I’m seriously considering this, but I have some questions. What time do you have to get up in the morning? I’ve heard 3 or 4 am depending on the size of the route. I guess that I’d be done by 6ish and that’s getting up time. I’m looking into this because my husband and I only have one vehicle, so I’d have to be using it when he isn’t. Also, I have to be able to take the baby with me, or both kids if need be and this sounds like the ticket, but I’m wondering if I’ll have to be in be at 8pm wtih the kids?
Too, I am wondering if I have to assemble the papers and if I have to pick them up or are they delivered?
Drat, it should say “I’m wondering if I’ll have to be in bed…” Big sigh.
Regarding the “putting together” of newspapers, I have the feeling that it depends on the paper you’re delivering for, so YMMV. Personally, however, I only had to put together the Sunday papers (usually came in about 4-5 sections) and the rare mega-advertising-extravaganza weekday papers that usually fall on the day before a national holiday.
As far as time of delivery, I think our deadline was 6 or 7 AM so the time you wake up depends on the size of your route. Mine, IMHO, was probably 150 or so, in a 35 story apartment building so we (my loving parents helped me out for the Sunday papers which was the only morning one I delivered) would wake up around 4 to assemble and deliver the papers.
Hope this helps. And I hope you’re not overly fond of sleep. 
Oh, I missed the part where you wondered if they’d be delivered to you or if you need to pick 'em up. They’re delivered, by the same vans, I think, as the ones that fill up all the newspaper machines around town.
Thanks. I think I’m gonna go for it. If I can’t hack it after a couple of weeks, I can always drop it.
Hey Leifsmama, I just woke up. 
I deliver about 160 papers now. I leave home just before 4 a.m., pick up my papers at my drop site (which is close to my route) and have at it until I finish at about 6:20. My previous deadline was 6 a.m., but it’s been extended because my new route is a real bear.
I only assemble the Sunday papers…each one gets two inserts. Anymore, I just layer the three sections (instead of opening the main part up and inserting the inserts, ha) and bag them. Faster and it seems to work fine, so I’ll do it that way until I get complaints.
I take my babies with me about twice a month. It’s not too bad, now that they are used to it. We sing a lot, and look at bunnies in the yards. Littlepoet is convinced that it’s Teletubby land because of all the rabbits hopping around at that time of day.)
It’s perfect for me right now…the hours don’t conflict much with my regular day (I try to nap as soon as I get home, or a bit later if the babies are up by then). I drink a lot of coffee and make sure that once a week or so I get a LONG nap at some point. And the pay is decent…it will differ according to where you are, I’m sure, but I make about $4 per subscription, plus tips.
Drop me a line if you want to chat about it, and let us know how it goes!
Regards,
karol
Leifs, is this a rural or urban paper route?
My mom did a rural paper route for a few years. The papers were delivered in bundles at 11:30 PM at the local grocery store. She met the delivery van there and loaded the bundles into her station wagon. Her route was 72 miles long, over every highway, bi-way, gravel road, and goat track in the area. Sometimes on weekends or when she was billing, I would go along. She’d drive, I’d hold a bundle in my lap. My job was to fold the newspaper and hand it to her when she pulled over to a paper box. She’d stuff a bill in it and stuff it in the paper box. (She was also responsible for putting up and taking down paper boxes whenever anyone started or dropped a subscription, but of course that was done during the daylight.)
I seem to recall that, on a good day, she could be home and in bed by 4:30 AM or so. But if the weather was bad, the paper guy was late, or it was a weekend/holiday delivery, it could be going on 6:00 or so before she was home.
As to when she slept, I seem to recall she went to bed around 8:00 PM and got up at 11:00 to meet the paper guy. When she got home, she’d go back to bed and sleep until about, oh, 10:00 or noon I guess, depending on how late she was. My memory is getting kinda fuzzy–I think she was still delivering papers when she went back to college, so I don’t remember how she juggled all that and taking care of my dad (except that it was a blessing I was still living at home and unemployed so I could take over the housework and feed dad while my sister was galavanting around the countryside with low-lifes… but that’s another thread).
Of course, if you’re talking about the city and a route you walk and apartment buildings and things of that nature, probably little or none of this applies. I was just in the mood to talk paper routes.
Hey, if it is a rural route, though, you’ll probably see lots of deer and stuff. Very neat 
Oh, and I think our papers came preassembled. I don’t recall putting papers together, just stuffing bills in them.
After my mom had shoulder surgery, I got to drive while she folded the papers. That was kinda cool, except I hit a dog. I was going slow and the dog was ok, but I was still pretty traumatized.