Couponing doesn't seem worth it, what am I missing?

[Carina]

This!
It seems that there is this prejudice against couponers. That all we eat is junk because the only coupons available are for junk. False.

ALSO... Even if you never used a single food coupon, the money you can save just on cleaners and toiltries is HUGE.

I have not paid more than 25 cents for pit stick, body wash, shaving cream ( men and womens) or feminine products in over a year.

I pay very little when it comes to cleaners, and dishsoap.

I also dont think it takes nearly as much space as people think to stockpile. I have a TINY house with very little storage, but my mini stockpile ( about 6 months to a years worth of most of our toiltries and cleaners) fits on one small shelving unit in the corner of my laundry room - teeny tiny laundry room.

( I dont stockpile TP or Paper towel, the sales and coupons come around so often its not worth it)

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

You have to remember that extreme couponing is waaaayyy different that being a savvy shopper with coupons. The extreme couponers they feature on TV are addicted to buying stuff they will probably never use in bulk, and stockpiling it throughout their house. Sure, they may find a way to buy 40 boxes of cereal for $10, but how the heck are they going to eat all that cereal before it gets stale or goes bad?

I guess you never wondered how those food pantries get stocked? Not ALL extreame couponing is on food. I havent bought deoderant for me or the hubby, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo etc in YEARS. I would say its been since 2005 early 2006. Even then it was basically tax per item. I still have enough to go another 3 or 4 years.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I didnt get a chance to read the entire thread but I was thinking it wasnt worth it either. Today changed my mind a lil-lol! I guess i just really need to research it and learn the tricks and tips.

I went to Wal-mart the other day all excited to use my coupons. I get there and I had a coupon buy tide 70oz or larger and get a free tide stain remover or 10 ct of stain release tabs. Well wal-mart did have the type i buy or the free items so I ended up buying other stuff i needed and
saved $0.50

Went to wal-mart again and saved $1.00. I started thinking this isnt worth it!

Tonight i went to Target and bought the Tide and got my freebie well not excatly it was up to $3.99 off so i paid .50 for the tide stain remover awesome deal cuz i was going to pay $2.50 for Resolve stain remover. oh and I saved $1.22 for using my Target giftcard on my purchase.

total saved $6.71

If i knew all the deals in the stores and compared and shoped where they double coupons I know i could have saved more but $6.71 will go into my vacation account.

cutting Coupons can take time so I cut them out as i wait for my daughter to get out of school. After work I have 30-40 min to kill so i find a good parking spot, wait and clip away-lol! I also talked to my niece and we will be exchanging coupons whoo whoo!

 

[Judique]

Tips off the top of my head:

Don't chase down the blogs yourself- make them come to you. Subscribe to them via email or RSS reader.

Check ahead of time what the coupons in the paper are going to be. Only get the paper if it's worth it to you. If the coupons on a particular week will save you a lot, get multiple papers.

Buy the paper at the Dollar Tree if possible. Where I live the Sunday paper is 1.75 everywhere else. If I bought one every Sunday, it would save me $39 per year. (Although I live close to the Dollar Tree and I am usually getting other things. Otherwise a special trip might not be worth the .75 savings.)

Will be checking out my Dollar Tree on Sunday - I had no idea! Paper delivery is 2.40 for my Sunday edition. And CVS is in the same strip mall.

 

[Judique]

It is a lot of work and quite an initial expense. $30-40 for printer ink, and extra $10-15 in gas to go where you may see sale items to use a coupon (only have 3 Walmarts, or run into town in the 4th direction which we never go to except for work

No one around me doubles let alone triples coupons.

My wife just spent $270 grocery shopping for 4 for the week. We will be out of food next Wednesday and we have our own beef and don't purchase beef. Reading these threads on people who claim "I only by X when it's free..." and such is just depressing, because there is no way of doing it.

I budget $600 a month for groceries and incidentals and we are 3-5, depending on who eats that night. So $270 a week sounds extremely luxurious for grocery shopping to me. I shop at Costco and Safeway and Giant, sometimes Trader Joe's, Wegman's and I have been to our new Aldi's once. I rarely do coupons as I work,work work. I am going to try and start up CVS'ing again to see if I can cut a bit and get a stockpile going on dish detergent, toothpaste etc...nothing drastic. Couponing was a minor hobby years ago and it used to pay off, although I do remember buying stuff I didn't really use after I brought it home to get a 'deal'.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Couponing is well worth it. My store always doubles coupons and I average any where from $25 - $30 savings each shopping trip I do. Just this week I saved $27 and my store prints my yearly savings on the bottom of my receipt and over the past 12 months I have saved $476. that is just at the grocery store.
I also buy my bulk items such as toilet paper, trash bags, shampoo, toothpaste at BJ's. I use the coupons that BJ's sends monthly and my manufactures coupons. Which by the way you can use more than one coupon per item at BJ's. I just renewed my membership last month and when the sent the renewal notice they also printed how much I have saved over the past year and it was $582.
So add my two coupon saving $476 + 582 together and couponing is well worth it. We are not a big family it's just me and DH. Just think if I had not used coupons, that would have been money just thrown away. So to say you don't have time to coupon FIND THE TIME! Especially with gas prices going up which means groceries will be going up why not start saving NOW!
Just think if my savings are close to $1000 a year, in 5 yrs we will have saved $5000!

 

[Nik's Mom]

It is definitely a myth that you have to buy junk food to use coupons. In fact, most of my coupons are for non-food items. If you were to flip through my coupon binder, you will see that most are for household cleaning items and toiletry/personal care items. You really can save a lot. Especially if you do CVS.

I usually stock up when things are on sale, then I don't have to buy again for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Laundry detergent deals have been really good lately, so I have 5 bottles. DH's deodorant was on sale a few months ago. I bought 4, but only paid for 2 of them. Same for his hair jell. I don't go overboard and buy out tons of the sale items. I only buy enough to last for a few months. My stockpile is very small and fits on one shelf in my towel closet. I do not believe in wasting. It does no good to buy so many things that you will have to end up throwing out later.

 

[LaDonna]

I definately think couponing is worth it, of course I agree w/ others it DEFINATELY matters where you live and how many people you are buying for. If only buying for 2 you won't save us much of course, but you can save....He is what I got on my last trip to Publix:


1 $50 Gas card
2 HoneyMaid Graham crackers
2 Planters Big Nut Bars
2 Pepp.Farm Deli FLats
21 BirdsEye Frozen veggies
10 Kids Yoplait yogurt packages
4 Yoplus yogurt packages
1 Publix paper towels
2 Reach floss
4 very large cans tomatoe sauce
4 Sargento shredded cheese
3 Post HoneyBunches of Oats

GRAND TOTAL was 54.70!!!!



Sometimes you hit the jackpot and sometimes ya' don't, I think you do have to be doing it for awhile to really get the hang of it, my first year of couponing I probably wouldn't have caught all the deals I do now.

In the past 2 weeks so far I've spent under $70 for groceries....not bad for a family of 5

 

[NiftyJ88]

I've been couponing for about a year and a half. I was able to make about $800 in mail in rebates last year for products that I use regularly or was able to get for free to begin with. Plus, I don't pay for any health or beauty products or household cleaners.
We don't eat junk food in my house, so we don't save a ton on groceries, but sometimes grocery stores offer $ off coupons on total purchases and there are sometimes coupons for healthier food options too.
For me it is well worth it. We have to stretch our budget quite a bit to pay for all the luxuries we have. I want to keep vacationing, so I use a little time to organize coupons. It's well worth it to me.

 

[PatsMom]

I've been couponing ever since I've been shopping. My mother always couponed so I didn't know people really shopped without them. When I was in the Air Force you could do really well at the commissary with coupons and the reduced prices. Once I got out of the Air Force, I was on my own but I still bothered to clip coupons.

I am not an extreme couponer. My daughter is in college and lots of the time it is just me and my husband at home. And I am on the road three days a week and generally stay with my mother in the southern part of the state. We don't have much to choose from for grocery stores where I live - hannafords and Shaw's only. We do have CVS and Rite Aid. I do very well at CVS and Rite Aid. I haven't paid for toothpaste in years!

I do not have multiple cards for each store so the limits on what you can get free limit the stockpile. But it still occassionally gets too big. I then barter with a sister in law who is a great cook but a lousy shopper! I trade her detergent and deodorant and toothpaste for a few home cooked meals while I am staying with my mother. She even throws in lunch the next day! Or if I really start to have a lot of something, I will donate to my local food pantry which is always in great need of non-food items. I regularly donate cash to them so it adds to what I can give if I get stuff free and pass it on. I do the same thing when I get a great deal on something like cereal - I'll keep what I can use and donate the rest instead of giving the cash.

Shaw's does double coupons up to $1.00 and they take internet coupons except for free product coupons. So I do pretty good there. But CVS seems to be where I get the biggest savings!

I work full time - usually somewhere around 60 hours a week, not counting travel time. I clip my coupons when I watch TV with my mother on the nights I am with her. I only get one paper but my mother gets 2 and she also has the coupons from her sister's paper. So sometimes I'll have up to four of the same if there is a good deal. Then on Saturday night while watching TV with my husband, I make my lists and sort through my coupons. On Sunday morning I head out for the weekly shopping, stopping to pick up the newspaper before I get to the stores.

 

[canopynut66]

I have read some articles about extreme couponing and I just don't think it would work for me, so what am I missing? It is just my husband and I, we do almost all our grocery shopping at Aldi and only buy a few name brand things at the larger supermarkets, like my Pantene shampoo and conditioner, deodorant and fresh meat. We go with my mom to Sam's club and save a lot on paper products and store up on them. Since switching stores we do save at least $50 a month. We don't get a newspaper, and I just think it would take a lot of time and patience to clip the coupons, organize them, and then wait for a sale to take advantage of the biggest savings. I there a website or a blog that would give me some more information? We both work full time and make good money, but we also want to retire early, so every little bit helps!

It is just me here but I spend nothing on bath or hair or dental products is all free with coupons but do take a paper for them at $1.25 week. nor do I ever pay for say Tide etc for laundry or cleaning things. My daughter has family of five and she spends hour a week on her coupons never does a Costco or Aldis had to many buggy foods from both as like I said she buys lot of fresh things. Her total monthly food bill might be $100.00 She works full time and runs a rental condo business on the side as well as son in law has own business for last thirty years. She just thinks food bills out of control and started this twenty five years ago. She tells me if i do not see a coupon as REAL money will not work and do have to organize them so easy to grab when need one and NEVER buy what you would not use just because you have a coupon it is pure laziness on MY part that I do not save more say on meats and fresh things and I admit it. she does no online couponing however

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

I have been couponing in earnest since January since that was my New Year's resolution. It was also when we decided for sure that we were going to Disney this Thanksgiving, LOL.

I am not a big stockpiler and I am sure that many folks would let me know that I am not doing it as well as I could as I still pay some for cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. But I do know it has been worth it to me.

I only shop one store really (Safeway) and occasionally Target. There are items that I would not have really thought about geting coupons for such as Leapfrog games or Crayola craft kits that have helped me save even on birthday gifts or things for my kids.

Matching up sale items with coupons I have has really helped. Yesterday my bill would have been about $100 but I paid $50 and that included $22 for 50 rolls of toilet paper. I have also found that when I buy organic items the register gives me back Catalina coupons for other organic items including organic meat. Yesterday the free range chicken eggs I bought were less than the cheapest of the regular eggs. I also agree that the more you look on-line for specialty brands you can find the coupons if you want to.

 

[canopynut66]

ALSO... Even if you never used a single food coupon, the money you can save just on cleaners and toiltries is HUGE.

I have not paid more than 25 cents for pit stick, body wash, shaving cream ( men and womens) or feminine products in over a year.

I pay very little when it comes to cleaners, and dishsoap.

I also dont think it takes nearly as much space as people think to stockpile. I have a TINY house with very little storage, but my mini stockpile ( about 6 months to a years worth of most of our toiltries and cleaners) fits on one small shelving unit in the corner of my laundry room - teeny tiny laundry room.

( I dont stockpile TP or Paper towel, the sales and coupons come around so often its not worth it)

Wrote on OP post but one thing I do with extra coupons when can get item free I take a day and go get those things (no fresh things here) and then gather all can get free and take to food pantry as they need the cleaning things and hair and body things as well as toliet paper and paper towels/napkins/paper plates and most send food as of course they always need that but out of work people still bathe and clean so they sure appreciate it and what am I out? my time and was not doing anything anyhow and have done this for so long is relaxing knowing is helping someone some place my grandkids LOVE to go do this with me as well and we then go straight to pantry or shelters and drop it off

 

[tarheel618]

here is what I got with coupons today at Walgreens

4 mens deodrant Store had them BOGO and then I had two coupons that were bogo so they were free
6 renuzit air freshners on sale and had a coupon buy 3 get 3 free
1 ajax dishwashing liquid on sale 89 cents and had coupon for 50 cents off

I paid $1.45 for everything. So yes couponing saves me a lot of money and this was just for non food items.

 

[thesaurinis]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE coupons. We don't have alot of stores like Shaws, Shop Alot, Publix etx, but we have Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Wegmans, Target, Walmart, Sams, BJ's. With that said I can usually save on average $50 a week. We are a family of 4 and I stockpile when I can. I also run a daycare so lots of stuff I can use there too.

Not sure if many of you know this but say you go to BJ's. I just bought a 4 pack of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner for $7.99 - $3 (BJ's coupon book coupon) - $1.00 (Manufacturer coupon) - $1.00 (Manufacturer coupon) = $2.99 total for 4 larger bottles. Now at a local grocery store/walmart that would cost over $2 per bottle. So it is well worth using coupons and to me toilet bowl cleaner is not Junk like a PP stated. When shopping at Sams/BJ's you can use multiple coupons in 1 transaction. The items have to be considered resellable units. What I was told by a BJ's manager is a resellable unit is anything inside a combo box/package that has a bar code on each item. So items like toothpaste, spaghetti sauce, diapers, diaper wipes, cleaning supplies tissues, the list goes on and on. You can also use a BJ's issued coupon with manufacturers coupons. Unless you know these tips you wouldn't save as much.

I also don't ever pay more than $.50-$1.00 for a thing of deodarant.

I also compare ads such as Rite Aid. I get colgate toothpaste usually $2.99 - $2.00 Up reward - $1.00 manufacturer coupon = $.01 money maker. Same as the crest offer mentioned from a pp. It was $3.29 - $3.29 care bucks - $1.00 man. coupon = $1.00 money maker. Yes you can MAKE money using coupons.

There are many blogs I follow and these people list out the coupons to use from what weeks ad to find them. (wickedcooldeals.com, hip2save.com, coupondivas.com, CNYmommies.com) So all I do is save my coupons each week in a little stack (I don't clip them till I need them) and once i check out the blog I clip the coupon I need. I don't have to scour all over its all wrote out for me.

So saving money is a great thing. When I get alot stockpiled for free I usually donate to a homeless shelter, or our local minor league baseball team since alot of the players are from 3rd world countries they don't have alot of money I just stock up over the off season then deliver boxes of toothpaste, deodarant, body wash to the park. So by saving money, making money in some cases, and donating............it all makes it so well worth my time.

 

[Purseval]

My wife has been couponing since reading these threads. I see stacks of coupons on the counter, most for stuff I can't ever remember using but that she's saving in case she can get them for free. What's the point of getting something for free if you never use it? It's not like she's going to fill a basket up with free stuff then turn around and sell it on the side of the road. She'll either give it away (which means all that work for nothing), it will sit there taking up space or ot will be thrown out eventually. She says it's like going to school and she will eventually learn to pinpoint and stock up on stuff that actually makes sense to have around.

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

YES It's worth it. It's free money for crying out loud! Hand a cashier some slips of paper you cut out while watching Sister Wives - watch your total bill go down. I'm surpised more people don't do it.

 

[momof1princess]

couponing doesn't work very well for us. we don't eat a lot of processed foods, and the few processed things we do eat, we can get much cheaper in the store brands. coupons have really gone downhill in the past few years-i don't want to have to buy 2 or 3 of something to save $.50; just not worth it for my family of 3. our grocery stores don't double coupons, and except for the P&G brand saver insert once a month, the coupons in our paper aren't worth clipping. we shop at wal-mart, use the few coupons we can, and get as much as possible at aldi. on occasion, i'll get some things on a really good deal with coupons at CVS or walgreens.

 

[Pluto the Pup]

I don't buy much processed food either, but still find that I use lots of coupons for things like eggs, yogurt, baking supplies, oatmeal, coffee/tea, pasta, brown rice, household and beauty items, etc. I shop at a Super Target and like that they offer coupons on their own store brands which are already usually less expensive than name brands. I recently got free dishwasher tablets and dental floss at Target just by using a Target coupon or combining a sale with a Target and/or manufacturer coupon. I find couponing and looking for sales fun, but realize it's not for everyone.

 

[java]

Not big processed food buyer, and today I noticed something on the bottom of my receipt today. It was savings to date (so 2.5months in) and I have saved $923 so far! I think that's worth it.Oops just checked it was $980.23 even better!