How I get my coupons....

After my little rant about the lame business practices of the Arizona Republic newspaper, I promised you I'd let you know how I'm still scoring the big deals without getting a Sunday paper.  And, from the dozens of emails I received, not only does it look like the AZ Republic has been at this "game" before, but y'all want to know how to get your coupons too.

My "plan" has been set in motion for about 2 months now, so I can tell you from my personal experience that it works for me.

First and foremost, I print MOST of my coupons.  Between Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source, and Cellfire's e-coupons I, usually have all I need. Sure, the cost of paper and ink comes into play but here's how I save there:  I buy my printer paper at Costco (or Staples if I can score a sweet deal).  For ink cartridges, I always buy them on ebay. What would cost me around $90 in the store, I can get for under $15. They seem to be refills but they work beautifully. Just type in your printer model + ink and you should have a nice selection to choose from.

Now, since I know there will be many great coupons that I absolutely can't print online, I have found lots of other great resources for getting those insert coupons without dealing with the AZ Republic.  Every week I check out the Sunday Coupon Preview  and see what coupons look like ones I'll use.  If I spot a few I can't live without, I will usually call up my mother (or someone else) and ask them to save me those.  TIP:  You could always go dumpster diving or hit up the Recycle bins if you're brave.

If I'm really lovin' the coupons, I know I have options besides running to the corner store to grab a paper-only-to-find-out-that-someone-stole-the-inserts-from-it (man, I hate that!).

I am a frequent shopper over at The Coupon Clippers, where I can pick and choose which coupons I want and pay pennies for the admin. fee per coupon.  Yes, sometimes I spend more than I'd spend on a Sunday paper, but the coupons I get are invaluable.  For example, if I spend .50 total on five pasta coupons (@ .10 each) and end up yielding five FREE boxes of pasta (less the .50 fee) I'm doing much better than if I only got one coupon with my insert.  NOTE:  Some of the coupons require a minimum/maximum purchase and there is a minimum of $4 per order that must be met.  Team up with a friend to order some coupons!

Ebay is another great place to order coupons.  In fact, you'll see everything over there - not just newspaper inserts.  In fact, I purchased (and by "purchase" I mean paid an admin. fee b/c technically we can't purchase coupons) about 20-$1 off Greek yogurt coupons for about $3.50.  When they went on sale for $1 at Fry's, I cleaned house.  When they ran out, I got a raincheck and used the rest of my coupons then.  I yielded 20 "FREE" Greek yogurts for less then $4 - I saved $16 just by ordering the coupons!  Check out their HUGE assortment on ebay -- they may even have some local coupons just for your stores.

The truth is, I never use half of what is in those entire inserts.  BUT, if there ever is a week where I see a whole lotta coupons I must have, I know I can always order the ENTIRE coupon inserts from Coupon Dede!!

And, finally, for those very hard-to-find coupons for the products I just LOVE to death, I can usually score a few coupons by emailing the companies directly asking them nicely begging for a few coupons.  Lucky for you I have compiled a list of my favorite companies to ask for some healthier coupons -- because a deal is not a deal if you're sacrificing your health. ;)

 So, tell me, how do you get your coupons??  Anyone got any tips to add?