Guilt over couponing...??? Am I the only one...

[Colleen27]

I wasn't insulting you, I don't care how people cook, I am just saying that I don't find any food coupons that I can use. Also it seems that I very rarely can find coupons for what I use. Sorry if that offends you. Also the dog food I use never has coupons, I get it from a pet store. However I do get a free one after I buy 10 bags. But at the same time I won't use a coupon for a product that I don't use, been there and done that, I have wasted more money than I have saved probably because I am so brand specific.

Now if you can tell me where I can get coupons for meat and fruit and veggies. I will use them.

Same here. I'm brand-loyal on pet food since our brand is made in the US and was one of few not affected by the big recalls in 2007, and I've never seen a coupon for our brand so the small savings from the pet store loyalty program is all the savings I get there.

I do from time to time get coupons for cooking oil or spices that I use, but that's a very small part of our overall grocery spending. Toiletries too; I'm not brand loyal on most things and I do pretty well stocking up on cheap shampoo and toothpaste, but again it is barely a crop in the bucket on our overall spending. Don't get me wrong, any savings is good savings, but I'll never get to those amazing 50+% reductions on the total bill with the handful of products that we use that I can find coupons for.

 

[Colleen27]

You know, I dont' get the attitude some people have about boxed foods. Yeah, it's great to cook from scratch every night, but clearly not everyone does that. If they did Kraft would have gone out of business long ago. Sorry, but I LIKE canned soup. If I can combine a sale and a coupon for Chunky soup, I am going to go for it.

I can only speak for myself, but there was no attitude/judgment intended in my posts. I'm a SAHM and I like to cook, so I don't use many convenience/boxed/canned foods, and I'm really picky about certain things (no food dyes or HFCS, in particular) which limits my brand flexibility.

And I like canned soup too; Progresso does it just as well or better than I can, and if they're doing the cooking I don't mind when one kid wants clam chowder and the other wants chicken & rice.

 

[Colleen27]

Secondly, I am pretty particular about detergents and health & beauty products due to my allergies.

That's something that actually increased my coupon savings because the brands that tend to agree with my DD, who suffers from mild/moderate eczema, are those that run coupons - Dove, Eucerin, Aveeno, All. For myself, DH, and my non-allergic kids, I usually did better with Suave or store brands than on pricier brands even with coupons, but coupons save me a ton on the things I buy for DD.

 

[Kion10]

I haven't had time to read this thread yet (I'm going to come back later tonight), but I just wanted to say that Couponing to Disney is an awesome blog.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

My problem is it's stressful. I hate not getting the deals I hear people talking about. I never get the free toothpaste.

it's a lot of work. I have used hotcouponworld couponmom etc. I've done the binder [still have hard time finding coupons]...done the labeling on the flyers and not cutting the coupons that was annoying too...I wish there was someone who posted 'here are the deals to get this week...' and tell you what and where! LOL.

I need to get back into it. I spend SOOO much on groceries and toiletries.

I did really good at getting my hair color kits for <$2!

I missed out on the games deal because I was too unorganized....it really starts to bog you down if you get behind....

any tips ??

Thanks.

I never did well with couponing, until someone here pointed me to the afullcup forums. Each individual store has it's own forums, and people have figured out the deals for each store for the week.

It has saved me quite a bit of money

 

[LisaInNc]

I used to be huge into couponing and refunding. My best was over 1,000 of free stuff in one day using coupons. We had a store that would double dollar coupons and I could get lots of stuff for free.

I never felt like I was stealing anything. I always abided by the rules ono the coupon. The way I looked at it if I am smart enough to reduce my grocery bill the clerk is the one doing something wrong to look down her nose at me.

Keep on couponing girl!!! It's a great way to save money for Disney!

Lisa

 

[budbeerlady]

so I search for blogs in my area for couponing and then I can use google reader? Wow when did I get so behind...

My area has Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, Marsh, CVS, Walgreens, Target just for groceries and toiletries so it gets difficult...

Anyone know of a fave blog in Indiana so I can be lazy? LOL.

Off to search.....

is there a googlel reader 'how to' by the way? Thanks so much.

I would LOVE to be able to do this again....I did good for several months out of necessity but it was very stressful like I said....

Trish

I would suggest Savings Angel. They do Meijer, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, etc. It is $20 a month but I save enough to justify it for myself. They tell you EXACTLY where to find the coupon or they give you Internet link. You make your shopping list by store, cut or print the coupons and voila!

It is so easy, I love it! They tell you when its a best time to stock up and I usually save about 40% on my groceries, dog food, etc.

 

[LadySiren]

Whew, been busy over the last couple of days so I just found this thread. I do have to say that I try to keep my stuff organized before I get to the register but I do still sometimes feel bad if my coupons beep, then the cashier has to either put them in by hand or get an override. Ugh.

On the other hand, I feel great when I look at my savings total. We have Harris-Teeter here in NC, which doubles 20 mfg. coupons per day up to $.99 and also does super-doubles (doubling of coupons up to $1.99) and triples (tripling of coupons up to $.99). I'm a huge fan of coupon stacking at places like Rite-Aid, CVS, and Walgreen's. Free or darn near free stuff is always great! We do stockpile, as well, which works well for our large family of seven.

We don't do a huge amount of cooking from scratch unfortunately, due to work, school, and sports schedules. Yep, the boxed stuff isn't as good as homemade but it's also not that horrible. My kids love that Hamburger Helper stuff scared1 and get upset if Mom doesn't buy it, LOL. I'm hoping that supplementing with lots of fruit, veggies, and dairy will off-set the boxed stuff.

My favorite sites for coupons (although I shouldn't share these...y'all will get all the good coupons before I can!) these days are: afullcup.com, hotcouponworld.com, buxr.com, and southernsavers.com. I also will sometimes cruise by weusecoupons.com to see what they've got there. If I need multiples of coupon, I'll generally hit up thecouponclippers.com. BTW, you can get some crazy deals by becoming a fan of various manufacturers on Facebook - for example, Nabisco runs a BOGO coupon promo the first Monday of every month. My kids adore Nabisco cookies, so it's a good deal for us.

 

[dhdozier]

I think it is funny that so many of you avoid cashiers that give you a hard time with your big stack of coupon money. When I get a cashier that gives me a hard time--I specifically look for them the next time.

That's funny!! If I have time I do so too just to keep my juices flowing, but most of the time I am in a rush so I really spend more time looking for the experienced cashiers to get my groceries and coupons scanned lickety split.

 

[C.Ann]

Never feel guilty for stretching your dollar as far as it will go..

 

[S&K]

This has been so much fun reading all your post!

I need to update y'all though...I went to Walgreens this morning...needed to do five transactions and I am STILL learning about rolling the register reward dollars...anyway...this nice lady working said to make sure and grab her when I am ready and she'll ring me up in cosmetics... I'm thinking...uh oh...she's probably the manager and wants to make sure my coupons are correct (even though I know they are!)...anyway...she was AWESOME!!! Said she didn't mind taking the extra time...told me when I needed to add something to get the RR to print out...said come back to me next time you come in!!!! I know you all said to just hang in there, eventually you'll get a good checker that is helpful...THANK YOU SO MUCH for the advice guys!

P.S. If anyone know a good deal on Zhu Zhu pets... Let me know!

 

[21yankees]

so I search for blogs in my area for couponing and then I can use google reader? Wow when did I get so behind...

My area has Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, Marsh, CVS, Walgreens, Target just for groceries and toiletries so it gets difficult...

Anyone know of a fave blog in Indiana so I can be lazy? LOL.

Off to search.....

is there a googlel reader 'how to' by the way? Thanks so much.

I would LOVE to be able to do this again....I did good for several months out of necessity but it was very stressful like I said....

Trish

I'm pretty sure http://bargainbriana.com/ is based in Indiana. HTH

steph

 

[LadySiren]

WARNING: thread hijacking incoming. You've been warned.

Speaking of coupons, I got my Home Made Simple "decor done right" coupon booklet today (there was a website you signed up at for this particular set of coupons). The coupons weren't bad but they weren't all that either.

There were only a few real high-dollar coupons (Swiffers, etc.) but there were a couple that made me glad I'd signed up - the $.75 off of Magic Erasers will double to $1.50 off at our local Harris Teeter. Okay, so maybe it was a mildly coupon booklet.

 

[21yankees]

I haven't had time to read this thread yet (I'm going to come back later tonight), but I just wanted to say that Couponing to Disney is an awesome blog.

Love it! I follow on Facebook too.


steph

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I too felt guilty at first but it soon wore off.

Think of all the money that people who do not coupon, are actually throwing away! At the end of my shopping trip I leave the store excited about the amount of money I have just saved.

So what if someone else is standing behind me who is impatient or wants to glare at me because I am using coupons. In the end I am walking away as a winner with extra money in my pocket.

So go out there and feel confident in couponing!

 

[budbeerlady]

I too felt guilty at first but it soon wore off.

Think of all the money that people who do not coupon, are actually throwing away! At the end of my shopping trip I leave the store excited about the amount of money I have just saved.

So what if someone else is standing behind me who is impatient or wants to glare at me because I am using coupons. In the end I am walking away as a winner with extra money in my pocket.

So go out there and feel confident in couponing!

Why should you pay 30-50% more for stuff than you have to! I choose not to....

I am loving the $1.50 off the TGI fridays coupons right now. I love the cheese sticks but will not pay $3.29 a box for them! Our store has them on sale this week so I am paying $.50 a box.

My awesome Dad just found me a small chest freezer off Craigs list, I think Dh might be more excited than I am.

 

[Caitsmama]

Subscribing here!

I am reading the Couponing to Disney blog - and i am determined to do this!!! (If you are listening -- you are SOOOO inspiring!!)

I am planning a trip with dd next year (2011) - and i have never paid on my own for a WDW trip - and unless i can do it for that trip, it won't happen.. so , i need to learn to get creative, and i love the support here!

I just wrote down the sites/people here, and will check these out later tonight after work.. i am just so inspired!

any other advice on where to learn the art of couponing for a newbie??

 

[PaulaSue]

I haven't had time to read this thread yet (I'm going to come back later tonight), but I just wanted to say that Couponing to Disney is an awesome blog.

hey I already follow you!

 

[budbeerlady]

I also like Saving Addiction! http://www.savingaddiction.com/p/store-deals.html

They cover Meijer, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Target and Family Fare. I was so excited to read this deal on their blog. "This week at Meijer you can snag a 5 pack value box of Kraft Mac n Cheese for $1.89 after
the $1/1 Meijer Coupon (found on our side-bar!)

On the Kraft Box you should find a Peelie Coupon for a FREE Box of Capri Sun Roarin' Waters (Value $2.49) when you buy the Value Box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!"

So I went at lunch and added this deal to my other ones. $12.09 out the door for the 5 pk of Kraft mac n cheese,1 Capri roaring water, 8 TGI Friday frozen boxes, 6 Green Giant frozen veggies (DH has to have the green bean casserole) and 6 country crock 15oz tubs of butter.

 

[Caitsmama]

So I went at lunch and added this deal to my other ones. $12.09 out the door for the 5 pk of Kraft mac n cheese,1 Capri roaring water, 8 TGI Friday frozen boxes, 6 Green Giant frozen veggies (DH has to have the green bean casserole) and 6 country crock 15oz tubs of butter.

OMG, you got all that for $12?????