Do you grocery shop with coupons?

[marydmjj]

I'm wondering if it is worth the time and effort to shop with coupons? Or are generic/store brands still cheaper?

 

[disneychrista]

I don't use coupons, they are just too much of a hassle.

What I do do is buy whats on sale. I would estimate that more then 75% of what I buy is on sale. I check the ads and see what is on sale and then figure what we will be having that week.

 

[Nancy]

I use coupons. Sometimes I do really well and other times not so well. I try to combine sale and coupons to get extra discounts.

I only use coupons for items I would normally buy, not just because i have a coupon.

And sometimes the generic/store brands work out cheaper. You have to know your prices, check the sales and then figure out if it's worth it for maybe a small amount of money saved. I sometimes do over $10.00. But other weeks it's only 1.00 or none. I figure if I save even $1.00 that's $1.00 closer to vacation.

 

[Kristi1357]

I ALWAYS use coupons. I save about 33% off every grocery trip that way.

 

[pat fan]

I use coupons! I also use the sale flier and plan my week accordingly. I get what's on sale and use the coupons that match them.Usually the Sunday paper coordinates with the local grocery stores for what's on sale. I usually save a heck of a lot that way!

 

[onecoolmama]

I should..but I never do.

 

[meeshi]

I do. Sometimes I save a little and sometimes I save a lot. It depends on the sales and what coupons I have. I go through the sale flyer every week to see what's on sale and try to match my coupons with that. It's almost like a game to see how much I can save.

 

[SC Minnie]

I always use coupons. I only use them on products/brands we would buy anyway. My 'soft' goal is to save at a minimum of 10% on every trip but it's usually closer to 25%.

Also. we have 3 (soon to be 4) major grocery store chains within 2 miles of us so we can shop the sales at all of them.

 

[Cindy B]

Yes, my goal is about 10% of each shopping trip. Sometimes I get the trifecta... thats the buy one get one free, using a coupon with the original and the Free, and that said coupon gets tripled...

Lately the coupons in my area have been poor and not cost effective. I don't want to save $1.00 if I need to buy three, since $1.00 doesnt not get doubled or tripled.

 

[CyranoJones]

I used to use coupons but I don't anymore because most of them have been $1.00 off two products. It's not worth it for me.

 

[Cindy B]

I forgot to add one year I did deposit all my coupon money.. for a whole year.. it paid for our first Disney trip. (we drove down, stayed at All STars, park hoppers, food, gas, etc). That first trip was about $900.

 

[Annette_VA]

Yes, I use coupons...when I remember to take them to the store w/ me!

 

[Kitty 34]

No, I don't use coupons.

 

[gdulaney]

Yes, I use coupons alot! I'm usually armed with coupons, calculator, and a grocery list. Here are a few of my tips...

- Try to shop at stores that double coupons.

- Compare the price of the generic version vs. the name brand w/ coupon.

- Compare the price per ounce/pound/etc...it can be cheaper to buy several smaller items, each w/ a coupon vs. one bigger item with one coupon.

- Watch as they scan your items. Some items don't get changed in the computer...and at one of the stores that I shop at, if it doesn't scan correctly, you get the first item free (excluding beer, cigarettes, etc).

- Watch as they scan your coupons. Sometimes they miss a few.

- If you can avoid "brand loyalty" you can save more. We only have a few items that I don't substitute (i.e. Coke, Heinz-brand catsup).

- When you see a sale, hit it with those coupons. If the items are non-perishable or can freeze...I'll stock up. I've gone almost six months without having to buy deodorant or toothpaste. Our linen closet was full of almost-free deodorant and toothpaste. I hit a "Herbal Essences" shampoo sale at Target...clearance-priced shampoo w/free full-sized conditioner included. I also had TEN $1.00 off coupons...which made each shampoo/conditioner combo about $1.49 (divide that by the separate cost of shampoo and conditioner...and it made each item about $ .75...which is cheaper than generic).

- Read your coupons carefully!! Check for size requirements. I just got four bottles of ALL laundry detergent FREE. How? They were $ .99 each (a larger travel-size, but smaller than the normal small laundry size...does that make sense? ) and I had four coupons for $1.00 off.

- Don't limit your coupon use to the grocery store. I keep my coupon box in the backseat. If I'm going to Target, I take it in with me (that's where I hit the Herbal Essences motherlode).

- Sign up at the websites for products you like...many times you'll get coupons (or better yet...free samples) for those items.

I usually save between 30-40%...but have hit 55-60%. There are two trains of thought for the savings. Some folks just write the check out for the cost of the groceries and go home happy (I do this sometimes)...but another idea that I got from a fellow DISboard person was to write your check out for the full amount (pre-coupon total) and put the "cash back" in to your vacation fund (great idea!!!). One other suggestion...alot of times I use my Disney visa or AMEX to pay for groceries in order to get the reward points. If doing this...remember to keep the cash in your checking account, so you can pay off your credit card in full. There is alot of temptation using this method.

Happy Shopping!!
Ginny

 

[Kristi1357]

Ginny, great minds think alike!

Everyone thinks I am crazy with coupons, sales, and Target clearances - but boy the $$$ I save! I have enough deodorant and toothpaste to last a year.

 

[Cinders]

If you can avoid "brand loyalty" you can save more. We only have a few items that I don't substitute (i.e. Coke, Heinz-brand catsup).

Same here!! I once bought Hunts ketchup and you'd have thought I committed a crime. I had to swear to use it in a recipe and not make anyone in the family use it for regular use.

And speaking of Heinz.....always look at the per ounce price if your store does that. Usually the Heinz is cheaper per once in the medium sized bottles.

Another thing to do if you frequent 2 stores is to have a price book so you know what is the regular price of an item at both places then can decide where to use the coupon. One store I use doubles coupons but WalMart doesn't so I use the book to determine if its worth using the coupon at the grocery.

 

[Shellie722]

I always use coupons! I have been ableto get $25.00 worth of stuff and only paid $1.99 which I then got back as a rebate on one of the items I bought. I regularly save at least 50% on my purchases and often as much as 90% by combining sales and clearances.

 

[CEDmom]

I regularly shop with coupons. I find that the sale items in our store circular coincide with the coupons in the Sunday paper so I get extra savings. I save about 20% of our total grocery bill by using coupons and that's on top of the 20-25% I save waiting for things to go on sale. When our store runs triple coupons I go . Quite often between being on sale and coupons I'll get items for free.

 

[GlennandAnn]

I used to use coupons all the time, but since we've moved and I've switched grocery stores, I've found that if I shop according to what's on sale that week and don't use coupons, at this new store I'm spending less than at the old store with tons of coupons. I don't usually buy things that aren't on sale, and that includes clothes, shoes and items for our home like soap, shampoo, toothpast, etc. The store I shop at (Jewel) has been having lots of buy 1 get 1 free and $1 sales lately.


Ann

 

[marydmjj]

I've never really used coupons but I'm thinking I need to start. What is triple-coupons and how do you find out if your store allows them? I usually shop at Albertson's but have QFC, Safeway, Walmart & Fred Meyer close by.