Accumulating Coupons

I have had many people ask me lately, "Where do you get all of your coupons?" I have to start out by saying I did not start "couponing" until July of this year, but I was amazed at how quickly I was able to accumulate a lot of coupons.

• Get the Sunday paper - this is an obvious one, but wait until you can get a good deal. In Boise, the Idaho Statesman is $2.17 per week, but I was able to get it for $1.00 per week on a special at the fair. Until I got my good deal, we were getting our paper from a machine for $1.50.
• Put the word out that you are a coupon clipper. Many people get the Sunday paper and throw out the coupons! I have let family, friends, and co-workers know about my "couponing" and many times there are several inserts on my desk when I come in on Monday. My family members often give me their inserts as well.
• Join a Coupon Train I just heard about this recently, basically you are assigned to a group of about 6 people and person 1 sends a stack of coupons to person 2 who takes what they want, adds what they won't use and sends to person 3, person 3 to person 4, etc. I just joined a group through yahoo here. My group is from all across the country and the person before me e-mailed me to ask for my "wish list!" I can't wait to see how this works out!
• Print Coupons from the Internet I am not huge on this because I have had problems at different stores not accepting printed coupons, but many people have great success with these. There are TONS of websites that offer printable coupons, just google it!
• Request Coupons Direct from the Manufacturer I have not tried this either, but have heard of others who have e-mailed companies asking for coupons with great success.
• Take Advantage of Free Samples You can get free samples from many different places, see my previous post. Most of the time these samples come with some great high value coupons that you can use to purchase the items later. I just received 4 $2/off coupons from Pampers along with a free diaper sample.
• All You Magazine I have recently discovered this as well, this magazine has some awesome coupons in it each month. You can purchase it at Walmart for $1.77 each or you can get a subscription and get it delivered to your mailbox. Money Saving Mom posted this great deal that she found for a subscription.
• Buy Coupons on E-bay I have had some success with this, I purchased 100 random coupons for $2.24 from one auction. I have already used over $5.00 from the coupons I recieved, so it was worth it to me. Be careful not to spend too much.
• Dumpster Dive at the recycling center. I have not tried this either, but have heard of others who have. I do check the recycle bin at work (I have found coupons there before), but that's as far as I go.

These are just a few of the ways that I have accumulated my stash - so tell me, how did/do you accumulate your stash?