Finding very few grocery coupons that actually save you money. Anyone else?

[miralys]

When I was less picky about my food, I used to be able to save money at Publix by pairing sales with coupons. Now I find that it is very difficult for me to do so. Apparently I am an abnormal mess or something (gluten intolerant and I am eating low carb). I still go to Publix but not as often, and I find I usually only go for things like yogurt & milk (for my other half) and cleaning supplies.

What I end up doing is taking the money I save from using coupons on personal items and household supplies (which can be significant) and use that for groceries. Most of the time that means shopping Aldi (you have to know what to buy there), stores like Bravo and family owned ethnic markets and the local vegetable market. It really burns me up to pay full price there, but it's still cheaper than full price at the vegetable market.

 

[Jessica14]

I just recently started couponing again and have saved about $600 in three months using several strategies. I don't like to buy a lot of precessed foods either, so I just pass those coupons along on one of the Coupon Trains here. I really pick through carefully, am not brand loyal in most cases, and compare with store brands. I am willing to shop in multiple places, and usually almost everything on my list is either on sale or has a coupon, both, or is a store brand. I also take advantage of the 10 for $10 sales. I can mix and match which is an advantage. Usually I use it for yogurt or canned vegetables or tuna or something that will last.

While I think the coupons help me save about $10 a trip, its everything else that I do that gets me good, healthy food and a lower cost.
Jessica

 

[sk!mom]

I just recently started couponing again and have saved about $600 in three months using several strategies.

When you say that you've saved $600 in three months do you literally mean that you now have $600 sitting in the bank that was earmaked for food but is now extra money? I ask because in the few episodes I've seen of Extreme Couponing, I've heard claims of huge savings- $20,000 once even $40,000 and I always want to say, "Show me the money!"

What I see these people call saving isn't true savings. They've spent a smaller amount of money for a huge amount of product that they may or may not use. But they've still spent not saved.

I'm all for saving money and finding the best deal but when I bring something home that we do not need or may not use then I've just spent money not saved.

For instance, just yesterday I went to Academy to pick up a pair of sweatpants for DH. While there I found him a pair of shorts on the sale rack for $4.88 and myself a shirt for $2.88. Both great deals so I bought them. Now I could claim a savings of $38 on those two items but I don't have $38 extra dollars to now use for something else. The reality is that I spent $8 more than I went into the store planning on spending and now have $8 less in my pocket.

The only true savings is to not spend.

 

[puffkin]

I have the exact opposite experience. I was just telling my husband that I hardly ever buy anything store brand anymore (milk and bread are about the only things I do buy store brand consistently). I almost always can get the name brand cheaper using sales combined with coupons. I've pretty much learned the store sales cycles and know when to stock up. I also get 4 sets of coupons a week so that I have multiple coupons to use to stock up when there is a good sale.

I am also not particularly brand loyal. There are very few products that I will only buy a certain brand (Heinz ketchup and JIF peanut butter are about the only ones I can think of). There is almost always one name brand that will be on sale of say cereal that I will also have a coupon for that week. So if Post is on sale, I buy Post that week. If General Mills is, then I buy that, KWIM?

ETA: I used to spend about $100/week on groceries and toiletries. 3 years ago I started couponing and doing the CVS/Rite Aid thing. I still budget a $100/wk but most weeks I am way below. So I take that extra $25 or so I average a week and roll it into a Disney gift card or Southwest gift card or put it into my vacation envelope. Great incentive, makes my savings tangible, and the quality of stuff we use is higher (especially toiletries).

 

[DawnM]

I actually do need to shave $350 off my grocery bill for the next few months! That money is earmarked for Legoland!

Our budget is $600/mo and I need to get it to $525-$550 until November, when we are going to Florida.

I budgeted for Disney but now want to add at least a day of Legoland.

Dawn

When you say that you've saved $600 in three months do you literally mean that you now have $600 sitting in the bank that was earmaked for food but is now extra money? I ask because in the few episodes I've seen of Extreme Couponing, I've heard claims of huge savings- $20,000 once even $40,000 and I always want to say, "Show me the money!"

What I see these people call saving isn't true savings. They've spent a smaller amount of money for a huge amount of product that they may or may not use. But they've still spent not saved.

I'm all for saving money and finding the best deal but when I bring something home that we do not need or may not use then I've just spent money not saved.

For instance, just yesterday I went to Academy to pick up a pair of sweatpants for DH. While there I found him a pair of shorts on the sale rack for $4.88 and myself a shirt for $2.88. Both great deals so I bought them. Now I could claim a savings of $38 on those two items but I don't have $38 extra dollars to now use for something else. The reality is that I spent $8 more than I went into the store planning on spending and now have $8 less in my pocket.

The only true savings is to not spend.

 

[lakelandgal70]

We found this neat, free blog on the Web that provides you with vegetarian meals for a month, including the shopping lists and recipes.

Would you mind giving out the website or pming me the link? We aren't vegetarians either but do enjoy eating meat free.

 

[eliza61]

I think I'm too brand loyal for coupons to work well for me. I get tons of them on cereal and toothpaste but truthfully I've got 7 tubes of colgate upstairs now, how many more do I need?

also now I notice that most coupons you have to buy 2 and 3 of the item and that doesn't work well for me. I got a coupon for 1.00 off 3 bags of pistachios, well pistachios are 10 bucks a bag. ouch, am I going to spend 30 dollars simply to get 1 dollar off? nope.

I get the sunday paper so I always cut the circular but it's not worth my time to go out and get tons of papers.

 

[wubbogirl]

I've been clipping and printing coupons lately to try to save on the groceries I buy and I'm finding that more and more of them COST me money if I use them due to the difference in brand names. For example, while at Wal-Mart yesterday I had a coupon for $1.00 off 2 bags of Kraft shredded cheese. The Kraft bags were $4.79 each and the Wal-Mart brand was $2.68 each - same sizes, same cheese. I have used both brands before and there is no difference in their texture or how they melt.

I had a coupon for $1.50 off if I bought a gallon of Purity milk and half gallon of Purity ice cream. I never buy Purity milk but was checking the price comparison to the shocking dismay that it was $6.75 a gallon and the Wal-Mart milk is $2.49 a gallon. Needless to say, I never even looked at the ice cream because it was a moot point.

While I do find a few coupons here and there to use, I'm finding that I save more by buying off brands than buying name brands and using coupons. Anyone else noticed that lately?

wow really $4.78 a bag for cheese ridiculous. I buy it when the grocery stores but them on sale for $2. right now my stores has a special limit 2 b1g1 regular price $3.69 so if I buy 4 bags 2 will be free use 4 of my $.55 coupon which double to $1.10 so all 4 bags will be $2.98 that's $.74 a bag :0

 

[mommyof2princesses]

I wish I could figure how to get my grocery bill down. We used to spend about $400 a month. We now spend closer to $800! Much of that is we buy organic meats, dairy and produce. I just don't know how to get it cheaper. A whole chicken in itself costs us around $12. WE eat it once a week so that is already $48 a month just on 4 meals! I do buy a case of yogurt each week and that saves me 10% because I buy the whole case.

I still try to coupon on shampoos, cleaning products, toothpaste, etc. The kids get one special treat a week so I generally find a coupon for that (like cookies or ice cream). We shop Whole Foods a lot and they do have some coupons each month and they are finally building a Trader Joes here. WE do use coupons more for our one meal out a week, and for clothes and such.

 

[wubbogirl]

The ONLY way coupons work is if you match sales to coupons.

So, I would have used that Kraft coupon when the Kraft was buy one get one and it was super doubles.....so that $4.79 would have purchased 2 bags and the $1 off would have doubled, making those bags roughly .90 each.

SouthernSavers.com is a great resource.

I usually save about 66%-75% when I use SouthernSavers and match coupons to sales. And the savings I am talking about is on coupon items, not all items I buy.

If you really want to learn how to coupon, go to HotCouponWorld.com and read up.....they are a wealth of information.

Dawn

PS: After typing this I got an email from my local store with the announcement that Kraft shredded cheese is indeed BOGO this week! I don't know if I have a coupon or not, I will look. It isn't super doubles, but even a $1 coupon would mean that the bags are $1.50 each, which still isn't bad.

I 'm in north carolina too that's my harris teeter evic too. I got my $.55 from bi lo beginning of the year out of a kraft booklet those coupons don't expire til 12/31/11

I'm also on hotcouponworld.com same handle name

 

[puffkin]

I wish I could figure how to get my grocery bill down. We used to spend about $400 a month. We now spend closer to $800! Much of that is we buy organic meats, dairy and produce. I just don't know how to get it cheaper. A whole chicken in itself costs us around $12. WE eat it once a week so that is already $48 a month just on 4 meals! I do buy a case of yogurt each week and that saves me 10% because I buy the whole case.

Would it be possible to buy a larger chicken? Then you could use some of the leftovers for another meal as a mix in? I do this a lot since I work FT during the week so roasting a chicken just doesn't happen on weekdays. I will roast a huge chicken on a Sunday for dinner. Then I will pick it and usually have enough chicken for 2 more meals. For example I might make a BBQ Chicken pizza and chicken quesadillas for two other meals that week using the leftovers.

 

[ospopo5]

What I see these people call saving isn't true savings. They've spent a smaller amount of money for a huge amount of product that they may or may not use. But they've still spent not saved.

I agree... Kohls does this now and other stores too they circle the bottom and say you saved $97.00 today. But really all I got was the "sale" price of tiems and I didnt get any door busters or coupons, so how did I really "save" $97.00. Because I wouldnt have paid that price in the first place.

 

[Princesca]

Would you mind giving out the website or pming me the link? We aren't vegetarians either but do enjoy eating meat free.

Here is... I hope it's okay to post. She may have a donation button via PayPal, but it's a free service and I don't financially benefit from it.

http://eatclosetohome.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/vegetarian-menu-and-recipes-for-a-month/

I will add that sometimes her recipes can be a little lacking in detail... we've had to guess a couple of times on how much spice to put in, for example, but the more you make them, the more you lock on to what you like.

There are a couple of recipes on the list, two, that I just don't like... like I don't like apples in entrees, generally. And I don't do tofu or tempeh. So, on those nights, I either change the ingredients until I'm happy, or I substitute a meat meal I've been craving, or substitute another vegetarian recipe I have from a site other than hers. We probably end up eating vegetarian dinners about four nights a week, and end up with leftovers a lot for lunches. I was using e-Mealz, and loved it and the beaucoup bucks I saved on it, but when I got turned on to eating closer to home, more whole foods, more sustainable, I just found that e-Mealz stopped appealing to me.

We're still frugal, especially with the help of that woman's blog, but life was cheaper on e-Mealz. We were spending about $50/week for a week of full dinners for two people, often with leftovers. So my budget loved e-Mealz, but my new lifestyle didn't. I both adore and curse Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma) for introducing me to the farmer, Joel Salatin, who is now one of my favorite people in the world, and the main reason I now pay $3.00-$3.50 for pastured chicken eggs, which really do taste much better.

 

[mousiemom]

this is so true. funny you speak of cheese, it's on my weekly list and i usually buy it @ walmart for $1.98 for the bag cheese, i went to target cause they had a target coupon for their brand cheese b2 get $1 off. it's really good too. i like to stack the target coupons with the manf. too. that's about the only way you get deals these days.

 

[*Seanaci*]

I've been clipping and printing coupons lately to try to save on the groceries I buy and I'm finding that more and more of them COST me money if I use them due to the difference in brand names. For example, while at Wal-Mart yesterday I had a coupon for $1.00 off 2 bags of Kraft shredded cheese. The Kraft bags were $4.79 each and the Wal-Mart brand was $2.68 each - same sizes, same cheese. I have used both brands before and there is no difference in their texture or how they melt.

I had a coupon for $1.50 off if I bought a gallon of Purity milk and half gallon of Purity ice cream. I never buy Purity milk but was checking the price comparison to the shocking dismay that it was $6.75 a gallon and the Wal-Mart milk is $2.49 a gallon. Needless to say, I never even looked at the ice cream because it was a moot point.

While I do find a few coupons here and there to use, I'm finding that I save more by buying off brands than buying name brands and using coupons. Anyone else noticed that lately?

I do find the same to be true.

However, we've always shopped such that we're buying different items in generic/store brand and other items in national brand. So, even if I find a coupon for, say Kraft cheese, I never clip it because I know I won't use it as I'll pay less for it in generic/store brand.

 

[lakelandgal70]

Here is... I hope it's okay to post. She may have a donation button via PayPal, but it's a free service and I don't financially benefit from it.

http://eatclosetohome.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/vegetarian-menu-and-recipes-for-a-month/

I will add that sometimes her recipes can be a little lacking in detail... we've had to guess a couple of times on how much spice to put in, for example, but the more you make them, the more you lock on to what you like.

There are a couple of recipes on the list, two, that I just don't like... like I don't like apples in entrees, generally. And I don't do tofu or tempeh. So, on those nights, I either change the ingredients until I'm happy, or I substitute a meat meal I've been craving, or substitute another vegetarian recipe I have from a site other than hers. We probably end up eating vegetarian dinners about four nights a week, and end up with leftovers a lot for lunches. I was using e-Mealz, and loved it and the beaucoup bucks I saved on it, but when I got turned on to eating closer to home, more whole foods, more sustainable, I just found that e-Mealz stopped appealing to me.

We're still frugal, especially with the help of that woman's blog, but life was cheaper on e-Mealz. We were spending about $50/week for a week of full dinners for two people, often with leftovers. So my budget loved e-Mealz, but my new lifestyle didn't. I both adore and curse Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma) for introducing me to the farmer, Joel Salatin, who is now one of my favorite people in the world, and the main reason I now pay $3.00-$3.50 for pastured chicken eggs, which really do taste much better.

Thank you so much! I just had some eggs at my Aunts in TN that were free range chickens but they had a specific name that I can't recall now. Anyway best tasting eggs ever. Should have taken couple cartons home with me. lol