupons from each of these inserts in order to score huge savings on each product.
1. Look for free local papers like Your Essential Shopper (also known as Yes!).
Some cities publish free local newspapers that carry coupon inserts. One newspaper, called Yes!, is found in several cities and is actually delivered right to your door for free. To see if Yes! is delivered in your area, just search for “[your city] your essential shopper” and see what comes up.
Sometimes you can spot free local papers like these around town on Sunday morning — just be sure to only grab a few from each location. You don’t want to wipe out the entire supply in one spot.
2. Look for the free community newspaper.
Every Wednesday in my neighborhood, we have a free community newspaper delivered. The articles are strictly for our city, but they have coupon inserts in them from the previous Sunday!
Since they get delivered in the wee hours of the morning, I’ll take a walk that evening and if I see a paper at the end of a driveway, I’ll ask my neighbor if I can have theirs.
3. Ask neighbors if you can have their unwanted coupon inserts.
My neighborhood has a Facebook page, so occasionally I’ll post there asking for unwanted coupons. I’ve even gotten some high-value Bath & Body Works coupons from my neighbors.
4. Call local schools and see if they have a newspaper recycling program.
Many schools have newspaper programs to help get kids involved in the local and national news — that means a recycle bin (with tons of Sunday coupon inserts) in almost every classroom!
If your school doesn’t have a recycling program, look into starting one.
5. Ask gas station and convenience store managers if you can have their unsold Sunday paper coupons.
Check with the gas stations and convenience stores around town. In some cities, the gas stations only have to give the first page of the unsold paper back to the carrier. What do they do with the rest of the leftover papers? Toss them in the trash!
Ask the manager if they’d save the newspapers for you (or at least the coupon inserts). Unfortunately, this trick doesn’t work everywhere — some newspaper carriers actually come and collect all of the old papers.
6. Find discounted Sunday papers on Monday mornings.
I like to scout out my favorite grocery stores on Monday morning, where I usually find discounted Sunday newspapers. Once the manager even let me have some for free!
7. Check coffee shops and fast-food restaurants where you’re a patron.
8. Ask a librarian if you can have the coupon inserts in the library’s Sunday papers.
Your local library probably receives the Sunday paper along with all of its coupon inserts. Check with them to see if you can go through the papers on Monday.
9. Go to the dollar store for discount Sunday paper coupons.
Most Dollar Tree stores sell $1.25 newspapers on Sunday, but make sure to get there early in order to snag one. Please take only one or two so other couponers can reap the savings as well!
TIP: Check the paper before you purchase it to make sure the coupon inserts are inside.
10. Dig into the surplus of unwanted coupons near your mailbox.
This is especially applicable if you live in an apartment and/or share a common mail room. Grab those unwanted coupons your neighbors left behind!
11. Go dumpster diving.
Hey, if you don’t mind getting a little dirty to save money, try it for yourself. It’s not so bad.
12. Contact your local recycling center and see if they’ll let you go through their bins.
Not ready to dumpster dive? I call this method the Target of dumpster diving. The great thing is, paper materials are typically sorted out from anything else, so they should be clean.
Keep in mind, just because they gave you permission to search bins doesn’t mean there’ll be coupon inserts … And they’ll be mixed in with all the other paper products.
Locate your nearest center here or here.
Still can’t find free newspaper coupons? Don’t fret. Get free printable coupons and digital coupons.
Check out KCL’s database of free printable coupons. There are hundreds of coupons available here! Plus, we have all the tips to find even more printable coupons.
Don’t want to print? You can easily use digital coupons.
So even if you don’t get a newspaper subscription or are afraid your neighbor is going to think you’re a weirdo for digging through their trash, you can still score amazing savings by printing coupons from home or clipping digital coupons — for free!
Now that you’ve got your coupons, are you ready to start couponing?
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