grocery shopping

Coupon Hostility

April 4, 2011 By Jennifer Derrick 8 Comments

Lately I’ve noticed two things: First, there is an increase in coupon use thanks to the Great Recession. Second, thanks to the increased coupon use there is a more vocal judgement of coupon users on Internet forums and at my local coupon swaps. People are not shy about criticizing others for “eating nothing but junk” or accusing them of inflating the savings they claim to be getting when using coupons. What is this anger toward couponers all about?

I’m not a extreme couponer, but I do manage to rack up a decent amount in savings every week by using coupons on everything from groceries to restaurants to online shopping. If you give me a chance to save money on something that I’m going to buy anyway, I’ll take it. It disturbs me when I see other couponers post their savings, only to get jumped on by other forum or swap members.

Exact quote from my local coupon swap: “Sure, you saved fifty bucks on your grocery bill, but I’ll bet you’re nutritionally deficient.” Further aggravating the situation, this person rarely brings any coupons to the swap because, “I refuse to help people buy junk food.” (Why she’s a member is a mystery to me.) She’ll only bring coupons for toiletries and paper goods. She can’t be bothered to just bring coupons because other people might want them. She turns every swap into a personal statement against what she considers unhealthy food.

This person is assuming that there is no other way to use coupons than to buy over-processed junk food. While there are plenty of coupons for junk, there are also lots of coupons for things like eggs, frozen/canned veggies and fruit, meat, toiletries, paper products and pet items. Unless you take someone’s receipt and examine everything they bought, you have no way of knowing how healthy they are. Maybe they saved that $50 on toiletries and paper goods. Maybe their store offers lots of coupons on fresh items. To judge a persons eating habits based on the fact that they use coupons is mean and unfounded. And even if they’re eating junk, so what? It’s not your health that they’re ruining so there no need to comment.

If someone isn’t sniping over the quality of the food being bought, they’re contesting the savings themselves. “I really doubt you saved $75 last week. You just can’t do that around here,” was another comment I heard at the swap. The person was referring to the fact that few stores around here double coupons. But stores don’t have to double to rack up big savings. If you have multiples of high value coupons, you can save big money. Some stores let you combine manufacturer coupons with store coupons. Even without doubling, you can save significantly just by using lots of coupons on an order. I have no doubt that someone saved $75 in one week because I’ve done it. But even if I thought they’re stretching things a bit, I wouldn’t get snarky about it. It’s not worth starting an argument over.

These are not isolated incidents. I’ve heard similar comments over and over. What is the point of being mean to others over their coupon use? Is it jealousy over the amount saved? Is it just to take someone who is successful at something down a peg? Is it to prove that you are somehow superior because you eat and live so healthfully you couldn’t possibly use a coupon on a single store bought item? I don’t know where this hostility over coupon use is coming from. Why can’t people just be supportive of other’s efforts to save money on the things they buy, whether you approve of the purchase or not? I may not buy a certain cereal, but if it’s someone else’s favorite, I can be happy for them if they save $1.00 off the purchase and I can take the time to clip a coupon for it and take it to the swap to give away.

The bottom line is that there are many ways to use coupons (just as there are thousands of ways to save money in general). What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. Just because some people choose to use coupons on certain items does not make them any better or worse than you. Just because someone can rack up hundreds of dollars in savings doesn’t mean they’re lying or cheating somehow. Maybe you should listen to them. They might be able to teach you something.

There’s no need to hammer other people who are just trying to save money. Everyone has different ways of living and saving. Just because you don’t approve doesn’t mean you have to make rude comments. You can choose to say nothing, or simply say, “Hey, good for you.” Support people who are trying to save. At least they’re trying.

Why I Use Coupons

September 10, 2010 By David G. Mitchell 5 Comments

Yesterday I went grocery shopping. When the woman in line behind me noticed my stack of coupons, she jokingly suggested to her husband that they might want to move to a different line. I laughed and exchanged pleasantries with the couple while the cashier rang up my purchases. When everything had been rung up, my coupons had been scanned, my UPromise card scanned and my credit card scanned, the cashier told me that I had saved over $100.

The woman in line behind me was astounded. She asked me whether I saved that much money every time I shopped. I replied that I probably save more than that each week because I shop multiple times in order to take advantage of the savings at various stores and to exploit various coupons. Indeed, I also pointed out that I get a three percent credit from my credit card company for grocery purchases so my savings were actually greater even for that one purchase than the hundred dollars that the cashier had announced.

In looking back over my receipts for the past few months, it does appear that I save between twenty and fifty percent on average when I go grocery shopping. I know some people enjoy greater savings but I am not nearly as fanatical as some couponers and I know I am not nearly as organized as I could be. Nevertheless, think about the savings that I enjoyed with my one trip to the grocery store yesterday.

One Hundred Dollars.

If I do that every week, I will save $5,200 in a year. In ten years, I will save $52,000. In thirty years, I will save $156,000. Now think about what you could do with that money. How much of your mortgage or rent could you pay with $5,200 per year? What about your car? Do you think you could buy a new car with $5,200 per year? You could but a very nice car with that much! Retirement. Vacations. College funds. Just by changing your grocery habits, you will find that you can enjoy much more that life has to offer by not paying more than you need to pay for the necessaries that you purchase.

Of course, most regular readers of tis blog know these things. I wonder, however, how many of us actually do take the time to maximize savings. I know I do not. When I returned to the grocery store today to stock up on more bulk items (bottled water, in particular, was on sale for a very attractive price), I found myself purchasing a few more sale items for which I knew I had coupons at home. When I got home, I found that I had left about ten dollars in savings in my kitchen drawer but I still bought the items in the interest of convenience. If I make that same mistake each week, I waste $520 in a year and $5,200 in ten years. $15,600 in thirty years.

These small decisions about whether to be organized and to maximize our savings power add up. The long term savings are huge if we are organized. The long term waste is also huge if we are not organized. How do you approach savings? Are you wasting money by not planning out your weekly spending?

Reasons Not To Coupon?

August 26, 2010 By Wixx 6 Comments

I recently read an article where the author gave 8 Reasons Not To Coupon. I understand that it was probably an assignment given to a “journalist,” but overall the article kind of annoyed me. I do not coupon directly, but I do save a ton of money using the coupons that my wife prepares for me. Using coupons with sales at drug stores I am able to get several items each week where I can buy products for free or even make money. My wife puts the coupons into groups with the corresponding savings card and I do the shopping. Here is a brief rundown of the articles complaints:

You have to buy a newspaper each week to get the coupons: My thought is that plenty of people already buy the paper and it would not cost them extra to use the coupons. I also know plenty of people who ask others who do get the paper to save the coupons for them. I am not sure where this person lives, but the Sunday paper where I live costs $2. That was not a typo. I did not forget a 0. It really only costs $2. I know this because when there are a lot of good coupons in the paper I buy more than one. That is right, not only do I buy a paper, just for the coupons, but I may buy another as well. There is a resource called the Internet that tells my wife about the good coupons in the paper. The Internet also has plenty of printable coupons that I can print on my printer, in black only, with a refilled ink cartridge.

The act of couponing takes time: She refers to doing coupons as she watches TV as a distraction from many other things that she could be doing as she watches TV. I view the watching TV as the distraction. My wife and I cut and sort while we talk to each other. We do this instead of watching TV. Sometimes I can do another chore while she works on coupons and we can talk about our day.

People will spend more money because they are using coupons: This is the basic claim for her next three points. She claims that people will go to a store that they normally do not go to in order to get one thing with a coupon. While they are there they will obviously fill their cart with other things that they do not have coupons for, thus making any coupons savings moot. She also claims that they may only need to buy one 50 cent tub of yogurt, but be forced to buy four for a dollar and a half because of a coupon. Another is that they will buy a national brand item with a coupon instead of buying the store brand next to it that would have been cheaper.

If you do not have the willpower to go into a store and only buy what you need, you are going to overspend. But if you have coupons, you may not overspend by as much. If I go to a store that I normally do not go to for one item that I have a coupon for, I walk out with my item and then go to the next store. I will also note that I will not use more gas than the savings. Maybe I am smarter than the author of the article that I read, but I imagine that I am not alone.

On that same note, I can do simple math in my head to determine that the store brand for $1.79 is cheaper than the national brand for $2.35, even if I have a coupon for 50 cents off, but the national brand is cheaper if I have a coupon for $2 off if I buy three. That covers the buying more than I need of an item as well. You see, I have an object in my kitchen called a refrigerator. It allows me to store those other three containers of yogurt in an environment similar to where I found them in the store, until I am ready to consume them.

There are so many repeat coupons: It seems like every week while she is shirking some other chore while she watches TV, the author is cutting out the same coupons from the paper that she did not want to buy. When I see the same coupons, I usually say

12 Ways to Save on Groceries If You Don’t Plan Ahead

April 19, 2010 By Jennifer Derrick 2 Comments

You’ve arrived at the grocery store with no plan. You didn’t review the sales flyer and you don’t have any coupons. Maybe you’re on vacation in a strange place, or maybe you’re just in a hurry and you didn’t have time to prepare. You may not even have a well thought out list. Is this financial suicide? Some savvy grocery shoppers would say yes; that arriving in any grocery store without a plan is wasting money. However, even if you arrive at the grocery store without a battle plan you can still take some steps to reduce your bill.

Buy store brands: While name brands can sometimes be cheaper if you have a coupon, if you come to the store without coupons, store brands are probably going to be your best bet unless there’s a great sale going on. Wherever you can stand it, go for the store brands.

Pay attention to the sale prices: Most stores keep copies of their sale flyer at the front door or at customer service. If you didn’t check it out beforehand, take a look at it now. Also look for sale prices as you scan the shelves. Most stores mark their sale items on the shelf as well as in the flyer.

Use your loyalty card for discounts or rebates: If you don’t have a loyalty card, sign up for one at customer service before you shop. They become active immediately and can save you money on your first trip. Some stores only offer sale prices to card holders, so if you want any savings you’ll need the card.

Look for coupons along the aisles or on products: You can sometimes find useful coupons in dispensers on the aisles, or on the product you’re purchasing. Don’t buy a product just because of the coupon but if you’re buying it anyway, use whatever savings you can get.

Buy in bulk, or at least price compare the various sizes: Sometimes buying the largest size (bulk) is the cheapest alternative. However, sometimes the smaller sizes are the better value. Take a minute to figure out the cost per ounce/pound of each size so that you get the one that costs the least.

Look for BOGO offers: Many stores put staples like milk, bread, cheese and other items on a buy one get one free or half off promotion. These can save you a lot of money, particularly if you know you can use all of the product before it goes bad.

Stick to the outside aisles of the store: Do most of your shopping along the outer edges of the store where the meats, produce, and dairy are shelved. These offer the best nutritional bang for your dollar. The inner aisles of the store are filled with processed convenience foods that are expensive and lacking in nutrition.

Don’t buy more than you need for this trip: Save the big buying trip for a time when you’ve made a good list, you have your coupons, and you know you’re getting good deals. Just buy what you need to get you through and get out.

Don’t assume that, “special” means sale: Sometimes end caps and other displays are labeled “special buy” or “special price.” But these items may not be the best price or value. Check the prices in the other areas of the store to make sure there aren’t other products that are a better value.

Look for displays selling damaged or about to expire foods: Many stores have a ding and dent rack, a shelf for day old bakery items, or an area where meat and produce that is about to expire is kept. These items are usually marked down and, if you can eat them before they expire, they are a great value.

Watch for pricing mistakes: Keep an eye on the screen as the cashier rings up your order. Sometimes things don’t ring up correctly which can cost you money. For example, if the BOGO doesn’t ring up right, you’ve paid full price for the items. Some stores will even give you the items free if you catch an error.

Don’t buy more than you have to: If something is “Ten for $10,” you probably don’t have to buy ten to get the special price. Some stores will make you buy all ten, but many price each item at $1. Buy the one you’ll use and leave the other nine.

Having a plan is still the best way to cut your grocery bill but if you should find yourself in the store without a plan or without your coupon book, you don’t have to pay a fortune for your food. Shop wisely and use some of these strategies and you’ll still come out okay.

Convenience Food Grocery Shopping

September 12, 2009 By David G. Mitchell 14 Comments

I was perusing the Saving Advice forums the other day and I noticed that Marla was aghast at having discovered pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in her grocery stores freezer section. Marla commented “Have we really become a nation that is so lazy we can no longer even make a peanut and jelly sandwich?!” Well, Marla, I don’t think we can attribute such grocery conveniences solely to a collective laziness, but we can certainly attribute a lot of it to a collective foolishness.

It is not a surprise that over the course of the past few decades, grocery stores have offered an increasingly large number of products that appeal to the home cook’s desire to be more efficient. TV dinners, for example, were hugely successful when Swanson introduced them in 1954 and today the average American eats seventy-two frozen meals each year. As most grocery shoppers know, however, very often there is a price to be paid for convenience, but how much is that cost?

I checked out the price of PB&J Jamz at a local discount retailer. The cost for a package of 18 sandwiches (and truth be told, they look more like pastries) was approximately $12. That amounts to sixty-seven cents per serving — a rather small serving in my opinion. By comparison, at my local grocery store, I can purchase one jar of jelly, one jar of peanut butter and two loaves of bread for about $9, and that will make at least 25 sandwiches for my household. Given the ease by which even younger children can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I can’t see myself purchasing a frozen PB&J convenience food, can you?

Although I did not find frozen sandwiches to be such a good deal, I was surprised to discover that my long-held scorn for pre-blended peanut butter and jelly was entirely misplaced. Over the years, I have always chucked when I saw jars of combined peanut butter and jelly, assuming that the producer charged a premium for the convenience of having to scoop from only one jar. My assumptions were completely wrong, as I discovered that the pre-blended BB&J was no more expensive than purchasing peanut butter and jelly separately.

Here are a couple of other things that I discovered about conveniences in the grocery aisles:

Sometimes Single Serving Packages Are a Good Deal: As with so many assumptions, not all are correct. I have always believed that single serving packaging usually means a higher unit cost, but until this week I had never actually put that to the test. My results were mixed. At my local grocery store, I discovered that it is actually less expensive to purchase a package of twelve single-serving bags of Lays potato chips (about 33 cents per serving) than to purchase a fourteen serving bag that is not pre-portioned (about 36 cents per serving). By comparison, however, the Kellogg’s cereal variety pack ($4.29 for ten single serving packs) was priced much more expensively than a regular box of cereal ($4.39 for sixteen servings and a more extreme sale price of $3.99 for twenty-six servings). I found even more extreme price disparities in powdered drink mixes and cookies, both of which were frighteningly more expensive in single serving packages.

Products that Save You Time Will Cost You More Money: Not surprisingly, in the grocery store time is money. The more time you are willing to spend in your kitchen, the more inexpensively you can shop. The more time saving purchases you want to make, the more you will have to spend. For example, three heads of Romaine lettuce will serve seven people and cost $2.99, but a bag of chopped Romaine which will serve three people costs twenty cents more.

In the meat department, there are a range of prices on chicken. A whole chicken is less expensive per pound than chicken that is already cut up, boned or skinned. At one extreme, a skinless boneless fillet costs $5.19 per pound, while a package of chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks (still with skin and bone is only $1.69 per pound. Unless you have arthritis or other problems that affect your dexterity, it is not difficult to skin and de-bone a bird so the less expensive options should always be chosen.

Of course, sale prices and geography can make pricing vary in your grocery store. My point is not that there is never a time to purchase a time saving product or a pre-portioned product. Rather, what you need to understand is the importance of checking the unit cost on everything you buy. Whatever pricing assumptions you may bring to your shopping experience, you may find that some of them are disproved by the shelf tag information on the products that you are buying.

What do you think? What deals have you been able to find on grocery products that actually save you time in the kitchen? Are you willing to pay more just to avoid time working over a hot stove?

Cashier Mistakes

September 3, 2009 By David G. Mitchell 14 Comments

I’ve known Ben since 1969. In fact, I have it on the best authority that he attended my third birthday party that year. Ben has always been consistent. I could always rely on him to be loyal, genuine and completely scatterbrained at times.

Once, when he was about nineteen years old, Ben’s parents ordered pizzas (from Calitri’s on Route 1 in Danvers, Massachusetts) and sent Ben to pick them up. Ben was focused on his task and dutifully drove the eight miles to Calitri’s, paid for three pizzas, went back to his car and drove home. When he got home, he walked into his house and sat down to watch TV. After sharing quizzical looks for about 30 seconds, his parents and sister asked about the pizza. Ben looked very confused and could not answer their questions.

This was somewhat typical of Ben so Ben and his Dad drove back to Calitri’s and solved the problem. The pizzas were located scattered about 100 yards down the highway from the restaurant. Ben and his Dad deduced that Ben had put the pizzas on the roof of his car in order to unlock the door and had forgotten them when he drove off. What could Ben’s Dad do but laugh? Of course, none of Ben’s friends have forgotten that story and so he is reminded of it regularly.

My point is not to poke fun at an old friend, but to note that we all make mistakes. We forget to bring things to the office or we forget to pick up laundry on the way home. Sometimes, however, other people make mistakes and it can cost us money or convey a benefit to us that we really should not be receiving.

For example, last week I went to the grocery store and purchased about $150 worth of groceries. When I got home, I found that there was a tooth brush that I had not purchased bagged with all of my other groceries. The tooth brush was priced $3.69 and probably was part of a different person’s grocery bill, but inadvertently placed in my bag.

I thought about keeping the tooth brush. A return trip to the grocery store would take about a half hour and I did not think I could convey to the customer service department what had happened if I called on the phone. Nevertheless, I realized that the person who had purchased the tooth brush would probably go back to the store looking for it and I did not want that person to be out $3.69 because of an error made by a teenage bagger.

My experience with the tooth brush got me thinking about the ways that we can gain and lose value due to bagger and cashier mistakes, and at what threshold we stop overlooking the error. Here is how I answered my questions but I hope you will also tell me how you would answer them.

Cashier Gives Me Too Much Change

This is an easy issue for me. Whenever a cashier gives me too much change, I immediately return the excess and point out the error in his or her calculation. I know that if the cashier gives me $5 too much, the cashier will be accountable for that at the end of the night, and if the cashier makes a lot of mistakes, he or she may be accused of theft. I would hate to contribute to a cashier losing his or her position just so that I can pocket money to which I am not entitled.

Cashier Short Changes Me

I think we are all likely to be in agreement on this point. If a cashier fails to give me sufficient change, I politely require it. There is no shock in that, but I mention it here in the interest of covering all of my topics.

Bagger Fails to Bag an Item

I hate it when I go to a store and everything I purchase does not make it into the bag. When all of my items are not apparent when I get home, I immediately check my receipt to determine whether the item was actually purchased. I have been known to forget things so I don’t automatically assume that I purchased an item that is missing. After I confirm that I did purchase the missing item, I either decide that it is not worth the hassle or I decide to go back to the store to retrieve it. Usually I will walk away from anything that is priced under $3 unless it is something that I need immediately. If I decide to go back for the item, I ask my wife to call the store to let them know that I am on my way back to retrieve it, receipt in hand. I have my wife make the call so that I will have a better chance of getting back to the store before the item is put back on the shelf.

Bagger Gives Me Someone Else’s Purchase

I generally try to return an item that is not rightfully mine. I just don’t want the bad karma that comes from keeping another person’s purchases. If the item cost less than $1, I might wait until the next day to return it, but otherwise I will try to go back to the store right away.

What are your standards when you receive “bonuses” from cashiers and baggers or when they fail to give you everything to which you are entitled? Do you keep the extras? What is your threshold for not caring about something that a bagger forgets?