Am I doing the coupon thing wrong?

[GenB]

Ok, I need some opinions here. I read about all these people who save tons of money using coupons. I have signed up for all these coupon websites but the problem is that I don't buy most of the stuff they offer! I find I am really doing better just buying store brands and we buy a whole lot of fresh produce which there are no coupons for.

I never buy name brand pain killers, etc. Always just get the store brand which is almost always cheaper than a name brand with coupon.

Am I missing something? Is there another place to look for coupons? DOes anyone else buy generic/store brands?

[semo_mom]

I buy a lot of store brands, but some things I find the name brand is cheaper after using the coupons. I also only use coupons for the things I know I will use.

The most I've ever saved in one shopping trip is $26, that's only because I had a two B1G1 coupons on a lady product that was $7 each. Most of the time it's only around $5 - $10, but every little bit helps.

[Contrary Housewife]

No, you're fine. Most of the coupons are for the more expensive brand names of processed food. I don't eat that way either. I don't even buy the generic "panburger helper" or snack foods. I use coupons rarely, and it may be months before I find a good one for something I buy, like sour cream or bread.

I tried earlier this year, bought the paper for two months, collected and traded coupons... ended up saving about $2 a week... and the paper cost me $1.50. It's since gone up to $2 for the Sunday paper... not worth the effort IMO. They don't double or triple coupons here, which is how those people make out buying $100 in groceries for $10.

[Karen1]

nope, you aren't missing anything

if you use the brand and have a coupon it works, most times I too buy store brand and a name-brand coupon couldn't make me buy the product.

so it is hit and miss

I do use only one type of hair color.....and it has a $3 off coupon in the sunday paper alot of times. Yup, I use the coupon when it is on sale and have a few coupons saved and buy a few at a time. Money saved.

Most I hit was $80 off on a grocery bill cause I hit sales, used some coupons, hit their BOGO and all kinds of good deals combined. Nevwer did that kind of savings again..HA HA HA

Coupons are a pain truly. Waste of life's precious time......it isn't worth me trying to juggle 200 coupons to shop and see expire dates and all that mess for brands I know I can get cheaper..............but there is always that name brand I do use and I do get the coupon when I see it and use it.

so take it all with a grain of salt and don't think they are so special and you are missing out.

[prairiewife]

I don't do that well with coupons either. Many are for processed items or brand names more expensive than what I usually buy. I save the most with coupons on personal care products. Your right to subtract the amount of the newspaper from your "savings". Our weekend paper is $2.00 and there have been a few times it just wasn't worth it.

I find some good coupons on-line and check about once a week. Couponmom and hip2save are two good sites to try.

One problem we have here is no major grocery store, so no great sales where I can combine coupons and sale items to save like some do.

[Neeley]

I am one of those who saves lots of money with coupons. There are several key points to remember.

1) You cannot be brand loyal.
2) Know your prices. Knowing what the best price per unit on an item will tell you if by using your coupon you are getting a good deal or not.
3) Coupons and grocery sales are done in cycles. Learning the cycles and when is the best time to match the coupons with sales will result in more savings.
4) Know your store's policy on B1G1, combining store and manufacture's coupons and acceptance of internet coupons and competitor's coupons. Some stores do not require you to buy two items on a B1G1 to get the sale price, some do. Some accept competitor's coupons, others don't. Some let you stack a store coupon with a manufacture's coupon, others won't.
6) You are not going to be able to save loads of money every week with coupons. You will be able to save some money every week, though. Roughly every four to six weeks the sales and coupons match up in a way where I do get $100 or more worth of groceries for less than $20.
7)The week that a coupon comes out is most likely not the best week to use it. Normally, two to tree weeks after that coupon is released is when the stores' sales will best match up.
8)Don't limit yourself to only finding coupons in the newspaper or on-line. Look for the dispensers in the grocery store, tear pads by the items and look for a magazine called All-You.

There are certain items I know always go on sale, there is always a coupon out for, I never pay close to normal price for and stock up on accordingly:
Some examples:
*Lipton Tea Bags - every few weeks go on B1G1 sale for $2.29. There is always a coupon out for $0.50 off one, that doubles. Meaning for each B1G1 deal I do I use 2 coupons. Each doubles to $1.00 thus reducing the cost of two boxes of tea bags to $0.29.
*Go-Gurts, Danimals ans Yo-Plus yogurts - average price I pay per package of each after sale and coupons is free to $0.25/each.
*Kraft or Wishbone salad dressing: free to $0.40/bottle.
*Seasoning salt, spices: average price paid - free to $0.25 each
*3.5 lb bags of quality name brand cat food - Free to $1.50
*Kelloggs, Post or General Mills cereals - Free to $1.25/box
*Crystal Light drink mix - Free
*Pickles and relish - Free to $0.15/jar
*Mustard & ketchup - Free to $0.25/bottle
*Kraft cheese (slices, shreds or blocks) - $0.50/8 oz package
*Razors, toothpaste & toothbrushes - never pay a penny for any of these
*Shampoo, Body wash, bar soap, deodorant - never pay more than $0.50/each. Shampoos I never pay more than a quarter.
*Feminine Products - no more than $1.50/ 18 ct box tampons or 24 count package of pads.

This is just a few items I save by using coupons on. Tere are many other items we use that I can get for pennies on the dollar. The savings on these items compensates for the items that we do not normally get coupons for.

Over the past few weeks I have been taking advantage of CVS's school supply 3 day sales every Sunday to Tuesday. I have gotten the kids:
*3 mini staplers
*4 packs of erasers
*4 packs of notebook paper
*2 pencil cases
*2 index card holders
*4 bottles of glue
*4 rulers
*4 pair of scissors
*4 composition books
*4 - 1 inch binders
*4 memo books
*8 packs of pens
*4 - 24 count of pencils
*4 notebooks

All for free. My kids are in high school and junior high so they won't need some of these things. Those items will be donated to those in need.

I also go them 30 folders, some with prongs some without for $0.10 each.

I also always find coupons on the wine/beer isle for money off of fresh beef, pork and poultry. Also, lots of rebate forms. I sent one off today. Budweiser put out a form to get a $10 refund when you bought $30 worth of fresh meat, no Budweiser purchase required.

Last week with my coupons combined w/sales I was able to get 12 cans of Bumble Bee tuna for $0.40/can. That is half priced in our area. Eight O'clock Coffee for $1.25/bag (Best price without sales and coupons on it is $4.99/bag). The store paid me $0.25 a bag for New York Toasted croutons, plus there were a few more things for almost nothing.

A couple of good coupon sites are CouponMom.com and SoutherSavers.com. SouthernSavers is geared towards stores in the south, but it also shows the deals at Walgreen's, CVS, and RiteAid when matched up with coupons for each week.

[cab54]

No, I am the same. I don't use much prepackaged stuff, almost NO name brand meds, and I spend $1.55 on tomato soup up here at the local grocery (IF I buy it there) and .68 cents on it at WM. No way a coupon is gonna knock the price down to .68 at the local store. Ridiculous!

I don't think coupons are ALWAYS the smart way to shop. I cut out only the ones I will actually save a LOT with. On things I actually like and will USE. For instance, I have found a lot of nn canned veg. I just don't like the taste of, or they have a lot of stems and crap in them. My fav veg. brand is Del Monte, so if I find a sale + coupons for that, then I'll use them. Mainly for stockpiling.

[shoiji]

I like the couponmom website. You can basically look up a supermarket and see what coupon matches what product. I have been able to get toothpaste, rice, condiments, etc., for free with a coupon. I do buy store brands also. It is best to only buy what you know you will use.
It sounds as if you are doing fine, the website I mentioned just makes things easier for me.

[CouponShelle]

I'm with Neely. We eat fresh meat and produce so I don't buy alot of packaged foods but the ones we eat, I always get on sale with coupons. I also have an infant in the house and have already saved over $1000 in these first 5 months on diapers and formula.

I have a stockpile of at least a years supply of shampoo/cond, deodrant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dish soap, dishwasher soap, bodywash, body soap, sunscreen, shave gel, etc. TP and PT also have a huge stock pile for. I have since moved to stockpiling my parents winter home since they eat more packaged foods (Ragu, pasta, rice a roni, etc).

I have cut my regular grocery/HB bills by 75%.

I also hit the CVS sales for school supplies, etc. Anything we won't use for the home business will be donated.

I shudder to think of shopping without coupons

[Sassyclass]

If you have a Riteaid or CVS take advantage of matching your coupons with their rebate programs.You'd be surprised at what you can end up getting for free or better yet getting paid to take home. Like others I'm a shop with coupons fool, I don't ever leave home without them. For me they are worth the few minutes I spend clipping them and sorthing them. They represent money I keep instead of giving it to the store.

Cat

[frugalfranny]

I don't use that many coupons either.

I will cut out the ones that I will use but most of the others would expire before I needed it again. I have a pretty good 'pantry' built up. Will watch for TP but can usually get another brand cheaper. I also don't buy that much 'boxed' food so can't use those coupons. I do have a few and they are always in my car.

The rebate things are a pain in the butt for the money I would save. Have used it on appliances......larger amt....but still a pain.

[englishcottage1]

I wish they had a lot more coupons out there for vegetables and fruit, but they do have them, you just won't find them in the sunday paper.

I have to dissagree about finding soup for under 68 cents a can. Usually I make my soup and most of my food from stratch, but I do have some processed food in my stockpile for the winter (due to our rural location and all that lovely snow) but when my hyvee puts their soup on sale and I save my soup coupons just for that purpose and my cans of soup usually cost no more than 45 cents a can if that, and usually I buy the more "healthy" soup and not the diluted with water kinds of soup.

You can always use coupons for paper, plastic, health and beauty items. Like this week hyvee has their secret on sale for $1 and I have $1 coupon I printed off the computer, so that means free.

There are organic product coupons out there, dole is pretty good with some fresh fruit coupons, so not all coupons are just for processed food and even though my cookies, baking is all done from scratch, I still use coupons for sugar, baking chips, flour, etc. And coupons for my gallons of milk we drink.

I have saved so much money with coupons and I don't just buy a product just because I can save 25 cents on it, but I don't think I would not ever not use coupons. I enjoy saving all that money

[dcompton]

I don't use many any more, but our Kroger doubles and triples, so I can get some good deals. If they didn't do that, I'm not sure I would find it worth the time and effort for the little bit I would save. Maybe. At least I get the newspaper flyers free -- my perk for working the Sunday shift in the library -- so I'm not out the cost of the paper. I don't even try to use downloaded coupons any more.

[TigerGirl1226]

Like someone else said, I do good, but not every single week. There are weeks that I can't believe they are letting me out of the store paying so little and there are weeks that I can't believe I spent so much. If all you are buying are veggies and meat, yeah you won't do as good. Me on the other hand, I use convince foods and baby stuff which there are tons of coupons for.

Another thing, when I was in my "coupon heyday" about a year ago, I spent a ton of time "searching for the deal". I've just backed off a bit now, but I'm sure I'll get into it again soon.

[skysoldier]

When it comes to personal care products that is the time I'm using those coupons but for medicines or even pain killer I usually pay some cash. Even though it is like that, it is still beneficial for me.