Questions about coupons

FairestOfThemAll37

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Feb 12, 2013
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Hello, I am wondering about couponing to save on groceries. For those that do it, do you choose what to eat by what coupons are available or just get coupons for foods you like?

I don't eat processed food (nothing out of a box) or grains or sugar (which are also processed but I digress). Can coupons help me? Do vegetables, meats, cream, etc. have coupons? I am totally ignorant about this. Thank you!!

Trying to figure out ways to save in 2014
 
Hello, I am wondering about couponing to save on groceries. For those that do it, do you choose what to eat by what coupons are available or just get coupons for foods you like?

I don't eat processed food (nothing out of a box) or grains or sugar (which are also processed but I digress). Can coupons help me? Do vegetables, meats, cream, etc. have coupons? I am totally ignorant about this. Thank you!!

Trying to figure out ways to save in 2014

That is a personal choice. I only buy what we need/consume. It is hard to find coupons for some items like meat but they are out there. I know currently there is a $1 off fresh pork product coupon that you can print. If you don't that much processed stuff you may do better off starting couponing for health items lie shampoo/toilet paper/deodorant and the like.

It also really depends on where you live. What state are you in? Where do you shop normally? I can send you a few websites if I have that information
 
I use coupons and get about 1/2 off or more of every order. I base my menu for the week for what is on sale and what I can get coupons for. In doing this we try new foods and brands.

I would say start with the basics like deodorant and toothpaste. Try to build from there.

Good Luck.
 
If you can't use coupons with the type of food you eat, I would start with non perishables like health and beauty and paper products. You can also base your menus each week based on the meats and vegetables that are on sale in your area. In my area, Aldi has either fruits or vegetables on special every week and I do my side dishes around those.
 

Using the sale items plus coupons I save at least 50% a week. Coupons mostly for things like paper goods, beverages, and health and beauty(got free shampoo this week)

The hardest thing at first was losing brand loyalty. Buying a shampoo or toothpaste because it was cheap, but honestly have found some I like better thanks to that.
 
My local grocery has a loyalty card. They send me their own coupons based on what I have bought in the past, such as $$ off so much in the meat department.
 
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I use coupons all the time. I get coupons mostly from the Sunday newspaper, the krazycouponlady.com, target coupons, and grocery store paper which usually comes out on a Tuesday and sale starts Wednesday. I also use my loyalty card(s). I don't often come across a coupon for meat or veggies but I do receive them via my loyalty card because it "tracks" what I buy. I buy a lot of apples, I always get a coupon for those. If you use something often and know it will be consumed, buy it when it's on sale and not just when you need it. Stock up on those items. Find out if your local grocery store doubles coupons, mine does not but there are still some who do. It adds up when you can use more than one coupon for one item. I picked up some Aleve from Target the other day, had a $! coupon from the Target store from my last shopping trip and a $2 off coupon from the newspaper. It adds up.
 
If you shop at publix check out the website www.iheartpublix.com she is AMAZING. Before I found her website I thought publix was to expensive, but with the help of her website I am now almost exclusively publix. She puts out a preview of the upcoming ad on Mondays so you have time to figure out your trip, then on Tuesday she lists the super deals
 
I live in FL. and buy most of our groceries at Publix. I use Iheartpublix.com and Southern Savers. You won't find as much food that isn't processed, but you can save a ton on other items too . When fresh meat, poultry, frozen veggies, household, personal care items, etc. are on sale, I stock up. Since they accept competitor coupons, I divide my groceries into $30 increments and use a $5 off $30 Winn Dixie coupon for each order. Even without additional coupons, this is enough of a savings to make it worth my time. I rarely pay more than 30% out of pocket for our groceries/personal care items.
 
You can still save. I shop at Harris Teeter and because there are 4 grocery stores within the same intersection they take everyone's coupons! Target has fruit and meat coupons, wegmans has coupons for 5/25 and for meat, deli etc., I can get 5/25 from shoppers thru recycle bank, giant has been running5/15 with some coupons for produce.....
 
Hello, I am wondering about couponing to save on groceries. For those that do it, do you choose what to eat by what coupons are available or just get coupons for foods you like?

I don't eat processed food (nothing out of a box) or grains or sugar (which are also processed but I digress). Can coupons help me? Do vegetables, meats, cream, etc. have coupons? I am totally ignorant about this. Thank you!!

Trying to figure out ways to save in 2014
I've seen coupons for fresh pork, Perdue chicken, Land O Lakes butter and creams, yogurts, Nasoya tofu, and Green Giant potatoes. Driscoll sends email surveys and you get coupons for fresh berries when you complete them. The Incredible Edible Egg Facebook page offers coupons every few months. Mann's fresh cut vegetables does the same thing. All of those coupons are printable and you don't need to buy Sunday papers to get them.

A lot of times, grocery stores will offer "$X off your next order" catalina coupons when you spend certain amounts on HBA or paper/cleaning products. Those catalinas can be used to reduce the cost of your meat and fresh produce.

I agree with others who said to follow a blog that covers the stores where you shop. And focusing your savings on HBA and paper products might be a good way to ease into couponing.
 
Couponing won't work for you the way that it works for others since you don't eat very much processed food. It can save you a lot of money on toiletries IF you don't buy natural products (occasionally there are coupons for health/eco-friendly brands but not often). If you purchase organic toiletries or food, you can pretty much forget couponing completely. Very rarely does a natural or organic company produce coupons. I have never seen a coupon for organic meat. Stores like Safeway have coupons for the meat department and produce (with the J4U savings) but I can buy organic produce and meat for less money elsewhere so it's of no benefit to me.

Meat, dairy, and produce coupons are rare. And, when you do find a coupon for one of those it probably isn't for what you typically purchase...like it might be for some sort of Hormel weird packaged marinated "meat".

One big way to still save money without couponing is to stop buying household cleaners. I clean my toilet with vinegar & baking soda.
 
Couponing won't work for you the way that it works for others since you don't eat very much processed food. It can save you a lot of money on toiletries IF you don't buy natural products (occasionally there are coupons for health/eco-friendly brands but not often). If you purchase organic toiletries or food, you can pretty much forget couponing completely. Very rarely does a natural or organic company produce coupons. I have never seen a coupon for organic meat. Stores like Safeway have coupons for the meat department and produce (with the J4U savings) but I can buy organic produce and meat for less money elsewhere so it's of no benefit to me. Meat, dairy, and produce coupons are rare. And, when you do find a coupon for one of those it probably isn't for what you typically purchase...like it might be for some sort of Hormel weird packaged marinated "meat". One big way to still save money without couponing is to stop buying household cleaners. I clean my toilet with vinegar & baking soda.

It sounds like the place I could coupon is on beauty? Products. I am only brand/type loyal on deodorant as only one works well for me. But as far as haircare I use whatever shampoo/cond. is on sale though I buy sulfate free when I can. I have so much hair I go through it too quickly to not buy based on price.

I don't buy many cleaning products (other than dish soap) as I have a cleaning service that uses green products.

I usually buy paper goods in bulk at Costco really because it's so quick to stock up. Maybe I can save there by using coupons? I'm not really frugal by any means but hate leaving free money on the table!! I feel like coupons are free money but the process to really saves seems so daunting.
 
Couponing won't work for you the way that it works for others since you don't eat very much processed food. It can save you a lot of money on toiletries IF you don't buy natural products (occasionally there are coupons for health/eco-friendly brands but not often). If you purchase organic toiletries or food, you can pretty much forget couponing completely. Very rarely does a natural or organic company produce coupons. I have never seen a coupon for organic meat. Stores like Safeway have coupons for the meat department and produce (with the J4U savings) but I can buy organic produce and meat for less money elsewhere so it's of no benefit to me.

Meat, dairy, and produce coupons are rare. And, when you do find a coupon for one of those it probably isn't for what you typically purchase...like it might be for some sort of Hormel weird packaged marinated "meat".

One big way to still save money without couponing is to stop buying household cleaners. I clean my toilet with vinegar & baking soda.
I disagree that you can't find coupons for organics. You just need to look harder for them.

The pork coupon that I referenced was for "any fresh pork product". The egg coupon did not exclude organic nor free-range. Nasoya is organic. Driscoll's has an organic line. And Earthbound Farms (an organic company) regularly offers coupons through their email newsletter. The blog that I read regularly posts coupon match ups for Whole Foods and also has a weekly feature on how to shop organic that week. Many of the major paper companies have eco-friendly lines of products. You can find coupons for Heinz vinegar, Arm & Hammer baking soda and Clorox bleach for your cleaning products.

I think a lot of people would rather dismiss couponing as either being too much work or not workable when it comes to their personal preferences. You don't need to feed your family processed junk in order to use coupons.
 
It sounds like the place I could coupon is on beauty? Products. I am only brand/type loyal on deodorant as only one works well for me. But as far as haircare I use whatever shampoo/cond. is on sale though I buy sulfate free when I can. I have so much hair I go through it too quickly to not buy based on price.

I don't buy many cleaning products (other than dish soap) as I have a cleaning service that uses green products.

I usually buy paper goods in bulk at Costco really because it's so quick to stock up. Maybe I can save there by using coupons? I'm not really frugal by any means but hate leaving free money on the table!! I feel like coupons are free money but the process to really saves seems so daunting.

You can definitely save on paper products with coupons at places like Costco. Most warehouse stores take mfg. coupons on top of their already discounted prices - look for coupons that say for "or larger" when specifying the size you must buy. Some warehouse stores will allow the multipacks to count as only 1 item if the coupon states buy 2 but others (I know for sure BJs) will allow you to count each item in the multipack toward the count on the coupon. Many warehouse stores also have their own coupon books and some will be able to be combined with mfg. coupons.
 
You can definitely save on paper products with coupons at places like Costco. Most warehouse stores take mfg. coupons on top of their already discounted prices - look for coupons that say for "or larger" when specifying the size you must buy. Some warehouse stores will allow the multipacks to count as only 1 item if the coupon states buy 2 but others (I know for sure BJs) will allow you to count each item in the multipack toward the count on the coupon. Many warehouse stores also have their own coupon books and some will be able to be combined with mfg. coupons.

Costco doesn't take mfg coupons.
 

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