[Dancing Lotus]

I saw someone dug up an old thread about quitting coupons. I had posted in it that I found them useless because of my new healthy habits. :lame: cant believe I said that.


SO NOT TRUE and I have proven it time and time again. We now have so many resources for coupons that there is nothing you can't find one for at some point. The news paper is the least of these.
I find coupons for quality healthy products on the internet nearly every day. The trick is getting your hands on as many of them as you can reasonably use and hanging onto them until just the right time.

Most of my "healthiest" coupons are procured directly from the manufacturers web sight and facebook. Yes, facebook can save you money. Hunt down the product you want and like it on facebook. There won't always be a coupon available but at intermittent times they will post one on the page for fans to print out. And these are higher value coupons as well.

Double dipped is OK. I am a fan on Seventh Generations facebook page as well as I signed up to be on the mailing list from the company websight. NOW I get coupons from both places for the same product. I ended up with 6 1.00 off coupons all from different sources. This week publix has them on BOGO. Final cost to me .50 cents each.

Find someone to trade with. I trade with my mother. She likes certain dairy products and I will give all I have to her , in exchange she gives me anything she finds for things like Silk, almond breeze and the like. Perhaps you can find someone who has different eating habits then you do.

It's taken me a long time and a lot of ups and downs with couponing to figure out what works for me. Don't give up, just find another way. But what ever you do , don't buy it just because it's a good deal. Only buy what you will really use. If you start buying even just a little junk because well "it's so cheap" you'll fall into the trap.

I don't save 98% like the TV show does but I do well enough to make it worth my time. Today I spent 60.00 for 166.00 dollars worth of stuff. I <3 Publix.

*********************************
* saving summary
* store coupons 15.24
* vendor coupons 23.00
* special price savings 68.27
* Total savings 106.51
*********************************

 

[khaski]

You paid roughly 1/3 of the retail value- that's super! The reason they do so well is a few things- MANY hours spent planning (I'm happy to put time into it, but if I ever approach 40 hrs a week 'couponing', please hold an intervention), stores that double coupons, and a HUGE stash of coupons.

Doesn't work for me because- my 'usual' store with the best prices never, ever doubles, and I am in a very rural area, so 'store hopping' is not feasible, I do not have anyone to give me coupons, nor any recycling dumpsters to dive through (I often wonder if I would if I could- verdicts out on that one still)- so I get what comes in the paper, what I print online, or what I order through a clipping service.

I don't do too badly- usually $8-18 at the grocery store each week, plus much more at the drug stores I frequent between coupons and rewards. I have gotten back into 'ordering' my coupons from coupon clippers, helps me have multiple coupons on hand for when items we buy go on sale.

My husband, who only likes the 'plain' coffee creamer, was asking me the other day why I bought 6 big bottles of my flavored creamer in one week...well, because between the sale that week and my coupons, I got them for .50 each, instead of the usual $2.79 or so. To me it was a great find! I'll never be an 'extreme' couponer either, but I'm happy with how 'moderate' couponing is working for us. Saved $30+ at the grocer's today, paid most of the gas in my car for the week!

 

[nodmicks]

Ann You are doing great! We have no where here that doubles or takes the internet coupons. Blah!

 

[Dancing Lotus]

I do not have any stores that doubles either. Just imagine what I could do if I did.
If my stores didn't take internet Q's I'd be screwed.

 

[Ramona]

I don't admire extreme couponers, we eat little of what I see in their baskets but it sure is interesting to watch.

I prepare my list from the sales flyer from Market Basket and then look for matching coupons. If the item I need isn't on sale, I'll look for a coupon anyway.

Works for me!

PS For instance, we've decided we like Fage Greek Yogurt and I found a $2 off 2 of the size we like at their website, yay. We'll be using it in place of sour cream, too.

 

[itsahumanzoo]

Don't forget to look ON products too! I snagged a bunch of $2 off 2 Seventh Gen products that were hanging on the dish soaps. I also snagged a bunch of $3 off cat litter coupons that brings the all natural litter I buy down o only $4.99 a bag.

Thanks to facebook I have a pretty good supply of Greek Yogurt coupons for FREE yogurt! I'm hoping to win more before I run out and keep the cycle going.

 

[Josephhgoins]

Hi Ann, Harris Teeter does and I am pretty sure they are in FL!

Anyone have any suggestions about getting a coupon partner? I want one, but the closest I got is my mom, who just wants me to mail her coupons that I know she isn't going to use.

 

[Spirit Deer]

It's an interesting concept that doesn't work at all for us. We have two family-owned grocery stores here, so no big chains. No one doubles. We do use the store coupons (only one store offers them) for things almost every week.

We don't have a drugstore here, much less a chain drugstore like Walgreens.

Our diet focuses on fresh foods. We don't buy much processed food, and I'm doing my best to eliminate what processed foods we do buy for health reasons, due to cost, and because stuff like crackers and cookies taste so stale from the store. Almost every processed food contains way too much sodium to be healthy, including so-called 'lower sodium' foods.

What we've noticed is the name brands are usually more expensive than the house brands, even with coupons.

We have one small local paper which can be delivered to our house. Not much for coupons in there. Sometimes we do get flyers but they're for things we don't use, so for us they're so pointless we rarely even look at them anymore.

Consequently, we do best by shopping sales, loss leaders, and close-outs. One of our stores often has great sales on stuff that's about to expire or which the warehouse has overstocked.

 

[Dancing Lotus]

Hi Ann, Harris Teeter does and I am pretty sure they are in FL!

Not close enough to me. I have never seen one.