Snag FREE Newspaper Coupons?!
How many of you would like to learn about a way to snag free coupons from the Sunday newspaper?! If you are raising your hand in excitement, then you’ll be thrilled to learn about an organization called The Freecycle Network™!
The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,793 groups with 7,208,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer and membership is FREE!
Breann, a Hip2Save reader, emailed me the following message…
I am so excited to be getting some FREE coupons from the Sunday papers! All I did was post a request on my local Freecycle’s home page. People replied generously and have given me the coupons they are not using. Some just give me all of the coupons! Readers from almost every state could do the same. In my personal experience, it has been a great group to be involved with!
Click here for more details about Freecycle and to join.
(Thanks, Breann!)
Whenever I tried to sign up, the page won’t load. I will check later today.
my page won’t load either…
Shocked to find there’s one in Panama City! There’s not even a normal recycling program here 🙂
clever idea!
I did this in my tiny town. I had a woman from the local paper tell me I could get the extra inserts. That worked for 1 week then she told me Id have to pay. Freecycle is supposed to be free and you cant ask for money. I was disapppointed.
My Freecycle expressly prohibits coupon trading or requests so make sure you check with your mods before you post a want or you may find yourself with a “strike”.
Ditto I tried that once and the mod wouldn’t post the wanted.
LOVE Freecycle! I’ve been a member for about 5 years and have given and received many useful items. Its amazing what people are willing to just give away.
I mod a freecycle group and all you have to do is search yahoo groups for any recycle group. there is more than just freecycle. all groups are different. there are some coupon trading groups also. just like it is free to join the mods do all the work for free also and most members don’t know that. and to angie if you had some one on freecycle say to pay, write the mods and they will talk to that person about that. and if it happens more offen than not that person will get in a lot of trouble. hopes that helps if not please ask as Ihave been doing this for about 10 yrs
My local freecycle group won’t allow coupons to be posted or asked for.
I’m wondering how this would work. Would people mail them to you or would you have to drive around to pick them up? I’m not sure if this would be a profitable enterprise if you had to drive around town to pick up coupons here and there.
You would have to pick them up…I do this and it really isn’t a big deal. I just go every several weeks and try to do it when I am doing an errand run in that area. I feel like even if I spend a little money on gas, it is still far less than I would pay on newspapers. 🙂
I did this also a few years ago and no one ever responded. I’ve had friends ask also. I think it really depends on your area and the members.
I have been a member for over a year and never thought to post a WANT for coupons… thanks hope no one in my group has seen this yet…… It is a nice group to be in. I have gave and got some neat items.
Do you have to have a Yahoo account and a freecycle account?
You have to have a Yahoo account and then request to join the particular local group since they operate as a Yahoo group, however, you can set your account to use whatever email address you want to get your messages…
I actually found a lady very close to where I live through freecycle who gives me her inserts every week. I’ve been getting them from her for a year now, it’s very cool. I don’t go every week, maybe once every 2 weeks, she leaves them out for me in the same spot and I leave her a little something from the deals I’ve gotten in the past, it’s a nice exchange and we’ve become friends over the year! I’ve left, candles, vitamins, tomato sauce, oil, anything extra from my stockpile, it feels good to give and get!
I’ve been a member of a two Freecycle groups (we live where we overlaps two regions) for years, and I couldn’t sing higher praises for our groups and the moderators who keep things flowing smoothly. I don’t use it for coupons, but we have generously given and received over the years.
While there are two many items to count, the two best items I have received have been a very high quality dining room table with 8 chairs, and an exquisite Bass (orchestral string instrument). It doesn’t take long to see how one man’s trash is certainly another man’s treasure. We gave away an oriental rug which unfortunately we could just not clean well enough to get cat odor out – the recipient had 20 cats and was a smoker – she loved it! Have extra wire hangers from uniforms, or need wire hangers for a consignment sale? These are easily exchanged. Even very old and used decking boards we had from a remodel were snatched up by someone with a planar who could give them new life constructing an outbuilding, they even pulled up with a trailer and loaded it all themselves. It really does benefit both the giver and the recipient and keep things out of the landfills which is the whole purpose.
Not all groups will allow coupon posts, and ours will also not allow similar requests such as for tickets to events, but participating in a Freecycle group is really a great way to expand the frugal mentality to far more aspects of your household than shopping and coupons. I love it…
I’m chuckling because I just received a Freecycle wanted post for coupon inserts! Somebody else out there reading Hip2Save from C’ville?
I can’t say enough good things about Freecycle. Not only did I get a BRAND NEW in the box Christmas tree from a couple a few years back but I have been able to give clothing, shoes, and household items to others. Great way to get rid of “junk” to someone who needs it!
I been using freecycle for a while – th ething about the coupons is I find it easier and cheaper to buy newspapers at $1.00 each then spend the gas drving to peoples homes to collect a few inserts here and there.
I guess it depends where you live, around here the main newspaper with inserts sells for $3.50!
I belong to two freecycle networks on Long Island, NY and both prohibit coupon exchanges.
haha, freecycle denied me saying they don’t allow asking for coupons so much for this group being friendly.
This is the comment I got from them too:
Sorry, coupons are not allowed. They encourage spending, which we are trying to prevent consumerism. They are also considered easily recyclable.
Thanks for understanding,
Beverly
FreecyclePortland(TM)List Owner
I was doing this for a while, but then a lot of other people caught on and now it’s hard to get them! The thing with FreeCycle is it’s great if you don’t have a job, if you do have a job then you will miss almost everything because people respond back on the dime to a post!
It took me forever to fill in all the info they want, so if u r going to sign up make sure u have the time. I think I mentioned I was a couponer, so we shall see if I pass the entry test!!
I signed up for Waterford MI and was shot down asking for coupons but they kindly redirected me to the Waterford Town group and a coupon group which both have much less activity but hopefully I get something going!
I was just thinking that this would be a good idea! My freecycle group might be excited to help!
Spokane’s Freecycle group also prohibits posting offers or requests for coupons. Nevertheless, Freecycle has been a great experience for me. I have given away so much “trash” that will become someone else’s treasure. It’s the perfect thing for someone like me. For those of you who are just trying it now, don’t knock it just because you can’t get coupons (aka: money). There are so many other items that you may be able to receive as a gift or give to someone else.
My local group will not accept coupons or coupon books. So much for that! Maybe there are other benefits but not dealing with coupons is a puzzler to me.
I used freecycle a while back and got a great response for coupons. I have one very sweet lady now who emails me once every few weeks when she has a stack of coupons for me. I just swing by her place and pick them up. It’s awesome!!!
We love Freecycle too – though our moderator prohibits asking for coupons (Scottsdale, AZ). We have gotten rid of everything from computer desks to bedroom sets to old gift bags. I even scored a new (in box) pizza stone! I highly recommend joining as a way to declutter and keep things out of landfills!
hummmm…I just recently had to shut down my Freecycle after 3 years…I loved it…but, and, probably because I am in a city…I would LITERALLY get 100’s of emails a day…when, I came back from vacation I had over 1000 emails…I KID YOU NOT…so, imo, if you choose to sign up and you live where their will be lots of responses as this has been around for years now and most peeps are aware of the program…get another email address JUST for Freecycle…I only wish someone had warned me…I couldn’t get up and find very important mail…I wasn’t thinking…kind of like the spam I get now with Q’s…LOL 🙂
You can set your groups settings so that you only get a daily digest or nothing at all and have to actually go to the group to read posts. You absolutely don’t have to have everything go to your email.
I love free cycle – but it’s less gas to buy papers at the corner 7-11. I put everything I can on freecycle and I’ve gotten craft things for my girl scout troop, an iron and ironing board, comforters, sheets, towels, dishes, a recliner, and tons of other things after I divorced and was moving out of my home. I belong to a local community message board / group that holds coupon exchanges twice a month, clothing swaps, book swaps ect… They have informed me that military families can use coupons 6 months past the expiration date and they collect expired coupons for this purpose. They also do gift baskets at the holidays which makes it a good place to donate my “overstock”
I love freecycle. I’ve gotten lots of great things. Our group lets you opt to only get the moderator emails and just look online at the posts so you don’t get too much email. The group in my area does not permit you to ask for coupons but does permit you to offer coupons. I try to post when I have at least 100 coupons that all have at least 2 weeks remaining and try to highlight a few that I think may be of interest. Usually I get 1-2 responses and sometimes I have to re-post to get that. I guess people don’t coupon around here that much.
I requested to be in a group in IL 7 hours ago. I immedately received a pre-generated letter from the moderator asking me for extra info in order for the group to accept me. So, I’m sitting here and waiting for a response. Is it normal to take this long to get “accepted”? I would try and look for a different group, but I’m not very close to other groups. I was really excited about this program and have lots of stuff I’d like to offer, but now…just curious about the time frame.
I also tried posting a wanted for coupons on my freecycle about a month ago and it was refused by the moderator. I guess there’s quite a few freecycle networks that won’t allow coupons!
Too funny. I was looking at the emails I got from my local freecycle group and noticed a posting from someone requestiong the coupons. I thought how clever. Now I see Collin was behind the idea. This is why this site is AWESOME!
I already do this. I love the lady who leaves me her coupons and I often leave her a treat to show my appreciation!