All About Couponing: Coupon Insert 101

As I mentioned on Friday, this week I am going to revamp and republish my All About Couponing Series. I’ll be tackling a different topic each day, and I thought I would start off the series by talking a little bit about Coupon Inserts.

Coupon Insert 101

If you get a Sunday newspaper, you know that each week you can find coupon insert booklets like the ones in the picture above. We usually see anywhere between 1 and 3 most weeks, with some weeks bringing 4 or more.

The inserts that I regularly find in my Sunday newspaper are:

* Smart Source

* Red Plum

* Proctor and Gamble

Occasionally companies such as General Mills or Kellogg’s will release special inserts as well.

You can find the name of your coupon inserts on the front page of the insert. For example, the three inserts in the picture above are Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Red Plum, and Smart Source.

No one method of coupon organizing works for everyone, but what I like to do is to clip only the coupons I am fairly certain I will use. I then file the rest of the (unclipped) coupon insert(s) in my coupon binder, just in case I decide to pull a coupon that I didn’t expect to use.

When I write my deals posts, I always reference a date along with the insert name when listing paper coupons (see examples here). I was recently trying to come up with a method of labeling my inserts so that I knew which date they were released when I discovered something….the coupon insert has the date printed on the binding! Take a look if you haven’t already…it is there along with the newspaper name that the insert was placed in. Now I have an easy way to keep my inserts in order when filing them in my binder.

Speaking of newspapers, it is important to note that not all coupon inserts are created equal. It seems that the larger the newspaper, the better the coupon inserts. While you can view a coupon insert preview online (here, for example), there is no way of knowing exactly which coupons will be in your paper until you have it in your hands.

You always have the option of buying coupons online or subscribing to a larger newspaper if you would like to take advantage of the more robust coupon inserts. I also like to hit up my local Drug Mart to purchase extra copies of the newspaper for $0.99 when the inserts are especially good. Check around your local area for stores that sell the Sunday paper at a great price.

Thankfully there is a growing number of printable coupon resources available online which help supplement the coupons that come in the Sunday newspaper, which is great for those who don’t subscribe, or who are looking for more coupons. That brings me to the next topic in my “All About Couponing” series…you guessed it…printable coupons. Stay tuned as I talk more tomorrow about all of the coupons that are available to print on the Internet.

Do you have additional questions about coupon inserts that I didn’t answer here? Please feel free to email me or post a comment. Do you have a tip about coupon inserts that I didn’t share? Please feel free to mention that as well!

Find the entire All About Couponing Series here:

* Coupon Insert 101
* Printable Coupon 101
* eCoupon 101
* Coupon Organization 101

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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Jenae August 17, 2009 at 2:29 PM: What stores have you found that sell the Sunday newspapers at a discounted rate after Sunday??? I tried calling my newspaper to ask about this very thing and they thought I was crazy!
2 Marcy August 17, 2009 at 2:37 PM: Jenae – I haven’t looked for stores that discount the paper after Sunday. My local Drug Mart sells them for $0.99/ea on Sunday. You could check with some of the Dollar Stores in your area, you might have luck there. Good luck!
3 McKenna August 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM: Meijer in Central Ohio sells the Sunday paper all week ( or until their stock runs out) for $1.74.
4 Jaime August 17, 2009 at 7:31 PM: Dollar Tree here in VA sells the sunday paper for 1 dollar and so does Dunkin Donuts (altho I haven’t purchased from them yet)
5 Jennifer August 17, 2009 at 11:30 PM: The Kroger in Mount Juliet, TN sells the Sunday paper for $1.00 on Monday and are local Walgreen sells them for $0.99 on Sundays. I hope this helps.
6 Marcy August 18, 2009 at 12:10 AM: Andrea, Jennifer & Jaime – thanks so much for the info! I appreciate you sharing!
7 meg August 18, 2009 at 12:52 PM: Hi, I live in an area that usually receives less coupons than others. You mentioned you can order newspapers from other areas that are larger, thus more coupons. How do you do this and which newspaper would you suggest I order (that has a lot of COMPLETE inserts?)

Thanks!
8 Brenda August 20, 2009 at 8:15 PM: Marcy, I’m looking to see if you or any readers know how to get a good deal on a Dispatch Subscription. My most recent invoice for the Dispatch (Sunday paper only) increased $6 for a 10 week subscription. From $18.90 to $24.90 so I called to cancel. I’m in central Columbus and nowhere near a Meijer..bummer!

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