These boards ever make you feel like a slacker?

[annsteere]

Somebody takes an 8 day trip for $650 or feeds their family of 5 on $150/month.

I had a great trip to the grocery store, saved $11, and then I read someone who bought the same stuff PLUS will be getting a mail in rebate.

Usually these boards inspire and entertain me. But, do they ever make you feel like a slacker?

 

[JaymeC]

Nah. You can only do so much, even the best bargain hunters miss some bargains

I think the most important thing is to be trying your best and living within your means. As long as your'e doing that everything's good.

 

[TnTWalter]

I'm a family of 5 and am excited when I spend under $1k per month on groceries. It's totally frustrating. I've tried and failed at the couponing...the flyers just stare at me in a pile in a basket....I just can't figure it out.

I even tried grocery game but some of the deals didn't match up with the stores in my area and it was really annoying.

So I get my deals in other ways....got my fab washer and dryer last year for about $1k vs the $2500 they were typically; bargain shopping for furniture; saving on Christmas gifts, etc. I figure it all evens out.

We also eat less processed, more produce, more from scratch so I feel good about that.

I do still wish I did better on paper goods and detergents, etc. That's where couponing would be great.

Trish

 

[Kayka]

No. I like good value for my dollar but there are also times I'm will pay for convenience.

I know a really talented couponer that spends next to nothing on groceries, paper products, personal care, etc. She loves it so to her it's fun, but the amount of time and effort it takes, it's like a full time job.

 

[Nayan]

When I see the coupons I get in my local paper most of the time I rarely clip any of them. Most are for things we'll never eat or use so why buy them just to say you used a coupon? There's a lady on another board I go to who does this and brags she saved x amount this week, but a couple weeks later she'll be complaining she had to throw stuff out because no one ate it. To me that's more wasteful. I shop sales, adjust my menu and it usually works out to around $100/week for the 3 of us.

 

[threecrazykids]

Don't let it get you down! I'm honestly not trying to be snarky, but some people's savings on groceries doesn't really make me envious when I look at what they "scored".
Most often than not it's processed crap food that just about anyone who even puts minimal effort in can get for cheap. Now show me a cart full of healthy food (meat, fresh fruit and veggies, ingredients to MAKE a healthy meal instead of something out of a box/bag)...THOSE are the ones that make me envious.


Also, consider this...the area that people are in makes a HUGE difference. And really, how do you know that they are really paying THAT much less than you overall just because they have a ton of coupons? For example, I live around Cedar Rapids, Ia and there is nowhere within 50 miles of me that does double or triple coupons at a grocery store. Yet, I have a friend who lives on the east coast who showed me her grocery receipt with her "triple coupon days". I decided to try it out and bought exactly what she did. I went to my local Wal-Mart with only a couple of regular coupons (no doubling) and we ended up being less than $5 off on our total bill.

Keep your head up!

 

[ajk912]

I never think those people are telling the whole truth. Either they have a stockpile, they spend a ton of time in gas and a ton of money in coupons, and most of all, I have a hard time believing they eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, and brown rice and meat. You just don't find coupons for that stuff, coupons are mostly for highly processed stuff. And you really shouldn't be eating that much of that stuff, it's not good for you.

And for Disney..sure, if you can cram your whole family in a value, absolutely, you can go cheap. But there's nothing "value" about a large family.

 

[SaraJayne]

Not everything you read on the internet is true.

And the "good" foods don't have coupons on them ~ meat, fresh fruit/veggies, whole wheat bread, etc.

I'm just fine spending the amount I do each week, knowing my family gets fresh, healthy meals.

 

[bettymae1121]

Not everything you read on the internet is true.

And the "good" foods don't have coupons on them ~ meat, fresh fruit/veggies, whole wheat bread, etc.

I'm just fine spending the amount I do each week, knowing my family gets fresh, healthy meals.

Ditto! Around here coupons for anything I'd actually want to eat are pretty rare. I save money in other ways. I do search out the best prices on the foods I buy and will make special trips (going to Costco for the best price on organic ground beef, for example) but really I've decided that I'll spend what is needed to buy the foods I feel are best for my husband and I and save in other areas. Like cleaning products and paper towels, for example. I use baking soda, vinager, and wash cloths for 95% of my cleaning (including floors and windows) rather than spend a fortune on toxic chemicals and disposable wipes and paper towels. Huges savings and better for the enviroment.

 

[thebigkahuna]

Honestly? Sometimes yes.

But then I snap out of it & realize that I'm doing whats right for me. It may not be ideal for someone else, but it works for ME.

And I take things here with a grain of salt. I have a hard time believing that 12 out of 10 Dis'sers have NO cc debt, have 4.3 million in a retirement fund, and *only* take a vacation because the house & car are paid for & their kids college fund to Yale is maxed out.

(the above is my attempt at humor and to poke a little fun. I am flamable, so please keep sparks & flame away from my person)

Bottom line? I do what works for me. I live in a way that makes *me* comfortable. Do I spend hours clipping coupons? No. Do I use a coupon if i come across it? Heck yes.

I find that comparisions to others rarely leads to you (the collective you) feeling better about yourself.

 

[SaraJayne]

Honestly? Sometimes yes.

But then I snap out of it & realize that I'm doing whats right for me. It may not be ideal for someone else, but it works for ME.

And I take things here with a grain of salt. I have a hard time believing that 12 out of 10 Dis'sers have NO cc debt, have 4.3 million in a retirement fund, and *only* take a vacation because the house & car are paid for & their kids college fund to Yale is maxed out.

(the above is my attempt at humor and to poke a little fun. I am flamable, so please keep sparks & flame away from my person)

Bottom line? I do what works for me. I live in a way that makes *me* comfortable. Do I spend hours clipping coupons? No. Do I use a coupon if i come across it? Heck yes.

I find that comparisions to others rarely leads to you (the collective you) feeling better about yourself.

 

[Marionnette]

Somebody takes an 8 day trip for $650 or feeds their family of 5 on $150/month.

I had a great trip to the grocery store, saved $11, and then I read someone who bought the same stuff PLUS will be getting a mail in rebate.

Usually these boards inspire and entertain me. But, do they ever make you feel like a slacker?

Nope. B/c nine times out of ten that person who is taking an eight day trip is a vacation club owner staying on points. Using leftover tickets. Subtracting there weekly grocery budget from the total since they have to eat anyway. And paying for anything else by using gift cards that they "earned" thru a credit card program or one of the many online programs that people love to promote on here in the hopes that someone will pm them to get a referral. The people who are feeding there family of five on seventy five dollars a week are eating alot of canned food, processed foods and poor quality meats. I remember a thread a couple of years ago where some were feeding the family on ten dollars a day but the kids were getting breakfast and lunch at school for free. Or the families have three small kids who combined dont eat anywhere near the amount of food that a single teenage boy eats. I do read both those types of threads for hints that I can use b/c someone usually posts something that I never considered. But the extreme ones are just not something that I can or would do so I dont feel like a slacker in comparison.

 

[mrsklamc]

No. I read recently that 45% of people are living above their means, so I feel like we are doing well not to be. Plus, when I was really hardcore couponing I would find myself with lots of stuff I didn't need- which I suppose was fine because it was 'free' other than my time, and I could donate it, but I found my time to be better invested elsewhere.

I worry more about what the rest of us are going to have to do when we have to bail that 45% out- if that's really true. You know what Mark Twain said about statistics...

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

We do our best knowing we're saving "something" every time we go shopping. It's not always the lowest price we could possibly get but it's still not full retail price.

And we try to save on everything, not just groceries. Our food bill may be one of our biggest budget challenges (have you seen how much 3 boys can eat? ) but if we can save a little bit on "everything" we buy, then I'm happy. Clothes, pet supplies, household goods, phone service, utilities... every little bit helps.

When we get our paychecks and those dollars come marching into our checking account, I like to make sure they're working at least a little bit before they go marching back out. Some of them could certainly work harder but so long as each one puts in some effort it's a good thing.

 

[mrsklamc]

Oh and some people do coupon on fresh stuff, meat, veggies, etc- with winetags or beer rebates or something...I dunno, I don't do it. Another dis'er here in Indy does, so I guess we have them here but I never see them.

 

[gillenkl]

I never think those people are telling the whole truth. Either they have a stockpile, they spend a ton of time in gas and a ton of money in coupons, and most of all, I have a hard time believing they eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, and brown rice and meat. You just don't find coupons for that stuff, coupons are mostly for highly processed stuff. And you really shouldn't be eating that much of that stuff, it's not good for you.

Totally agree 100%

 

[princessbride6205]

I know what you mean - I just accept that I'm never going to be saving as much as the people who put so many hours into it. I clip coupons and belong to one of the coupon trains on the board. But I stick to just one grocery store (Super Target) rather than driving around to save an extra few cents, and I've done my research and Super Target has the best non-sale prices. I really try to only use coupons on things that we need. We don't buy cookies or poptarts or Glade home fragrance (is it me or are half the coupons for Glade?). However I do try never to buy cleaning, paper or toiletry products without a coupon. I've had to be satisfied with a moderate amount of couponing and saving - I just don't have time to be more dedicated to it.

thebigkahuna - you're a riot! Thanks for giving me a laugh and making me feel better about my mediocre 401k.

 

[reservations4five]

I, TOO, FAILED COUPONING 101 and CVS DOLLARS 201

I have tried, and tried. Nada. My brain doesn't work that way. I try to save in other ways. I buy when things are on sale, and fill up my freezers and cabinets. I buy bulk when it is of benefit. I shop at Krogers and try to stay away from Walmart, because I can't stay out of the non food side when I go there.

We stopped smoking and drinking about 2 years ago. Our drug is now Disney and traveling to other awesome places. We gave up a traditional Christmas with gifts from Santa and take a family vacation.

We don't live pay check to pay check every week but sometimes we do. We save when we can and when we can't we can't. We have some savings for our DD's college but they are going to have to get a job and help with that themselves or get loans.

 

[Pigeon]

Nahhh, most of the time they make me feel like I'm the cheapest person on earth.

All those posts about how to save $3 on a pair of $150 boots for a six year old. Or how to reduce your spending on eighteen bazillion cable TV stations or high end electronics for your 11 year old.

It wouldn't occur to me to spend money on this stuff in the first place.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

I think when it comes to getting a decent variety of coupons for healthy food, it depends on the area in which you live.

Here in metro NJ, I find and use coupons for greek yogurt, string cheese, Sabra hummus, free milk when you buy Eggland's Best eggs, Ocean Spray cranberry juice (cause you know we grow most of the country's cranberries right here in the ol' Garden State! So technically that's buying local produce... ), Arnold's whole grain breads, frozen veggies (if there's nothing in the bag but veggies to me that's just as good as buying fresh, they're just colder... ), bagged salad (ok, I have my lazy moments and go for the convenience), olive oil, butter, Irish oatmeal, raisins, etc.

So it is possible to find a middle ground of healthy eating and home-cooked meals from scratch with using coupons. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

But I don't stress about what other people are spending or not spending. We do what works for us and while I may be impressed by others doing what appears to be a better job, I'm happy with the results I get from the minimal amount of time I put into it.