do you coupon?

Katherine - posted on 09/02/2011

Not extreme but I do coupon. Kroger sends coupons for free things and I use them all the time and save a lot of money. Plus they have gas points where you can save 10 cents a gallon. Using coupons saves a lot of money.

Janelle - posted on 09/01/2011

What you see on the show is in bulk anyway. They mainly call ahead of time and pre order. Plus its easier to coupon where places double.however if you have the time you can get most household and personal care items for free or save 80 to90%.

Paulina - posted on 09/01/2011

I've actually tried getting into couponing and um...it's kind of hard lol. The majority of coupons available to my area are limited on how they are to be redeemed so sometimes it's just cheaper and easier for me to buy the generic brands of the product.

Michelle - posted on 08/21/2011

Couponing also varies by area. I feel I'm doing good on groceries if I save anywhere from 30-50% or more a month. That depends on what is going on for the month. Birthday parties, camping, etc. I feel I do pretty good if I do 50-80% or more at the drugstores.



I don't buy coupons (yet) or buy 10 papers or anything like that. My friends and family know that I coupon so if they aren't using theirs then they give me their coupons. I don't clear shelves since at most I might have 4 coupons that are the same. Only two stores locally double and one went from 3 to 2 doubles (Albertson's) the other store is still 4 doubles (Safeway). My goal is to cut overall spending which includes groceries, non perishables, drugstores, presents, everything by 40-50%.



For me I don't want to be couponing 24 hours, nor do I have the stores or the time. I create a list and one or two days of the week my husband will watch the kids so I can go. I also give some of my extras to family and friends. I also look for deals online. At this moment I have almost all of the birthday and Christmas presents done for this year and part of next year and have saved at least 50% or more on them.



I would suggest doing a little at a time. I would also suggest research and going to different coupon blogs to find one that suits you. They make coupon much easier since a lot of them will do the work for you on pricing the weekly deals and they let you know of other deals.



The coupon blogs I like are Krazy Coupon Lady, Frugal Coupon Living, Deal Seeking Mom, Mommysavers, Frugal Living NW, and Thrifty Northwest Mom. There a lot of others. I obviously go to the NW coupon blogs since I'm from that area, so there might be other local coupon blogs in your area.



I just started out a few months ago and am going slow as I learn how and hopefully will get even more savings as I get more confident.



I personally have been wanting to coupon for a couple of years now, but didn't know where to start. When I started seeing some coupon blogs that's when I decided to give it a whirl. I do it not only for my family, but for myself. Sometimes I miss a 'regular' job and this helps me feel like I'm at one since you have to organize, research, and plan for your shopping trips. Also, I feel especially good when I have a great shopping trip. Also, have realistic expectations. I'm definitely more aware now on prices for certain products and know certain things I can get for free or less than a dollar.

Stephanie - posted on 08/21/2011

Albertson in our are does the double triple coupon and will honor them with their in store ads too

Carol - posted on 08/21/2011

Thanks for the tips Megan. My husband's been after me to be just like the people on TV that spend $5 for $200 of groceries. I just can't do it. I have been stockpiling the coupons and trying to match up with sales. I've found that the price match policy at Wal Mart saves me from going to all those different stores. We just got a place with extra room and an extra fridge so we can get the deals like buy 10 for x amount of money. Does anyone know stores that still double or triple coupon?

Megan - posted on 08/20/2011

There really is no extreme couponing...what the tv doesn't tell you is that the store bends it's policies just for the show. I coupon the normal way and average savings of 75-80%. Start off by getting a sunday paper, first look at the coupons offered, then look at the sales ads, and match up. There are websites and pages that are dedicated to match-ups, just google coupon match-ups. It does take planning, and I have found having a little stockpile helps(about three months worth) When I can get a $200 grocery bill down to $40 which includes buy meat, milk, and produce, I think It's worth the time and effort. BTW I only shop at one store, no driving around. I have a difficult buying something that I know I can get for free, or under a buck with a coupon. Contrary to what most people think, it's not all junk food and cleaninmg products. I hope this helped you. I'm not a couponing weirdo...I like spending the money I save on other things.

Brittany - posted on 08/20/2011

I will look through ads and clip only the coupons for items I need. I don't need 50 rolls of paper towels, or a bunch of cleaning products (I don't have room).

I feel that running around town to differen stores to use coupons is a waste of gas money. With gas as expensive as it is, it just doesn't make sense.

I use instore deals to my advantage instead. Like buying the use it or loose it breads I get a $4 loaf for $1. Since I freeze it until it needs to be used anyway, I don't have to worry about it going bad.