Tip of the day: Printing coupons for less

Even though I have ink and paper expenses from printing online coupons, I'm positive I save more than it costs me to print them.  That being said, I do try to keep my expenses down and thought I'd share with you how I save money.

The most expensive aspect of printing coupons is purchasing ink.  I used to always buy new HP cartridges at office supply stores but a few months ago I switched to buying refurbished and have seen no difference in print quality or quantity.  Not only do I save money buying refurbished over new, but I also earn cash back from my purchases.  I buy ink at 123Inkjets (I've had no issues with refurbished ink cartridges, but if your printer won't use them they also sell some new cartridges, too) through Ebates.com and get a check back for part of my purchase price (currently the offer is cash back for 16% of your purchase price!). If you're not already an Ebates member and you do any shopping online, you will want to sign up.  All you have to do is search Ebates for the online retailer you're looking for (there are over 1000, including sites like Groupon, Lands' End, JC Penney, and Walmart just to name a few) then shop from their Ebates link.  Checks are mailed out quarterly -- I signed up earlier this year and just received my 2nd check from them recently!

Another option for reducing ink expenses is to set your printer to print in black and white and/or to set it on the draft or economy print setting.  I've recently experimented with the economy setting on my printer and my coupons don't seem to have any problems scanning at the register.

When my ink cartridges are empty I recycle them at Staples, where they give you $2 in Staples Rewards credit for each one (recently they were running a $3 special on HP ink, I think).  I watch for deals on paper and use my Staples Rewards towards my purchases.  Just this summer, I've been able to get reams of paper for free up to $2 each after Staples rebates.  If you're not a Staples Rewards member, you'll want to sign up.  (I think OfficeMax also offers an ink recycling program, but I rarely shop there since Staples is much more conveniently located to me.)

Even though I still have some expenses associated with printing coupons, I can do it without feeling the least bit guilty because of the amount of money I'm saving!

I'd love to hear about any other cost-saving printing tips any other readers have.