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This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Stacks of newspapers have gone missing lately, but it’s not print making a comeback. Thieves are going after coupons. According to a story in USA Today, newspaper theft is tied to extreme couponing. (It’s also caused many retailers to tighten their coupon policies.) Getting multiples of valuable coupons is essential to stockpiling during a sale and saving money on groceries. Here are 10 ideas – legal ones – to get extra coupons.

• Buy extra newspapers – Paying for extra papers is the simplest way to get multiple coupon inserts. Sunday papers cost more than weekday editions, but it may be worth it if you use a handful of coupons. Some papers have more than $100 in coupons on any given Sunday.
• Coupon database – For online drugstore and grocery coupons, our coupon database is a comprehensive resources for coupons.
• Check the junk pile – Some apartment complexes have a junk/recycling box in the mail room where residents can toss what they don’t want. Sift through for throwaways or post a note saying you are collecting coupons. Some areas receive coupon inserts by mail.
• Snag giveaways online – If you already “like” our Facebook page, you know we share coupon codes and post coupons we won’t be using. Feel free to share coupons on our wall.
• Ask people you know – Many people do not use their coupons. Make sure to ask friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers (or anyone else you can think of) for their unused coupons. Often letting people know you collect coupons will garner donations.
• Buy or trade coupons - There are many sites where you can buy or trade coupons for free.
• Ask your newspaper carrier – Some carriers have extra coupon inserts with them that get thrown out if they’re not used. Smile and be polite when you ask if he/she carries extras.
• Dumpster Dive – People are no longer dumpster diving solely for food, they’re doing it for newspapers and coupons. Make sure you are aware of the laws in your area before you go digging in someone else’s trash.
• Coupon train - Pass along coupons you won’t use, and take out those you will in a coupon train. You pay postage to mail the envelope of coupons to the next person in the train, but receiving coupons is free!
• Scout out places where newspapers are left behind – Start at your local coffee shop, laundromat, doughnut shop, cafe, train station, or medical office. One reader stops by the coupon trading box at her local gym. You should also check with the manager to see what they do with the newspapers that don’t get sold. If they trash them, then maybe you can have them save them for you. Or, you can check the recycling pile at closing time for unsold papers.
• Public Library – Nearly all public libraries get a subscription to newspapers in the area. But what do they do with the inserts? Many throw them out. Stop at the library on Sunday if they are open, or Monday morning and ask the librarian if you can have the coupon inserts from the papers.

It’s disappointing to read stories like this one in USA Today because it gives frugal people a bad reputation. Plus, the newspaper delivery people end up paying for the stolen copies. This illegal behavior is also hurting an industry that is already ailing.

Where do you get extra copies of coupons?

Tagged: Coupon and deal sites, coupon databse, coupon multiples, coupons for groceries, drugstore coupons, extreme couponing, food coupons, grocery coupons, how to get coupons, newspaper coupons, online coupons, stolen coupons, stolen newspapers on Thursday, September 8, 2011 · 5 Comments »