Five Ways to Collect Coupons Without a Newspaper Subscription

Recently, I've had many people ask me how I'm able to collect so many coupons. I do not have a subscription to the newspaper. Here are some of the ways I've been successful at collecting coupons:

1. Family members, friends and neighbors: Many people do not use the coupons from the Sunday newspaper. My parents, grandmother, neighbors and a few friends give me the coupons from their newspapers. Most people will be happy to save the coupons for you--just ask.

2. Print them from the internet: Printable coupon sites are another great way to obtain coupons. Coupons.com and SmartSource.com are two great places to start printing coupons. Blogs are another great place to find links to great printable coupons. Many manufacturers also offer printable coupons for products on their websites.

3. Grocery stores/convenience stores: Grocery stores often times have blinkie, tear pad and peelie coupons in the store. I am always on the lookout for coupons when grocery shopping. I've also been successful at finding tear pad coupons at convenience stores.

4. Recycle Center: I'm an avid recycler. The recycling center is close to my home and I drop off items several times per week. Almost every time I drop off items, I find one or two sets of inserts. I don't spend much time looking for them, but if they're on top of the pile I help myself to them.

5. Trading coupons: In the past, I've been successful at trading coupons with other people. Example: I no longer need diaper coupons because my son is potty-trained. I could trade my diaper coupons for something else that I needed coupons for. Why not organize a coupon swap in your neighborhood or church?

These are just a few of the ways that I've been successful at collecting coupons over the past few years. I hope this post will be helpful to those of you who are just getting started using coupons. As always, please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.