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Do you use coupons?

That's WAY too much work for me. And for some reason I am slightly embarassed to use coupons. Reminds me of shopping with my mom as a kid. We were poor and forced to use them. Ugggg. I hated shopping days as a child. Maybe I would feel differently if my memories of them weren't so tainted.

The store I go to for my main groceries (besides Trader Joes, Costco, and WF) has a card that you can purchase for 20$/yr and then you get the 'sale' prices. That I do, but I never buy a product that is on sale unless it is a brand I normally use. My DH and I are very picky with brands.
 
I did very well with couponing a while back, I used to pay for a site to help me organize and get started. I really did save more than I spent on the site every month. I then switched to a free site once I got the hang of it. I used it more for personal care items, as I never did get a whole lot of coupons for what we buy, but once you get the hang of it, toothpaste can really be free. I never got "extreme" with it and I always purchased things we needed and not processed food, which is 95% of all coupons, but it really does help if you only purchase things you normally use and not get too brand specific. I keep telling myself I need to get back into it. I never did online coupons, its too much hassle, and stuck to the sunday paper inserts.
 
HI:

Not for a while. But while dining out the other day the restaurant owner told me to keep my receipt--since it was good for 20% off lunch during the week. Does that count?

cheers--Sharon
 
I'm a big coupon user and follow a couple of blogs to help me find the best deals. Problem is...I took the summer off from
couponing becaue it is really difficult with the kids in tow and I'm having a hard time getting back into it. It can be a lot
of work but I did save a lot of money the year I kept track of everything. I need to just get my butt in gear and get going
again. I think its worth it if you have the time but if you have kids and a full time job it may not be worth your time
(unless you really enjoy it).
 
kenny|1314489896|3002374 said:
No.
Coupons are often to get you to buy something you'd not otherwise buy.

That's not saving.
That's spending.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree to a certain extent, so it's important to stick to what you use and be picky about which coupons to clip. We have our staple items, so if an item is on sale or if I have a coupon, I will stock up. Like I got Cascade Farms cereal for $1.50 or so a box by using coupons, so I bought 10 boxes! One son like their Purely O's and the other likes the granola flavors, so for us that was a sweet deal.

The thing I do is if I normally buy one brand, but another is on sale and I have a coupon, I might go for the other brand. Basically though, I kind of buy the same stuff every week and cross my fingers my favorites are in the coupon section of the paper.

One thing that bugs the crap out of me is when the coupon requires a shopper to buy 2 to get 50 cents off.
 
I used to quite a bit, but time is not on my side anymore. Sill, we shop smart buying on sale in general. Saving money should not make one feel shame. It's how you become and stay wealthy.
 
last year i got into a bit, and then got carried away with it. i started to stress about them. so then i cut myself some slack and now i am good about using online codes and such, with the hopes of using them non-neurotically again once school starts and i can sort through them over coffee, casually.
 
I use them but I'm not an extreme couponer or anything.
 
MC|1314494332|3002685 said:
kenny|1314489896|3002374 said:
No.
Coupons are often to get you to buy something you'd not otherwise buy.

That's not saving.
That's spending.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree to a certain extent, so it's important to stick to what you use and be picky about which coupons to clip. We have our staple items, so if an item is on sale or if I have a coupon, I will stock up. Like I got Cascade Farms cereal for $1.50 or so a box by using coupons, so I bought 10 boxes! One son like their Purely O's and the other likes the granola flavors, so for us that was a sweet deal.

The thing I do is if I normally buy one brand, but another is on sale and I have a coupon, I might go for the other brand. Basically though, I kind of buy the same stuff every week and cross my fingers my favorites are in the coupon section of the paper.

One thing that bugs the crap out of me is when the coupon requires a shopper to buy 2 to get 50 cents off.
Click to expand...


The buy two things (lets say cereal) for .50 cent only works to the shoppers advantage if the store doubles up the coupon to $1.00 and those two boxes of cereal are on sale. Then two for .50 is a good coupon. My local Harris Teeter frequently does buy one get one free. So my .50 cent coupon. doubled up to $1.00, one of the boxes is free, the other is $3.99, with the $1.00 off, I've gotten two boxes of name brand cereal for $2.99. Not too bad, IMO. ;))
 
It's more effort than I care to do so I just shop at stores with good prices.
 
I try to but I always manage to leave them at home. That's a lot of wasted money!
 
coupons are great from marketing point of view
 
coupons are great from marketing point of view
 
Feb03Bride|1314494808|3002773 said:
MC|1314494332|3002685 said:
kenny|1314489896|3002374 said:
No.
Coupons are often to get you to buy something you'd not otherwise buy.

That's not saving.
That's spending.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree to a certain extent, so it's important to stick to what you use and be picky about which coupons to clip. We have our staple items, so if an item is on sale or if I have a coupon, I will stock up. Like I got Cascade Farms cereal for $1.50 or so a box by using coupons, so I bought 10 boxes! One son like their Purely O's and the other likes the granola flavors, so for us that was a sweet deal.

The thing I do is if I normally buy one brand, but another is on sale and I have a coupon, I might go for the other brand. Basically though, I kind of buy the same stuff every week and cross my fingers my favorites are in the coupon section of the paper.

One thing that bugs the crap out of me is when the coupon requires a shopper to buy 2 to get 50 cents off.
Click to expand...


The buy two things (lets say cereal) for .50 cent only works to the shoppers advantage if the store doubles up the coupon to $1.00 and those two boxes of cereal are on sale. Then two for .50 is a good coupon. My local Harris Teeter frequently does buy one get one free. So my .50 cent coupon. doubled up to $1.00, one of the boxes is free, the other is $3.99, with the $1.00 off, I've gotten two boxes of name brand cereal for $2.99. Not too bad, IMO. ;))
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is what happened with the Cascade Farms. It was on sale and then it was save $1.00 on two boxes. I guess it just bugs me when most coupons are that way now plus on junk things, like Pringles or Chex Mix (stuff I don't buy). The other day, I found one for Tortino's Pizza. It required buying 3 or 4 pizzas! I usually buy 2 a month b/c they are junk but fun as appetizers when my kids have friends over. I cut them up into little squares and put toothpicks in them. Kids think it's fun...but really FOUR of those things? Ugh.
 
No b/c a) I'm too lazy we read the paper online so it's not like we get any in our mail, and I have no desire to seek them out b) we buy mostly fresh produce which doesn't have coupons c) stores we frequently shop at like trader joes/whole foods/health food stores/farmers market don't have coupons

Not sure if this really counts but I do use online free shipping coupons and those 40% off coupons banana republic frequently sends out, oh and I also use my free Starbucks coupons of course!
 
I've been coupon cutting for the past few weeks, as I've had lots of time on my hands... We'll use them if they fall into our laps (like w/ those in the paper, or in the pamphlets you get when you walk into supermarkets) but I can't imagine we'll actively seek them out once we start our new jobs in a couple of weeks. It's time-consuming and scouring the web for coupons or the best deal becomes something of an obsession, and ultimately I don't think my time and effort is worth the $5 or $20 off.
 
We clip coupons from the Sunday paper for the items that we purchase already. I'm no extreme couponer though - I don't think I have the time, patience or organization for that! We have been more conscious of sales corresponding with our coupons lately as we're trying to save more money.
 
We don't get the paper and I'm too lazy to look up coupons online, so I don't use them.
 
I totally get why people are intimidated or don't have the time to clip coupons but I don't get that people think they can't benefit from them. :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
None of the supermarkets around me double (never mind triple) coupons. I'm talking about regular supermarkets, I've never shopped for food at Bjs, Costco, etc. I glance through the ones in the Sunday paper every week. If I see one for something I already use, I'll clip it if it's for at least $1 for one item. I don't bother with the ones that make you buy more than one of anything unless it's something that I need a bunch of. I end up clipping a couple every week for a whopping $2 savings. I save money by buying store brand items that cost less than name brand even with a coupon discount. I also buy a lot of produce for which there are no coupons around here, just sales.

In most aspects, I'm the cheapest person I know and a huge saver. But for some reason I can't be bothered much by coupons. Maybe if Hannafords started tripling coupons I would!
 
Tacori, I can't really see any benefit from them personally. I don't shop in supermarkets, I don't buy much packaged or any processed food I don't use chemical cleaners etc. We use re-usable cloth nappies. Toothpaste etc I get form my dentist, soap from the local soap factory and so on. It just doesn't work with how I shop. Plus, I don't buy newspapers, so I'd have to actively seek out the coupons.
 
I use coupons for restaurants (buy one entree, get one free), oil changes, tires, hair cuts, teeth cleanings, dry cleaning, toy stores, clothing stores, books stores, cleaning products, toiletries, hair products, make-up, TP, paper towels, light bulbs, home improvement stores, batteries, office supplies...I could go on. So even if my diet was 100% free of processed foods (which it is not), I would still find them valuable. I am also lucky that I live in a place that has lots of promotions. One super market gives you gas, one regularly gives you $10 off your entire order...they are very competitive which is great for me!

Jen, I have no IDEA what coupons are like in Europe but here they can save the consumer a lot of money.
 
yes, all the time, I also print coupons online as well as go to my local grocers website and "load" coupon onto my grocery shopper card, I never pay full price on gas anymore, as my local grocery store, partnered with some gas station for every $100 spent on grocery is an extra $.10/gallon off, which is less than Costco for me. My grocery bills for a family of four weekly are no more than $100 a week which includes leftover for lunches for hubby and I. I rarely eat out at work, maybe once a week at $5/meal. I've been coupon clipping for over 7 years now since married. I also used to have rewards points through my bank debit card if I used it as a pinless transaction as a credit card (sign instead of using my pin) although i had an annual fee of $39 for this rewards debit/credit card, I received money back anywhere from $25-$40 month (I redeem the points as cash and goes straight back into my bank account that is associated with my card) so it was worth the $39 fee in order to receive the points to redeem for cash.

I also collect points on diapers pampers, huggies, and coke products and get coupons, free diapers, and other stuff from these points. It does feel great to save!

ETA: my local grocery store also sends out coupons $5 off $50 purchase or $10 off $100 purchase monthly as well store specific coupon just by using your shoppers card and making sure your address is current with them.
 
Tacori E-ring|1314552956|3003637 said:
I use coupons for restaurants (buy one entree, get one free), oil changes, tires, hair cuts, teeth cleanings, dry cleaning, toy stores, clothing stores, books stores, cleaning products, toiletries, hair products, make-up, TP, paper towels, light bulbs, home improvement stores, batteries, office supplies...I could go on. So even if my diet was 100% free of processed foods (which it is not), I would still find them valuable. I am also lucky that I live in a place that has lots of promotions. One super market gives you gas, one regularly gives you $10 off your entire order...they are very competitive which is great for me!

Jen, I have no IDEA what coupons are like in Europe but here they can save the consumer a lot of money.
Click to expand...

Hmm. They are quite different here. I've never seen any for restaurants that I go to (that would be awesome) or hair cuts etc. Clothing stores very occasionally, but maybe like once every few years, given with the till receipt when you've already bought something there. The other things in your list, I don't think I could find coupons for, I've never seen any. Starting to feel a little bit short changed here... :bigsmile: DH collects points on a nectar card at various stores, but I have some privacy concerns about them in the UK, so I don't use one - he gets vouchers back occasionally.

Tell you what we do have here- the Co-op dividend. It was a bit of a social class thing, I think - working class people always shopped in their local Co-operative, which was a group of stores run on a not-for-profit basis. There was / is ALWAYS a co-op in a town or village, and you got a membership number. So many times a year, they'd give out the dividend - all members got a share of the profit, usually in vouchers to shop there. They still run a version of the scheme, with a loyalty card now. My father can still recite his mother's membership number (all 12 digits, and know as the divi-number) because you had to quote it when you went to collect the dividend or made a purchase. It was drummed into him as a small boy. I guess there are similar schemes all over the world, but the Scottish Co-op was huge in its heyday.
 
Jen, I figured it must be different. I even used a coupon at T's old daycare (no registration fee). Her current daycare sold an entertainment book (VERY common in the US) as a fundraiser that is FILLED with restaurant (and nice ones) coupons, bowling, movie tickets, stores, ice cream, pizza, and other random coupons. It is huge and I won't even begin to use all of them. Some are great with completely free items (free cupcake ones from a local bakery that are just waiting to be used) or good discounts and others are random (20 free color copies or a free notary) which I probably won't use. I just used a 20% to an office supply store last week. I saved $15. It seems silly not to take advantage of savings of items I need to buy anyways. Maybe the coupon craze will catch on there! I also get great deals on online sites (ex. groupon).

ETA: I have even used a coupon for a free ring sizing. That should appeal to the PS masses ;))
 
Actually, DH just reminded me about our work discount scheme. I work part-time in the NHS and we get employee discounts at various retailers. I might be able to get some coupons for things I'd use there, I think they have stuff like cinema vouchers and chain restaurants. Could be useful. I have a vague memory of getting 20% off our flatscreen tv and DVD recorder that way, but you just produce your ID badge rather than a coupon. I also suspect that if I'd shopped around in chain stores for the TV, it would have been about 20% cheaper than the independent store who offered the discount, but I felt like I was getting a bargain!
 
Thought of this thread tonight when I went to the store and spent $54 on food after saving $44. Still don't understand why everyone couldn't benefit :$$):
 
That's great, Tacori! We used to have one of those entertainment books too and there were some great deals. It's been a while since we've had one though. I should look into using coupons more regularly.
 
Zoe|1318026081|3035598 said:
That's great, Tacori! We used to have one of those entertainment books too and there were some great deals. It's been a while since we've had one though. I should look into using coupons more regularly.
Click to expand...

Opps. Should have clarified. This was at the grocery store. I just found out they have online coupons you can attach to your shopper's card and I used coupons, combined with sales...every little bit adds up.
 
Tacori E-ring|1318025867|3035593 said:
Thought of this thread tonight when I went to the store and spent $54 on food after saving $44. Still don't understand why everyone couldn't benefit :$$):
Click to expand...


Agreed! On thursday my total before sale prices, e-card coupons (through the store that I "loaded up" at home onto my store card) and my coupons was $148 and change. After all of the coupons and sales, $62! And it was a combination of household products, food, frozen foods, produce.
 
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