Goodbye, Sunday Circular?

I’ve started noticing my Sunday paper is a LOT thinner than it used to be!  Part of the reason has to be the economy (fewer available jobs mean a MUCH shorter section with job listings).  But I think newspapers may be preparing to do away with one of the highlights of my paper:  the coupons!

I first started noticing those circulars getting thinner a year or so ago … fewer selections, more weeks without a circular at all (for example, the Sundays before a Monday holiday).  This has probably been going on a while … but I just started noticing it.  So after I flipped through the available coupons this week, I decided to do a little research for this blog … by checking out the web.  Guess what I found?

That’s right.  I found websites for the companies that provide the circulars – notably Red Plum and Smart Source.  Each has its own website, and guess what the websites have?  Exactly.  Printable coupons – the same ones you’ll find in your paper … but some of them are a little BIGGER discount (for example, a Macaroni Grille at home meal kit was $1 off in the paper, but $1.10 off online).  I’m guessing they may save a little by having the options online – without the paper printouts, but I don’t know that for sure.  Red Plum’s website even has coupon codes for other sites AND deals on restaurants, in addition to the regular grocery coupons!

My initial thought was “YES!!!  I’ll save more by not buying the paper!!”  But then I thought of something else – it’ll probably end up costing me more!  Think about it:  when I buy the paper, all I have to do is spend some time clipping out coupons.  If the coupons are online, you have to factor in the costs of printer paper, ink, and maintenance.  Not to mention the risks of adware, spyware, and other malicious content popping up on your computer!  Free downloads to scan for this content work a good bit … but nothing is 100% guaranteed!

So what to do, what to do?!  For now, I’m going to keep getting my paper on Sundays and take time out to clip for myself … until those circulars go away for good.  Call me a traditional girl at heart – I love the time spent, flipping through the paper, through the sales ads, through the coupons … just like I did when I was a girl, and like my mom did before me.