Why we don't use coupons

**duallypilot** · 12-30-2009, 07:11 PM

We don't use coupons anymore for a couple reasons.
1. I haven't found any coupons in the on-line sites for products we actually use. I mean - $0.75 off a box of cereal would be great if we ate cereal...
2. We haven't bought a Sunday paper in over a year - we would rather save the environment and read the papers on-line.
So really, coupons don't help us a bit, unless someone has any good ideas on how to find ones for stuff we use.

**AmyBoz** · 12-30-2009, 07:35 PM

We no longer get a paper, either. I get my coupons from my father-in-law and people who I work with who know that we use them.

No, I don't generally find coupons for $0.75 off a box of cereal, but I do find coupons for $.60 off 10 yogurts and my ShopRite puts that brand of yogurt on sale for 10 for $3.00 and the coupon doubles and so I can get 10 yogurts for $1.80, which is $0.18 a yogurt, which is a great price around here.

I only use coupons for products we buy normally and always, always match them up with sales.

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 11:01 PM

I recently cancelled my subscription. I can get the coupon inserts from friends, and I rarely find one that works for me (although I sometimes find the rare and coveted Silk coupons!).

**alotofgooddeals** · 12-30-2009, 11:15 PM

we have decided to go somewhat natural to a point.. I won't be a fanatic about it..however when I shop i am trying to be more healthy in what i purchase. There are so many prepared foods out there that are just full off preservatives etc that I know are not healthy for ones body... so the food that I have been buying does not have a coupon for it.. bummer...I have tried looking online like ebay for coupons off of meat however they have coupons for $2 off meat and there are five of them going for over $10 so that is not a savings for me...

**Incognito** · 12-30-2009, 11:21 PM

I watch the flyers and shop the rock-bottom price sales and use coupons to get the best deals possible. I buy in bulk and stockpile.
I use coupons for:
Cereal, Oat Bran, Oatmeal, cooking oil, salad dressings, yeast, bread, milk, yogurt, laundry detergent, soap, dish-washing liquid, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, shaving foam, razors, OTC meds, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairspray, hairgel, bodywash, fish, beans, chips and soft drinks, candy and chocolates, cheese, Hamburger Helper, Sidekicks rice supplement, evap. milk, juices, salmon and tuna, air fresheners, meat, frozen fruit and veggies, pasta, toilet paper, hygiene products, paper towels, all sorts of gifts for family. And a lot more that I haven't mentioned.

I also watch the store flyers and clip coupons for eggs, meat, dairy products and other in-store specials.
When I first started couponing, I also bought other products which I wouldn't have bought otherwise, but now I've honed my consumer skills, and just use coupons for the foodstuffs and other things I'd normally buy. It still saves a tremendous amount of money; in the 16 months I've been couponing, I've used almost a thousand dollars worth of coupons and rebates, and have a lot to show for it.
It's best to get into the coupon-trading sites, if you want to get the best coupons of the kind you will really use regularly.
But if there's a product or a service, there's probably a coupon for it.

Success depends on your location and opportunities and how much time and effort you're willing to invest in the process of learning how to do this effectively.
It's a learning experience, but well worth it!

**duallypilot** · 12-30-2009, 11:53 PM

Thanks to everyone's insights on this.

**frugalwarrior2** · 12-30-2009, 11:58 PM

I would search ebay. You can go for specific coupons. Some dealers will save them for you (for pay).

**frugalfranny** · 12-30-2009, 11:58 PM

Boy, I wish our stores would double coupons...no way.

I use a 'few' coupons but they just don't have them for the stuff I use. Takes me forever to use up a big bottle of shampoo but I do use a coupon when I need one, few other things.

Maybe the other massive 'couponers' on here will post some places to look for the things you use.......hope you find some. Anything saved helps!

**Luckybustert** · 12-31-2009, 12:03 AM

I will not buy a product just because I have a coupon for it, and there are very few things I use that I find coupons for. But I always, always, always, check for online coupons/promotional codes before placing orders online. And since I do a lot of my shopping online, I probably save more that way than I would clipping coupons anyway.

**Contrary Housewife** · 12-31-2009, 12:10 AM

I don't often find coupons for products we buy or use, either. We mostly eat meat, fresh vegetables, fresh dairy, and some bread products. I make almost everything from scratch including salad dressings, and this year pickles, salsa, and relish. We don't use a lot of heath and beauty products, a bottle of generic aspirin will last us a year or more. I never use hair gel or spray and I'm allergic to makeup.

We're particular about our soap, and I have yet to see a coupon for a brand that was cheaper than the ones we use.

Do you know what stores around here take internet coupons? Last time I tried it (over a year ago) nobody in this area accepted them.

I did use 2 coupons today for cheese. Found them on the shelf next to the product.

**frugalfranny** · 12-31-2009, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by Contrary Housewife

We're particular about our soap, and I have yet to see a coupon for a brand that was cheaper than the ones we use.

Same here CH..and I use a powder and most of them are for liquid.

I did use 2 coupons today for cheese. Found them on the shelf next to the product.

I have been know to put coupons on the shelf.........hope people find them. It will be for stuff I don't use........or I decided the price was too high anyway. That made me chuckle that you 'found' some.........good for you!!
I often wondered if store clerk came along and removed them!

**Contrary Housewife** · 12-31-2009, 10:16 AM

The coupons I used were manufacturer's coupons, in a little display box on the shelf. It wasn't something someone had left. These days most of the ones I find and use are provided by the mfr or the store and are right on the shelf for anyone to take. I prefer this to newspaper coupons, because it is right there when I go to buy the product.

I do sometimes leave coupons if I won't use it before it expires and I appreciate it when others do too. It seems though that a lot of them you have to buy 3 to get the discount now, and that's more than we'd reasonably use.

**Incognito** · 12-31-2009, 12:26 PM

While we're on this topic, I forgot to mention all of my baking supplies coupons, everything from margarine to lard and shortening, spices; forgot the basic soups too; there are so many good coupons.
The Brand Name health, bath & beauty products I use are much better than Dollar Store products, because they last longer and have better ingredients and fewer toxins. For example: Herbal Essences shampoo purchased with at $1.99 per bottle, BOGO = $1 per bottle, and their shampoo is so thick, one bottle lasts me about 2-3 months, while Dollar Store shampoo is a larger bottle, but very watery and lasts less time and gives me hives.

Today, I started clearing out my unused coupons; there's 5 lbs. of coupons in my wastepaper basket now that I never used for one reason or another. And once I go through my purse at the end of the day (2009 expiry day), there'll be another pound or two of coupons that will join them.

But the rest of my coupons are pure gold; like most of the ones I used in 2009 that saved me about $1,000.00 in my purchases. I don't regret learning about coupons and how to use them. And if I still lived in the city, I could have done 10 times better, what with all the freebies and coupon deals that are regularly offered there. And this is in Canada, whereas in the States the scenario improves by at least 500%.
Of course, I've made mistakes, and some products bothered my allergies, but all of the companies reimbursed me. And I just chalk it up to experience, and don't make the same mistake twice. That doesn't mean I won't make new mistakes though, LOL, but the benefit exceeds the losses by a hundredfold. Just wish I'd known about all of this years ago, I could have saved a ton of money while living a better quality lifestyle, and still put more savings into my EF.

If you go into couponing, you've got to be prepared to learn how, and to do the math. You've got to learn the flyers, the sales rotations, keep track of everything, memorize deals and coupons so you can mentally compute savings and best strategies, and then develop a network of connections with others so you can find the coupons you need. And keep on learning, perfect the process.

Be the early bird that gets the worm, not the one who complains that all the sales items are gone, and it's only the 3rd day of the sale.
(Think of yourself as a mighty hunter, seeking your prize, and then be prepared to fight for it with your cunning and a big cudgel, dragging home your kill with pride and satisfaction, even though you are bruised and scarred from the battle.)
And if you can't do that, successful couponing is just not for you.

**McD** · 12-31-2009, 03:59 PM

As a heads up, our overseas service members and their families can use expired coupons.

http://www.grocerysavingtips.com/exp...erycoupons.htm

**Neeley** · 12-31-2009, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

As a heads up, our overseas service members and their families can use expired coupons.

http://www.grocerysavingtips.com/exp...erycoupons.htm

Thanks for pointing this out. Not many people realize this.

There is a member here, Lindsey, who is overseas. I have been sending her all of mine. (I get anywhere from four to nine papers a week, depending on how good the coupons are.) She uses what she can and passes the rest along to her friends at the base. I think it only costs about $5 every couple of months to send her around two to three pounds of coupons.