Who coupons? How well do you do?

**Bethany** · 04-24-2008, 09:00 PM

How much time do you spend couponing? Is it really worth it or do you end up buying stuff you wouldn't normally buy? I just started doing it about a week ago and I am finding it time consuming. Any tricks of the trade? Much appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Marie78** · 04-24-2008, 09:08 PM

I haven't been able to save a lot with coupons lately, but I blame the lack of great coupons for that! I used to save $20-$40 a month with coupons, not recently though...my high end of savings is around $20 now with coupons.

I only use coupons for the things I normally buy. I'm not too picky about brand if the coupon will save me more money on a brand I wouldn't normally buy. I buy mostly generic food items though and I shop at Aldi once a month to stock up on canned goods, especailly now that food prices seem to be rising weekly at the grocery store.

A good example of how I try to maximize my coupons: Rite Aid is near me and they have free after rebate items. If we use the items or I know of someone who does I will try to match coupons to the free after rebate item. Then I get a discount at the register because of the coupons and I receive my money back in the form of a check the next month. This week I bought toothbrushes (free after rebate) I used $1 coupon, so I essentially was paid $1 to take those toothbrushes home with me. The store is right down the road on my way home from work, so no extra gasoline used for the trip either

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**Janbee** · 04-24-2008, 10:04 PM

I started couponing in Dec. I buy things I had never bought before and have tried new things that my family now loves.
I have saved on Groceries so far this year $2,463.43.
I save about 50% to 95% on each weeks groceries.
I have spent a lot of time doing this and I am starting to get a little burned out. I did not buy anything last week at the grocery store.
I just got 16 bottles of free Suave shampoo at Walgreens.
It does take time but I hope it will get so it takes less time.

**mom2matty** · 04-24-2008, 10:09 PM

When I was using coupons I was saving about 75% on my groceries each week. I'm lucky enough to have 2 stores that double but within the last year or so they both started severly limiting the number of coupons you could use so I'm not using them much anymore!!

**Bethany** · 04-24-2008, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Janbee

I started couponing in Dec. I buy things I had never bought before and have tried new things that my family now loves.
I have saved on Groceries so far this year $2,463.43.
I save about 50% to 95% on each weeks groceries.
I have spent a lot of time doing this and I am starting to get a little burned out. I did not buy anything last week at the grocery store.
I just got 16 bottles of free Suave shampoo at Walgreens.
It does take time but I hope it will get so it takes less time.

How did you get 16 bottles of free shampoo? Do you make copies of coupons? But multiple newspapers?
Do you go on websites to get them????

**Janbee** · 04-24-2008, 10:24 PM

Walgreens has a deal that if you buy certain products that they will give you a coupon for $ off you next purchase. Last week it was Suave products that they would give you the coupon for $6 off your next order and it was working that you could use that coupon to buy more shampoo and it would give you another $6 coupon so I did that a few times. It was a fluke that you could use it to buy more and it would give you another one.

**Bethany** · 04-24-2008, 10:44 PM

Does anyone buy coupons on ebay?

**Buc-O-Mama** · 04-24-2008, 10:53 PM

I "buy" coupons from an online source. After I check and see what coupons are in the paper, I order them in the quantity I will use for products that we go through regularly. I've done well with the free CVS items, but do really well with BOGOs at my Publix store. They accept a coupon for each item, even if one is free. If it's not on sale or clearance, I generally won't buy it coupon or not, unless it is nearly free. I will clip coupons for items that I would use if they were nearly free, but I won't use a coupon just because I have it. For me it is worth the effort and energy. Even though stores here don't double, it is nice to walk out of the store saving more than I spent.

**BetterLateThanNever** · 04-25-2008, 10:44 AM

i haven't been couponing long. I don't use coupons for food items very much because i'm on a sodium restricted diet and don't each much processed foods. also have found store generic brands are still cheaper than a name brand + coupon.

But I will say what has worked for me is using coupons to buy personal care and beauty products.

A couple of months ago I got 3 boxes of hair color at Rite Aid for free just had to pay tax.

Got 2 Speed Stick ladies deoderant for 62 cents ea. Got Colgate large size tooth paste one free and another for .75 cents

and right now K Mart has Rimmel Cosmetics 40% off any cosmetic item plus they have $1 off any one item coupons. I did okay Got about 8 items for $12.60 which includes tax.

**MomK** · 04-25-2008, 11:01 AM

I love to clip coupons, but there aren't as many in the Sunday paper as there once were. I subscribe to a women's magazine: All You, and the coupons in there pay for the subscription!
Good luck!!!!!!!!!

**StaceyS** · 04-25-2008, 11:07 AM

I'm lucky that I can use internet printed coupons at my stores.
This week Smith's (Kroger) has various granola bars 8 boxes for $8, I'll get 6 boxes of Nature Valley and use 3 $.80 of 2 coupons and then get 2 Fiber one granola bars and use 2 $.60 off 1 coupons, thus spending $4.40 for 8 boxes of granola bars. My store has similar sales on cereals and I have been able to get 10 boxes for less than $5.

**Jskell911** · 04-26-2008, 12:00 PM

I save anywhere from 45% to 75% each week on my groceries. I do better on HBA. It is time consuming, BUT if it takes me 2 hrs a week and I am saving $60 than that's $30/hr. Not a bad return on investment. It's also $60 we now have to focus on paying down debt.

I have always couponed to some extent, but I am really hardcore now and cannot imagine not using coupons. It's like throwing free $$ away.

**nuisance26** · 04-26-2008, 01:07 PM

~I spend about 4-5 hours a month on coupons. The first week of the month has the most coupons so I clip the ones I think I might use into a shoebox. This takes about an hour since I get my mom's and mil's inserts. I do all my coupon work while watching tv so I don't feel like I'm working. Every week I spend about a half hour matching coupons to sale items. Then at the end of the month or first day of a month I sort out all my expired coupons. This also takes about an hour. I use between 5-15 coupons a week with a savings of $2.50-$15 a week in manufacturer's coupons. I think $10-60 a month in savings is worth the 4-5 hours of work, especially since I got to watch groovy tv show reruns while I worked!~

**IntlMom** · 04-26-2008, 01:15 PM

I've been a serious couponer for years. I spend a few hours a week on it, at least. If the sales are incredibly good, I may spend more time coordinating my deals. I love to coupon, it really is ahobby of mine, so the time I spend on it is enjoyable for me. I regularly save 50 percent on my groceries, often up to 75 percent. I have not spent a penny on HBA in years thanks to Walgreens.
I buy coupons online if there is a product that has a great coupon out ofr it that I use alot of.....or it I see a potential good deal. I've never used ebay, but I have a few other sources I like to use.

**Dancing Lotus** · 04-26-2008, 02:32 PM

I am a avid couponer . I kept track one month because people didn't believe me when I told them how much I have saved.

In one month I saved a lot
Target before coupons was 11.07 after the coupons I paid .81 thats a savings of 92%
At publix my receipt was 111.33 before coupons and only 30.74 after. Saving me 72% ( that was just from using coupons)

Currently my year to date savings for cvs
full price 458.16 , my actual spending 93.16 , a 79% savings.
( this was all from combining coupons, rebaits and ecb )

Is it worth it, Yep! To me it is. But you can't be brand loyal and you can't be picky. And you can't do it all at one store.

Not every month is this good but when I tracked six months and averaged it I saved exactly 48% .

I spend an hour clipping and filing coupons on Sunday. Then I use coupon mom to find the deals for me and pull my coupons to match. I also use The Grocery game for my two main stores. I have been doing it so long that it doesn't take me any time at all. But it does require some time at first until you get in the habit.