are coupons worth cipping?

[monkeyboy]

do you really save all that much?

Discuss

 

[dizneenut]

Yes. If you match your coupons to the sales, you can get items for free or almost free.

 

[monkeyboy]

Yes. If you match your coupons to the sales, you can get items for free or almost free.

 

[milkabum]

It depends on the amount the coupon is for. If it's 10 cents.. well, it's common sense not to use it on a $3 product. However I say 25 cents or more is worth clipping.

 

[JimVL]

Yes. If you match your coupons to the sales, you can get items for free or almost free.

My Mother made 3 cents one time.

 

[Kirby]

Especially if your store offers double or triple coupon days.

 

[LadyBears]

Years ago - yes. There were MANY great coupons.

Now - NO!

The coupons we tend to get are either for products we don't use, a brand that will still cost more than other/store brands after it is applied, or for rediculous quantities. Cans of dog food I don't mind buying 6 or more, but to save $1.00 on 4 boxes of cereal? There are 2 adults & 1 child in this house, & we never agree on the same kind of cereal, so 90% of the time, the cereal goes bad before we finish 4 boxes of the stuff on sale, we actually lose money. For the one coupon that is usable, I don't find it worth while to clip out to save $.10. Too much work.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

I rarely bother with them because I usually forget to bring them when I go shopping!!

 

[Pixie Tales]

I do, most stores will double or triple the coupon value
Once at Publix I save almost $50 in coupons

 

[kydisneyfans]

Our coupon binder goes anywhere that we go. We have a binder for grocery coupons, and another for restaurants. We have saved over $300.00 on groceries in one trip when Meijer does Super Doubles. It is for things we use too, deodorant, laundry detergent, shampoos, meal items.

At CVS on Tuesday I bought 5 bottles of Coke, a box of Kleenex, 4 bottles of water, and some degree deodorant, with a 7.00 Extra Buck coupon-my items did not come to 7.00 so I added a box of Valentines candy at 90% off. I paid .06 out of pocket.

If we don't save 60-75% at the store with ads and coupons, it is not worth the trip.

 

[bettyann29]

Yes they are definitely worth clipping.. I also use them and match up to deals and get many things very cheap or free..

 

[MrsPete]

In general, NO. Food coupons tend to be for processed foods, often convenience foods. My opinions on the subject:

- Often a store brand is less expensive than the name brand + a coupon.
- Often you can save significantly by making the item from scratch instead of buying the convenience item (i.e., pasta, cheese, and canned tomatoes instead of Hamburger Helper).
- The grocery store is the most expensive place to buy food. You can save tons by shopping at salvage stores and other food sources -- this far outweighs the value of coupons.
- To really gauge your savings, a homemade price book, which lists the prices of your "regular purchases" at each of the stores in your area, is more valuable than coupons. A price book'll help you predict sales, and it'll help you recognize that every sale isn't really a sale. I used the method described in The Tightwad Gazette, and it's by far the best thing I ever did for my grocery budget.
- Read up on the psychology of grocery store product placement -- it's really fascinating stuff.

The coupons that are worthwhile tend to be for health and beauty items or cleaning products. And since we got Super Target in our area, I have been impressed with some of the print-your-own web coupons -- their loss leaders are great, but overall they're considerably more expensive than the other choices in my area.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

In Vancouver, Canada, we don't have these triple coupon deals. The most you can save is .75 but usually it is more like .50. I just can't be bothered for all the fuss to remember to use coupons. They're not usually on the items I buy.

 

[ead79]

For me it depends. First of all, any coupons we clip are savings for us because we just take them for free from my parents' newspaper (they don't clip coupons). We don't have to try to offset the cost of the paper with the coupon savings. For some products we are very brand loyal, so we wouldn't use a different brand just because there's a coupon for it. For some products the store brand is just as good and cheaper than the regular product with a coupon. But there are some things we've saved quite a bit with using coupons. So to me it's worth the little bit of time it takes.

 

[Cindy B]

Yes.

I went to Disney World one year on my coupon money. You see, the grocery store print what your manufacturers coupons savings is. I would put that amount in the bank every year for a year. At the end of the year it was $1,200--enough to go on our trip.

 

[Imzadi]

The best couponing site I've ever been to is:
MyCoupons.com: Tips of the Trade board
It is a free message board with people posting threads for supermarkets in your area that hopefully have double or triple coupons programs. They are always posting which coupons to use each week to get things free or nearly free each week from the combined savings of using coupons with the store's weekly sales!

There is so much stuff to get nearly free that they've had great threads on how to stockpile & what they've been able to do with those stockpiles like: donating the free food & health & beauty aids (like toothbrushes, soaps & shampoos) to charities, or to make holiday gift baskets with the free, name brand goodies.

Stockpile pictures! for those who can't believe it can be done until they see it.
Health & Beauty Stockpile Pics are great supplies for Battered Women & homeless shelters. Granted, these stockpiles may have gone overboard, but it shows you what is possible & how much free & nearly free abundance is out there!

Here's some old threads I have archived on couponing:

CouponingTips for Newbies
Couponing Newbie2
Couponing Newbie3
Couponing Newbie4
Couponing newbies5
Do you actually leave the store with a $0 balance?
Getting Coupons from Recycling Bins
Turning your stockpile in to Gifts
The Art of the Rain check
Donating from stockpile
Teaching a coupon class

BTW, it isn't just foods that are free. Rite Aid Free after Rebate. I get so many free shampoos, toothbrushes & toothpaste each month. Also Staples Easy Rebates have their own programs. I have more free Fuji & Kodak photo paper, printer paper, notebooks & office supplies to last me a lifetime. Recently I got $335 in rebates from HP & Office Depot for my new HP computer that I wouldn't have been able to get without the rebates combined with a sale at Office Depot. From previous experience & experiences from people on various message boards, we know which companies will honor rebates & which ones won't. I love the power of the web!