Coupon Help

[Daylily]

I was trying to find more examples of where someone had actually listed a breakdown of actual purchases vs. coupons over on HCW but I couldn’t find one. I’m sure that there is something like that on that site. I did find a thread where people were listing their total purchases, coupons and rebates, and out of pocket expenses for all of 2006. There were some pretty interesting numbers there. However, none gave an item by item breakdown of exactly what was purchased which is what you are looking for.

I do have issues with the way some people account for their ‘savings.’ If an item is $4.99 and then it is on sale for $3.49 and then someone uses a $1 store coupon and then a $1 manufacturer coupon for a final price of $1.49, people will say I ‘saved’ $3.50. I disagree with this type of accounting for me because I would never have paid $4.99 for the item in the first place.

Because you can’t get double coupons it may be difficult to ever get to the point of $30/week for food. I don’t benefit from the doubles either. Plus, it sounds like a lot of the food that you do eat isn’t the type of food that has coupons. I eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies and rice. We do eat meat but probably less than the average family. There just aren’t coupons for those items! At least not in my area. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t still try to find and use coupons whenever possible. Here’s an example. There was a brand of spaghetti sauce on sale for $1.28 (normally around $2.99). I used a $1.00 coupon on it. Next, the manufacturer was offering a deal to either get your money back or get a coupon for a free jar. I could have got the $1.28 back, but instead I chose to get the coupon for the free jar. So in the end, for $0.28 + tax, I received two jars of spag sauce.

You mentioned that you spend a lot on toiletries. Perhaps you may want to concentrate your efforts here. My DH is painfully loyal to certain brands/products. Because of this, I have to use coupons and stockpile whenever those particular items are on sale. Here is a recent example. The razors that he uses are normally $6.14. They almost never go on sale but for some reason Target had them on markdown for $4.99. This coincided with a $2.00 coupon insert! Yeah! I bought four additional newspapers that week at 50-cents each just so I could get those extra coupons. Granted, it cost me $2 in extra newspapers, but there was also a $3.00 coupon that week for the coffee that we drink so it was worth it for me to buy the extra papers.

If you are not brand loyal then you are at an advantage. Definitely start taking advantage of the drug store programs. I’m actually heading to both Walgreens and CVS today. You can get all sorts of things free by shopping at these places. Hot Coupon World is really good for help matching up the weekly sales and rebates with coupons at these places. You definitely need a price book though when deciding if something is worth it or not because the prices at the drug stores are high.

One other thing I have started doing is clipping ALL coupons. I used to only clip coupons for items that I used. Recently though, I have missed out on some freebies because I didn’t have the coupon. It may have been on something that I would not have normally purchased, but if it had been free there would have been no reason not to try it. Again, I found out about these deals over on HCW.

Find out if your stores accept Internet printables. Sign up for HCW and search the coupon database. Definitely clip coupons for New products. When a product is introduced there are usually several coupons for it and it usually is on sale during the rollout. Often new products can be purchased for free or very little money.

I have been tracking my coupon usage for 2007 and have posted the results in my blog. So far, January and February have both been just over $30 in coupons. I have not posted my rebates though. This is a matter of my confusion about the accounting of this ‘saving.’ For example, I had a rebate for $6.99 for shampoo. The shampoo was free after the rebate. I did get the shampoo free but I never would have paid $6.99 for that brand had it not been free. I don’t know how to account for this so I have been leaving it out of my numbers.

I find using coupons to be fun. I realize not everyone may agree. To get the most saving, it does take time but I enjoy it so for me, it is worth it. Even if you can’t get down to $30/week in groceries, you may still find that you are able to save. However, if you don’t enjoy doing it and you find it is not worth your time, then don’t do it. Everyone is different and everyone finds their own way to save.

[sakigt]

Ive found the best way to save money on groceries is not coupons. They are, however, a great supplement. $1 or $2 here or there. Some days I dont use any.

1) Shopping sales. Especially BOGO sales.
2) Buying a lot when its on sale.

Doing this I spend $100-150 a month on feed my boyfriend and I home-cooked meals 5 nights a week, multiple leftovers for lunch and breakfast on the weekends. Every package of meat in my freezer has an "on sale" sticker on it. Ive got 20 boxes of rice and pasta in my cabinet from when its been on sale. I buy fresh veggies weekly and make sure to put a paper towel in with the bag to discourage it going bad. I also substitute frozen veggies I can stand when necessary.

[genmed]

IMHO, you should count your savings as savings compared to what you would normally spend. So, if you got a free bottle of shampoo, would you normally buy the cheapest at $1? or would you buy a more expensive brand at $2? If so, I would calculate my savings at $1 or $2 respectively. This is how I calculate my savings for using coupons.

[genmed]

Ive found the best way to save money on groceries is not coupons. They are, however, a great supplement. $1 or $2 here or there. Some days I dont use any.

1) Shopping sales. Especially BOGO sales.
2) Buying a lot when its on sale.

Doing this I spend $100-150 a month on feed my boyfriend and I home-cooked meals 5 nights a week, multiple leftovers for lunch and breakfast on the weekends. Every package of meat in my freezer has an "on sale" sticker on it. Ive got 20 boxes of rice and pasta in my cabinet from when its been on sale. I buy fresh veggies weekly and make sure to put a paper towel in with the bag to discourage it going bad. I also substitute frozen veggies I can stand when necessary.

I agree that coupons are a way to supplement, and not by any means the only way to lower your costs. One could also argue that some people are always buying things on sale, especially if they are not needed and wasting money. I would think one effective strategy on using coupons is:

Keep a list of things you cook with/use (toiletries, cleaning supplies)
Buying things when they go on sale, and then using coupons on top of the sale price to end up paying the least or buying the generic if it is the cheapest price.

[marjorie]

For me the best savings with coupons are buying non-perishable household items, cleaning agents and toiletries.
I look for the big score. I regularly do rebates and combine them with coupons for Rite-Aid (love the rebates by internet) and Walgreens. The very best deal I probably ever had was when Wisk detergent came out with disks, or saucer shaped portions of detergent. It was just compressed powdered detergent that looked like a hockey puck. They sold a package of 2 trial sized pucks of detergent for $.50. Each box contained a coupon, worth, I think, $.50. I do remember for certain that I went to a Fay's drug store that had a promotional rack of them. Becuase I want stores to value my business, I asked the manager if I could buy 4 of them. He said he was really tired of looking at the display and I could buy all I wanted. I first bought the number I had coupons for, emptied the coupon from each box and purchased the identical number the next time though. Once the manager caught on to what was happening, he actually assigned 2 employees to help me; opeing boxes and removing coupons. I couldn't believe it, but he said it was worth it to him to get rid of the product. Ultimately they loaded the whole display into my hatchback! It was 2 years before I had to buy laundry detergent, despite having small children and babysitting during the day.
Those are the deals I live for, but they are infrequent and require some work.

[GoodBuyGirl]

First of all don't go out and buy something just because somebody else got a great deal on it.
Continue to shop for the same items you always have. If you happen to have a coupon for one of those items Great, if not just look for the best price.
I have used coupons successfully for quite a while and on average I may save 50% off the total. I try to have multiple coupons so when a good sale hits I can stock up when the price is at it's lowest. That way when I'm well stocked I don't have to pay full price the next time I need the item and it's one more thing I won't have to put on my list the next time.
My DH thought I was nuts buying 10 bottles of ketchup last July because with coupons I got them free. I am now on my last bottle and it's making me crazy I will most likely have to pay for my next Ketchup. So I am still working on how much of each item I need to stock up on without overdoing it. But my DH doesn't think I'm so crazy now.

[rob62521]

I have always been envious (I hate to admit it) when I see those stories about how people can get $200 worth of groceries for mere dollars. It always made me feel like I wasn't doing something right. But, I've also discovered that different locales have different coupons and even different amounts on coupons. My husband buys the Chicago Trib which has coupons and the coupon inserts from it are far often better than the ones in our local paper. I belong to a couple of coupon trains and we share coupons and I see coupons from different areas that we don't get here in Illinois. I only use a coupon if it's for something I normally would buy. I don't save hundreds, but feel like if I save a few dollars that's a few more than I would have had.

Now to vent -- why can't the coupon manufacturers be reasonable? Saving $1.00 on four boxes of this or that often keeps me from buying it. Either having to purchase 4 boxes is out of my budget, or I don't have room to store all 4 boxes. I don't mind using a coupon for 25 cents for one! I had an old coupon for peanut butter that was for 15 cents and no expiration date. The cashier had quite a chuckle over it, but hey, that's 15 cents more than I had when I started and I was going to buy the peanut butter anyway!

[disneysteve]

Now to vent -- why can't the coupon manufacturers be reasonable? Saving $1.00 on four boxes of this or that often keeps me from buying it. Either having to purchase 4 boxes is out of my budget, or I don't have room to store all 4 boxes. I don't mind using a coupon for 25 cents for one!

I agree. This seems to have gotten more common recently. Even having to buy 2 of something will often keep us from using the coupon. Not because of cost or space. Just because of practicality. If it is a food we buy regularly, like cereal, that's fine. But if it is something that we buy rarely, who needs 2 or 3 or 4 of them.

[cicy33]

Okay being an avid couponer there are few misconceptions.
1. I can regularly buy $200 worth for $20.
Truth: That is a rare occurence and usually requires a serious amount of coupons and a triple sale. I am not saying it does not happen but it is not as often as people think.

2. I can feed my family of 6 for $30 a week.
Truth: Sure if you want totally prepackaged food! If am down to that number it is because I have a fairly well stocked pantry and I am just replenshing. I mean, milk alone is almost $3 a gallon and bread is another $1 on average. there is already $4 gone. Of course there are those that only buy powdered milk.

3. Couponing is easy.
Truth: Couponing is a pain in the butt! But ever so worth it!

Now to give a few examples of couponing. I found coupons for electrasol on ebay. Cost me approx $1 per coupon. not quite but close. I got 20 of them. The item was free with coupon. So I spend $1 per box on something that I normally spend $4 a box. A savings of $3 per box for a total of $60. It won't go bad! so I won't have to buy that stuff for a year. Another one: coupons for franks red hot, .50/1 double at kroger and get the little bottle for free. We use a ton of this stuff. cost of bottle: $1 After I get the coupons I usually average about .05 per bottle. I usually have about 30 bottles at a time in my pantry. Lipton noodles and sauce, again .50/1 double at kroger usually free (watch for sales) cost of bag: $1 cost about .05 per bag. So just on these items I would have spent: 20 x $4 = $80 electrosal, 30 x $1 = $30 franks, and $20 x $1 = $20 Lipton for a total of $130. I actually spent 20 x $1 = $20 electrosal, 30 x .05 = 1.50 Franks, and 20 x .05 = $1, lipton, for a total spent: $22.50 less what it would have cost me: $107.50 for a total savings. These are just 3 items that at the store I get them for free, thought there is a cost getting the coupons sometimes. Now, keep in mind a few things, I have a pantry that is about 3 x 5 that i put a shelving unit in, which is where I store my items, and my cabinets hold the rest. Sometimes I do run out of room and that does get interesting!!! Recently Kroger had a deal that if you bought a package of Cottonelle for kids you got a B1G1 free. Well, I happend to have bought on e because I had a $1 off and it was on sale for 1.99 so I was thrilled when I got the catalina. I have been using them ever since. even at the usual price of $2.99 I am getting 2 packages for that cost and they are usually bigger rolls than the cheap stuff. and usually they are on sale for $2.50 or less. Also recently kroger had a coupon printing that if you bought 3 or 4 hamburger helper you got a coupon for $1.50 off meat. So Cool! and the hamburger helper happend to be on sale for $1 that week. Now, we dont' buy a lot of that stuff but sometimes I do make it. So I have some stocked up now. Those items above are just 3 of the items I do this with, there are more. Just trying to give an example. If I can save $20 or more off any shopping order I am thrilled. I just try to do what is best. Unfortunately the sales and coupons do not happen on a specific day you have to watch and be prepared which is how the above poster got 10 bottles of ketchup for free (I am sooo jealous, I never get that one for free) if you do this enough you will notice a drop in cost cuz you will have some stocked up. If you don't have room in your kitchen get creative, buy one of those short tubs and fill it up and stick it under your bed or the kids bed, tub keeps the buggies out and easily accessible. Sorry so long and believe me I could go on and on and on and on and on ........

[GoodBuyGirl]

Just to ad to what cicy33 said.
It comes down to how much work you want to put in it. As far as the Hamburger Helper deal, You may not eat it but if you have the right coupons you can get it for free and if the store is running a deal where you save money on your next order when you buy so many its worth it to do the deal anyways. You can always donate the free hamburger helper or keep the pasta packets from them and get rid of the rest. Plus you have a coupon you can use to buy fresh meat. All You magazine sold at Walmart always has $1 on 1 Hamburger helper coupons. So this can be done even if your stores don't do doubles. I don't suggest buying 4 copies of the magazine I'm just pointing out that there are coupons out there of that value. So you can trade for them or find them on ebay.
If you are not willing to put in the work your savings are not going to be as rewarding.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I'm happy just to save enough to make back the cost of the paper and maybe a coffee from Starbucks a week. Which is pretty good, because I've gotten mostly free shampoo, and toothpaste. Not huge savings but a $1 here and $1 there, like for ham this week, or shrimp last week was a $1 saved. I also will $1 on cheese this week, I'm willing to eat slightly cheaper cheese than I normally buy.

But I don't try and buy stuff DH won't eat like HH or prepackaged foods. I do buy stuff that we eat, like rice pilaf (25 cents a box), but I normally would not buy. I also use the coupons for frozen veggies which is 50 cents a bag or less, DH doesn't love frozen veggies but he'll eat them.