Maybe you should reread what I said again? I pointed out that I thought it was funny when people pay for kraft paper and ALSO get a news paper every day, and just throw it away. As you stated, you don't get the paper, therefore this would not apply to you.
Anyways, one thing you said was that you don't like how the newspaper breaks up when it gets wet? Maybe we are using different techniques, because this doesn't happen at alll for me. I use entire sections keeping the origional fold of the newspaper. in other words, I pull out the metro section and lay that whole section down flat.. so really it is like 6 or 8 layers of newspaper. that is why it is so good absorbing liquids, and it doesn't break up when it gets wet.
If you don't have a source of newspaper it takes little effort to find free paper. Stores for instance trash extra newspapers that don't sell. I, myself don't get the paper. I do though have friends / family members that do and every once in a while they will bring me an old stack.