Back last October, I posted about Mambo Sprouts moving away from coupons and savings (for personal reasons). Apparently the personal reasons were bankruptcy.

First, the coupons disappeared. Then, in recent weeks, Mambo Sprouts fans began to notice that the company’s entire website had disappeared.

If you’re wondering what’s become of the 22-year-old marketing company devoted to healthy living and saving money – it’s now out of business altogether, bankrupt and seeking to erase nearly a million dollars in debt.

Court documents show that Mambo Sprouts filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy back on November 28th. While Chapter 11 is the type of bankruptcy in which companies try to reorganize and restructure their debt, Chapter 7 typically ends with a company’s liquidation, and most debts end up going unpaid. Here’s the entire sad article from Coupons in the News.

Back in 2016, a Winn-Dixie store manager in Tallahassee, Florida apparently came up with a new policy, in the name of good customer service. From that point on, “all coupons” were to be accepted.

“All coupons”! What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a couple of cashiers could take things a little too literally, and use coupons to scam the store out of nearly $18,000.  More details – interesting ones! – from Coupons in the News.

Interest rates are going up, the stock market is volatile, consumer sentiment is shaky – so it’s a good thing we have coupons! Clipping coupons to save money could become even more important in the year ahead, so it’s a good idea to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re heading.

In that spirit, it’s time for Coupons in the News’ seventh annual look back at the year in couponing. Whether you plan to offer 2018 a fond farewell, or wish it good riddance, this year was another eventful one that will affect the world of couponing in 2019 and beyond.

So out of the hundreds of stories that you read here on Coupons in the News this year (and you didn’t miss a one, did you??) here are the top ten that were the most memorable and most likely to have a lasting impact.  Entire article here.

If you were the recipient of some cash, a check or a gift card that you could use to go grocery shopping, would you carefully clip coupons and scour the store circular to make that money go as far as possible – or would you simply head out to the store and spend it?

A new study says many SNAP recipients are doing the latter – they’re not using coupons, they’re not choosing the most inexpensive brands, they’re spending too much money out of pocket to pay for the excess not covered by their SNAP benefits, and they’re missing out on a chance to get much more for their money. Entire Coupons in the News article here.

The best of days to you and yours – may next year only get better.  and all of us richer and better looking!

Despite the ever-present predictions of paper coupons’ eventual demise, 2019 is shaping up to be a good year for insert coupons. One insert provider is publishing on more Sundays than it has in seven years. The end-of-the-year coupon drought won’t last quite as long as it has in recent years. And there are only a handful of dates when we’ll have no insert coupons at all.

Those are some of the highlights of the official, accurate, exclusive Coupons in the News 2019 Sunday coupon insert schedule.

Why official, accurate and exclusive, when there are already a bunch of “insert schedules” floating around the blogosphere and on social media? Because those schedules are mere guesses “based on past trends” – and many of those guesses are not correct. This schedule is the only one based on the actual publication plans for News America Marketing’s SmartSource, Valassis’ RetailMeNot Everyday, and Procter & Gamble’s brandSAVER. So if you truly want to know when to expect inserts and when you might want to buy extra newspapers, be sure to rely on the schedule that won’t steer you wrong.  Here’s the entire article.

If you ever have the urge to go dumpster diving for coupons, Brandy Henderson has just the place for you. The Ferguson, Missouri resident says the trash bin at her apartment complex is full of coupon inserts and sales circulars – not because her neighbors are tossing them out, but because her mail carrier apparently hasn’t felt like delivering them. For years.

Henderson’s tale became the talk of the town this week, after she shared her discovery with a local TV news station. For years, she told KMOV-TV, she’s seen postal trucks pull up to the dumpsters and toss something inside. Full Coupons in the News article here.

Retail loyalty programs have been around for decades now, and they haven’t changed too much. You can earn points for rewards, or just straight discounts on your purchases. But there’s always been a debate over whether loyalty programs really make you more loyal. So several retailers are now trying to get you to prove your loyalty and earn your rewards – by paying up front.  Read the Coupons in the News article here.