How low can you go without doubling?

[JaxJags08]

For those of you that coupon and live in places like FL where there is no coupon doubling, is it still possible to get those epic hauls where you pay close to nothing? I just started with coupons 1 month ago. While I have managed to reduce our grocery bills by 20-30% so far, I'm still not satisfied. I hit up Publix's BOGO sales for items where I have coupons, but I usually only have 1 coupon for 2 items. Should I get an extra newspaper subscription?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Well to let you in on a little tid bit of info. Don't get your hopes up on walking away paying nothing. Seams one of those extreme couponers is possibly doing coupon fraud! She has cracked the system and figured out how to buy things she does not even have a coupon for. For example buy 40 box's of one kind of cereal but using 40 coupons for another kind and the register allowed her.

So its not on the up and up.

 

[chris31997]

Are you getting coupons from online? Most places will let you use printed coupons. You can get free ones that way. You can also check with convinence stores that sell papers and see if you can get the coupons out at the end of the day. But I will warn you that this may or may not work. Sometimes they will sell out of papers. It has to be at the end of the day. Check with friends who get the paper and don't use the coupons. You can also hop onto the coupon trains here.


Good luck

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Occassionally I'll buy an extra paper if it has several coupons which I use alot like Ragu Spaghetti sauce or charmin toilet paper but mostly I don't bother. The amount of money I spend in gas driving to get the extra newspaper takes away most coupon savings.

I do alot of BOGO at Publix and buy extra meat when it's on sale so I don't always have to buy meat every week which saves me money. Just today I got 4 boxes of El Paso taco soft shell dinners that were bogo and I'll go back in a day or so and get 4 more so that will last us until they go BOGO again. I didn't have any coupons for it though. Rats.

But I've never been able to save more than 25% on my grocery list since there's no doubling where I'm at. And the stores have a limit of how many deals you can get at a time.

I would like to figure out the free toothpaste/deoderant CVS thing. The homeless co-op is always looking for personal items like that and it would be great to help them out more often. I need to start reading the CVS thread more often.

I don't have space for much stockpiling of groceries anyway so I'll just be happy with my 25%.

 

[Marionnette]

I've been checking my store receipts more closely since I got back into couponing. One thing that I've noticed is that my "coupon savings" is not all that impressive compared to my "knock down savings" (month-long specials), my "supercard savings" (loyalty card discounts) or "store coupons" (clipped from the weekly circular or from the catalina).

On a recent shopping trip that totaled $160 in savings, only $29.30 was from manufacturer's coupons. And that was with doubling all coupons that were under $1.00.

My out of pocket cost for that shopping trip was $128.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

I started couponing with my mom when I was little. I have used coupons all my life. None of the stores around here double. I do the best I can with what I have. I have never had a zero out of pocket purchase nor even close. You will alway have tax and that can be a budget buster. I think being aware of local sales and combining those with coupons will make a difference in your total. Remember items go on sale in cycles. If you can purchase one or two extra items when they are on sale to tie you over until the next sale cycle you will do your budget a favor. Good luck and do not give up. Even if you save $1.00, it is better in your pocket than no dollars saved.

 

[JaxJags08]

Thanks for all of your replies. I guess the Extreme Couponers show kind of got me down. Part of me finds it motivating, but then it's sort of a letdown when my bill still exceeds $50. But I have to remember that at least I am saving more than I was before! My savings this week was $60 with the BOGO sales - $20 of that was from coupons.

I have gotten some coupons online and I think I'm going to work at that more. Our Publix takes Target coupons, so I've been using Target's site pretty heavily. I also need to figure out the best way for me to organize my coupons. Right now I clip and put it in a binder alphabetically along with entering them all in an excel spreadsheet. But all of that is becoming a little overwhelming, so I am thinking about keeping the entire insert instead or only clipping items that I will really buy.

 

[mydisneyobsession]

I just started using the grocery game site, and I love it! It's got a subscription fee, but I can't believe how much less I'm spending on groceries. I can easily make up the fee in one shopping trip.

The coupon to sale matching is great, but I'm also becoming a lot more organized and I'm learning to shop with the cycles. I'm in Texas, and I was late enough to the couponing thing that coupon doubling was on it's way out just as I was getting started.

The other thing I like about the grocery game system is that you don't have to clip the coupons as they come in. You just save and date the coupon inserts and the list tells you where to find the coupon when you need it. You can get a free four week trial to see if you like it.

 

[JaxJags08]

Oh no! I just read that Publix is in the process of updating their coupon policy! There's all sorts of speculation on what it's going to be - from not accepting competitor coupons, to limiting which competitor coupons they will take, and limiting the # of BOGO items you can buy at one time. I really hope they keep taking Target coupons, as I save a lot that way! I guess we'll find out next month...

 

[Topper]

Try reading http://www.iheartpublix.com

The nice ladies there take the weekly ads and do the matchups for you. If there is an internet printable, they give you the link. If there was a coupon in a Sunday paper, they tell you the date and source of the coupon. Makes it very easy.

I should add, that I only coupon on items I actually use. I am saving 40-50% off my bill each week, and I am ok with that.

I plan menus around what is on sale (meat and produce) and keep a small stockpile of items like frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, etc.

I also write to companies who products I like, who never seem to have coupons. Just this week, I received coupons for Eat Smart vegetables, which were on sale at Publix.

Every little bit helps.

 

[tinkmom2]

My store only doubles up to 5 manfacturer coupons on Wednesdays but this month on Saturdays they are doubling 10. I make out my list on Sundays with the weekly manufacturer ads and the store ad. I am not brand loyal and buy generics. I usually save about $25-50 in coupons and store discounts each trip. Our stores around here will not take computer printed coupons. Our weekly food budget for 4 is $100.00. I often times come out spending less than that including soda and cat supplies.

 

[jgraney106]

Have you ever tried purchasing coupons from a coupon clipping site? Or buying extras on Ebay?
There is a site www.hotcouponworld.com that is wonderful! Go to the "resources" tab at that site and there will be links to coupon clipping sites.
Hot Coupon World is a great site for couponers. You can trade coupons with others and you will get great heads up on deals that are out there.

 

[KKB]

But I did notice on the show that they showed the total with the ORIGINAL retail price (OK...my store doesn't show things that way...)...If I total the savings w/ sale prices...store loyalty cards...coupons, it is a much more impressive # than I am thinking.
Additionally, the one guy was using future coupons to say the price of current items--makes for good TV, but misleading. I did like that he was sending 1K packages to the troops overseas.
Several of these couponers were single--WHEN are you going to use all this stuff??? They don't have UNLIMITED shelf life! I actually get buying diapers for future expected kids--they DO have unlimited shelf life, and are SO expensive. But that young single gal buying 18 bottles of Maalox for .49 each??!! I LOVE a good deal--and $5 off 5.49 is fantastic. BUT WHO NEEDS 18 BOTTLES OF MAALOX??!! I might buy one--but spending $ on things one cannot use is WASTING money, not saving it. And I love my friends, but I am not going to run to the grocery store to help her use the $10/$50 deal--unethically, imo.
MOST stores would NOT allow anyone to buy so many of one item/use that many coupons. Would sure love to find those stores in my area! Plus BOGOs are nice--but every store around here will only allow coupons toward the one you paid for. Additionally, no store around here will allow me to get full value of a coupon if it is more than the price of the item. Honestly, it seems as tho they spoke to these stores to allow this one stop massive buy for the show...I bet these people are hitting stores daily w/ much smaller trips...
I try to squeeze the most out of every dollar we make--and that includes NOT buying what we don't need...

 

[JaxJags08]

But that young single gal buying 18 bottles of Maalox for .49 each??!! I LOVE a good deal--and $5 off 5.49 is fantastic. BUT WHO NEEDS 18 BOTTLES OF MAALOX??!! I might buy one--but spending $ on things one cannot use is WASTING money, not saving it. And I love my friends, but I am not going to run to the grocery store to help her use the $10/$50 deal--unethically, imo.

I saw this and laughed! If she needs that much Maalox, then she has some major problems.

And I don't think even my DH would run to the grocery store to help me with any coupons. Sorry, but a $10 savings isn't enough for me to inconvenience friends or family to run to the store at that very moment.

 

[LadyBeBop]

For those of you that coupon and live in places like FL where there is no coupon doubling, is it still possible to get those epic hauls where you pay close to nothing? I just started with coupons 1 month ago. While I have managed to reduce our grocery bills by 20-30% so far, I'm still not satisfied. I hit up Publix's BOGO sales for items where I have coupons, but I usually only have 1 coupon for 2 items. Should I get an extra newspaper subscription?

Nah. Just get double papers for the weeks that there are a lot of coupons (such as this week).

I live in a double area. We double up to $.50. A $.25/1 coupon double to $.50. A $.50 coupon double to a dollar. A $.75 coupon goes up to a dollar. Coupons of a dollar and more are face value.

Since you live in an area that doesn't double, I betcha you're getting a lot of
$.50/1 coupons. We would love them, because they are basically $1.00/1 coupons. On the other hand, we get a lot of $1.00/2 coupons. You would love them, because you would save a dollar on two items without having to use two coupons.

You need a coupon train...or better yet, a coupon trade partner who lives in a double area. Someone mentioned hotcouponworld. That's a good place to start.

Regarding free stuff on CVS...yes, you should check that thread more often. You can get a ton of freebie or cheap toothpaste and body wash. But don't limit yourself to CVS. Especially if you live in a double area. A few months ago, a local store had Colgate for a dollar. Armed with six $.50 coupons (doubles to a dollar), I wound up with six tubes of toothpaste for nothing more than tax. Those will go in our annual grocery drive later this year.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

...

 

[maggiew]

Well to let you in on a little tid bit of info. Don't get your hopes up on walking away paying nothing. Seams one of those extreme couponers is possibly doing coupon fraud! She has cracked the system and figured out how to buy things she does not even have a coupon for. For example buy 40 box's of one kind of cereal but using 40 coupons for another kind and the register allowed her.

So its not on the up and up.

Only the one lady is being accused of coupon fraud. None of the others had to resort to those tactics. It is possible to extreme coupon without breaking rules.

I noticed that the show with the twins was here in Chicago area and they went to the Jewel, which does not double. So they did pretty good in a non-doubling area.

Maggie

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

But I did notice on the show that they showed the total with the ORIGINAL retail price (OK...my store doesn't show things that way...)...If I total the savings w/ sale prices...store loyalty cards...coupons, it is a much more impressive # than I am thinking.
Additionally, the one guy was using future coupons to say the price of current items--makes for good TV, but misleading. I did like that he was sending 1K packages to the troops overseas.
Several of these couponers were single--WHEN are you going to use all this stuff??? They don't have UNLIMITED shelf life! I actually get buying diapers for future expected kids--they DO have unlimited shelf life, and are SO expensive. But that young single gal buying 18 bottles of Maalox for .49 each??!! I LOVE a good deal--and $5 off 5.49 is fantastic. BUT WHO NEEDS 18 BOTTLES OF MAALOX??!! I might buy one--but spending $ on things one cannot use is WASTING money, not saving it. And I love my friends, but I am not going to run to the grocery store to help her use the $10/$50 deal--unethically, imo.
MOST stores would NOT allow anyone to buy so many of one item/use that many coupons. Would sure love to find those stores in my area! Plus BOGOs are nice--but every store around here will only allow coupons toward the one you paid for. Additionally, no store around here will allow me to get full value of a coupon if it is more than the price of the item. Honestly, it seems as tho they spoke to these stores to allow this one stop massive buy for the show...I bet these people are hitting stores daily w/ much smaller trips...
I try to squeeze the most out of every dollar we make--and that includes NOT buying what we don't need...

I would love to be able to even a fraction of the couponing that these folks do myself, but like you said...for things my family NEEDS. Cereal? Sure, but not 1000 boxes. 100's of bags of cat treats, when you don't even have a cat??? Great that you got paid to take them out of the store...but why are they sitting on your shelf expiring rather than taking them directly to an animal shelter? 1000 tubes of TOOTHPASTE? Of all the episodes I've seen, I've only seen 2 people do any donating to charity. They just seem like very clean and organized hoarders to me. Taking advantage of the system is WHY coupon policies are changing for everyone.

 

[leight]

I get 3 papers and a friend gives me her coupons- we don't use the same items as she has major allergies so when I get coupons-either internet or in the paper that are for her products I always give them to her.

I am in FL too and so I don't get the benefit of double coupons. I too look at what the extremers did and much of it is buying 6-12 months worth of items with a super amount of coupons. I guess anyone could do it if they buy,beg or dumpster dive for the coupons, but I don't even have storage space for what they do. I try to keep my stockpile in the 6wk range and have cut my monthly shopping bill from around $750 a month to $450 a month(this is everything- cleaning, food, pet supplies and paper/household). I think we're doing well- our family is fussy and both dh & I work- with him being the cook mon-thurs since I don't get home until 9pm. I buy meat only on sale and stockpile that too in a garage freezer. I separate in individual servings for dh to pull easily and precook some like chicken cutlets for easy prep for him. I know when my stores mark down meat-we love flank steak for fajitas but it rarely goes below $6 a lb. I bought two lbs yesterday for $4lb and froze immediately but they had the markdown since the sell by date was close. Also got center cut pork chops for $2 and separated them into two servings.

I spend about 5 hrs a week working on either coupons or actually shopping but I like doing it. I hit walmart/aldis & other supermarkets on my friday day off while doing other errands or on the way to work so I am not using extra gas. I shop early sunday morning at Publix so that coldcuts are freshest for the week for DH. We really only eat boarshead so lunch costs are almost $20 alone for the week. I bring leftovers, but dh has to have a sandwich as he is in a truck all day. I also like shopping on sundays as I can stock up on rain checks-items are cleared off the shelves friday/sat and the next delivery isn't until tues. Gives me a way to keep my weekly budget around $100 but still give my family the foods they like and expect. I could go less, but then we wouldn't be getting the brands we like and I'm sure there would be family grumblings about it. Since only I have to put the time and effort in, I think it is time well spent.