Creating a Coupon Stash

Even if you start with zilch, you will have a large stash a coupons in no time... be patient.
Here are several tips for accumulating your coupons:

1. Subscribe to your local newspaper - We subscribe to the Saturday/Sunday papers only since the bulk of ads are in there. We pay $1/week and the savings are well worth it!
2. Ask friends and family - Ask around for extra Sunday papers. You can get extra sets of coupons, which will come in handy when there are big sales on items you need.
3. Go to the local recycling bin - I have yet to do this (and won't), but if you're not scared on a few germs it may be a goldmine for you.
4. Pick up extras when you're out and about - Recently we were traveling through a busy airport on a Sunday. I used our layover time to gather Sunday ads that passengers left laying around. You could also do this at a hotel.
5. Keep your eyes peeled - Grocery stores will often times have blinkie machines of coupons in front of products or peelies on certain products.
6. Print coupons online - On the left sidebar (scroll down) I have lots of links for the best places to print coupons. Many of these are already in the Sunday paper and they seem to expire rather quickly. Also, there is usually a limit to how many you can print. You may want to check with your store to see if they accept Internet coupons as well.
7. Just ASK - We eat a rather healthy diet, and it seems that there are never coupons for many of the items that I usually buy. I started e-mailing some of our favorite companies, told them how much I liked their products and asked for coupons. The result of just asking? TONS of free samples (some full size) and loads of coupons! It pays to ask.
8. All You Magazine - I get many parenting magazines for free, but one magazine that is worth subscribing to is All You. It is loaded with coupons (and great articles/tips), and it can usually be found at WalMart. Subscription through Magazines.com has the cheapest price I've found at $19.97 (check online for current coupon codes for Magazines.com).