S/O coupon thread

[Parrothead]

Questions for all you couponers if you don't mind.

 

1. How much time a week do you put into finding, printing, clipping the coupons? I've barely time to prepare meals, homeschool, taxi, clean and do laundry. I'm desperately trying to find a way to include a daily workout.

 

2. How do you find coupons for things you acutally use? I've this theory that coupons are for things that aren't selling because people don't buy said things. When I used to bother to look I'd find one, maybe two coupons for things I'd buy out of pages of sales papers.

 

3. Do you create meals from the food coupons or are the items you buy with coupons just to stock up?

 

4. Back to the time question. How much time does it take to make up the lists for various stores, match the coupons to each list, shop at more than one store? Seems to me that marketing would take up an entire day.

 

5. Another time question. I saw a lot of links to blogs about frugal shopping/living. How often do you visit these sites to lean how to do the couponing. How much time do you spend looking into this sort of thing?

[The Girls' Mom]

I spend about 15 mintues on Sunday clipping coupons. I buy the double edition of the paper which has two sets of coupons.

 

Then on Wednesday I get the grocery sale ads for the week. I spend about 30 minutes matching coupons to sales and planning my menu and shopping list for the week. I plan my meals and shopping around the coupons and sales, not the other way around.

 

I have 3 stores I shop at. They are all on the same road, so I just start at the one farthest away and then hit the other two on the way home. It does take up a few hours, but I also will go to Target or Wal-mart and do any other running around I need to do. If I was just hitting the stores and was by myself, I could probably get it done much quicker.

[GaHadley]

I keep my inserts dated and in an accordian file.

 

On Sunday afternoon (usually, we had a family outing yesterday, so I'll do my shopping on Tuesday) I go to www.southernsavers.com (though I think you can find other sites like this). I click on the stores that I shop (I always go to Bi-Lo and Walgreens. Sometimes I go to CVS, our other little grocery store, and some weeks I'll make the drive to Kroger, 30 minutes, if there are enough good deals)

 

Souther Savers shows what is on sale at each store and if there is a coupon available for it. She might say that peanut butter is on sale, and there was a coupon in the 1/10 SS (Super Saver). If there is a printable coupon, she provides a link to it. You can click on boxes next to the items you want and print your list. I cut coupons as I make the list. . . so I have all my coupons and my list divided by store.

 

I also keep up with things that I need even if they aren't on sale (cooking spray, pull ups, etc). I always buy things that are on sale even if I don't need them now.

 

It takes me about 3 hours to make my lists, clip my coupons, shop, and put away groceries. (that's not the case if I make the drive to Kroger)

 

HTH

[Closeacademy]

1. How much time a week do you put into finding, printing, clipping the coupons?

 

We pick up at least 4 newspapers per week and I print off coupons from the coupon site at the beginning of the month two times. I also get All You magazine (full of coupons) and some other coupons in the mail.

 

Each week on Sunday, I sort the coupons. Basically, I take the flyers, take the apart and match up the pages. Then I cut them and file them immediately in my coupon box. This is usually a 2-4 hour job if I have an All You and/or printables as well.

 

2. How do you find coupons for things you acutally use?

 

I clip and keep all coupons. I do give away baby and animal food coupons to a friends. You never know when something is going to be on sale and/or free. If it is free and I don't use it, it is often worth picking up to pass on to someone else like the local food pantry or a friend. My friends and I are constantly cleaning pantries and swapping food.

 

3. Do you create meals from the food coupons or are the items you buy with coupons just to stock up?

 

Most of the time, I just try to stock up on items we use on a regular basis. Sometimes, I buy new things because it is cheap and we get to try it out as a treat. I use the pantry method for meal planning. We have a number of meals that our pantry is always stocked to make.

 

4. Back to the time question. How much time does it take to make up the lists for various stores, match the coupons to each list, shop at more than one store?

 

If I wasn't doing coupons it would still take me about an hour to come up with a shopping list. It takes me about 1 hour to do my shopping lists and go through 4 sales fliers (Kroger, Marsh, Jay-C and Aldis). And another 20 minutes to 1 hour to do other stores (CVS, Walgreens, Target and K-mart). I only do CVS every week for the Extra Care Bucks.

 

As to actual shopping time, I spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours hitting up to 5 stores (CVS, Walgreens, Marsh, Aldis and Kroger) once a week. And then once a month we do a 1-2 hour trip to Walmart to stock up on things that rarely go on sale but are the least expensive at Walmart.

 

5. Another time question. I saw a lot of links to blogs about frugal shopping/living. How often do you visit these sites to lean how to do the couponing. How much time do you spend looking into this sort of thing?

 

I go to the daily freebie sites daily and spend between 5 and 30 minutes depending on what is available and how many forms I fill out to get samples and/or coupons in the mail.

 

I spend about 15 min a week scanning the blogs about CVS and Walgreens. When I am in full coupon/sales mode, I spend another 20 min a week looking at Target and Walmart blogs.

 

 

I've been couponing seriously for about 15 months now. The deals are getting fewer and the coupons are not as good. But there are still good deals out there if you are willing to look. Using coupons and shopping sales allows us to eat like we spend 1200-1400 a month on groceries and non-groceries but we spend around $700. So basically, coupons and sales cut my grocery bill in half.

 

We eat healthy foods, my dh is a weightlifter so we eat a lot of chicken breast, cottage cheese, eggs and low-fat meat. I spend a lot on meat. We eat a lot of whole grains and veggies as well.

 

Hope this helps.:001_smile:

[Jennifer in MI]

Questions for all you couponers if you don't mind.

 

1. How much time a week do you put into finding, printing, clipping the coupons? I've barely time to prepare meals, homeschool, taxi, clean and do laundry. I'm desperately trying to find a way to include a daily workout.

 

2. How do you find coupons for things you acutally use? I've this theory that coupons are for things that aren't selling because people don't buy said things. When I used to bother to look I'd find one, maybe two coupons for things I'd buy out of pages of sales papers.

 

3. Do you create meals from the food coupons or are the items you buy with coupons just to stock up?

 

4. Back to the time question. How much time does it take to make up the lists for various stores, match the coupons to each list, shop at more than one store? Seems to me that marketing would take up an entire day.

 

5. Another time question. I saw a lot of links to blogs about frugal shopping/living. How often do you visit these sites to lean how to do the couponing. How much time do you spend looking into this sort of thing?

 

1. I get the newspaper on Sunday. Date the coupons and put them in my coupon pile - 2 seconds. The next Saturday, I google search "CVS deals 1/24(the date of choice)" and use someone else's scenarios. Then, I cut out the coupons (someone else mentioned how those are listed on line). That all takes me about an hour. I only do CVS and Rite Aid deals. I've chosen not to coupon with my grocery shopping. I do all of my shopping at Trader Joe's and their prices are WAY better than the grocery store - even with coupons. I don't think I could do better than about $150/week eating mostly organic for my family of 6.

 

2. I use other people's scenarios. I don't usually buy just things that I need that particular week. I stockpile things that are free or nearly free after coupon. This past week, at CVS, I got toothpaste, deodorant, and soap. I didn't need any of those things THIS week. But, I added them to my stash so they'll be there when needed.

 

The nice thing about this is that I've been ableo to donate a TON of essentials!!

 

3. I don't really use grocery coupons.

 

4. I shop on Sunday afternoon. I spend about 45 minutes total at CVS and Rite Aid. Trader Joes - maybe 30 minutes. But, I've been doing this for a while and have a system. When I first started, it took a lot longer!

 

5. Once/week. I only follow someone else's scenarios. The SouthernSavers website is REALLY good!!

[Parrothead]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the info.

 

I think I'd have to live in an area that would have a great number of stores for me to save that kind of money. Also an area that has a daily paper. For me to get the Bangor paper it would cost more than the coupons I'd get out of it.

 

I go to the daily freebie sites daily and spend between 5 and 30 minutes depending on what is available and how many forms I fill out to get samples and/or coupons in the mail.

 

How do you not get a lot of junk mail and junk email by doing this? Can you post a link to the places you get these freebies?

 

Thanks

[Carrie12345]

1. How much time a week do you put into finding, printing, clipping the coupons? I've barely time to prepare meals, homeschool, taxi, clean and do laundry. I'm desperately trying to find a way to include a daily workout.

 

I have my kids cut the coupons on Sundays. Then I spend about 15 minutes filing them and cleaning out my expired coupons. I don't mess with printing unless I come across a really good one!

 

2. How do you find coupons for things you acutally use? I've this theory that coupons are for things that aren't selling because people don't buy said things. When I used to bother to look I'd find one, maybe two coupons for things I'd buy out of pages of sales papers.

 

I cut (well, my kids cut) every single coupon. They last for several weeks, so what doesn't apply that week may apply the next. Maybe I didn't really need tissues one week, but find a great sale 3 weeks later. I'll still have that coupon!

I don't really understand when people say they can't find coupons for things they need. I know there are alternatives to many products, but how many people don't use tissues, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, batteries, pasta, rice, toothpaste, razors, shampoo, cheese, peanut butter, pet food *OR* frozen vegetables? I mean, I do hope to be pretty self-sufficient one day, but the average person uses at least a couple of the above, right?

 

3. Do you create meals from the food coupons or are the items you buy with coupons just to stock up?

 

Both. But I don't buy things just because I have a coupon. I have to have a coupon and match it with a great sale, AND it has to be something I would want to feed my family or use in my home. If I'm getting free rice one week, you can count on having rice at least one night that week!

 

4. Back to the time question. How much time does it take to make up the lists for various stores, match the coupons to each list, shop at more than one store? Seems to me that marketing would take up an entire day.

 

I use The Grocery Game. They make my lists for me. I mostly stick to one store, but I'll hit up to 3 in one night. That could take me about two hours, including driving (though they're all in a 1 mile radius).

 

5. Another time question. I saw a lot of links to blogs about frugal shopping/living. How often do you visit these sites to lean how to do the couponing. How much time do you spend looking into this sort of thing?

 

When I'm goofing off online, I can often be found on The Grocery Game's forums. That's about it. Less time than I spend here, that's for sure! ;)

[melissel]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the info.

 

I think I'd have to live in an area that would have a great number of stores for me to save that kind of money. Also an area that has a daily paper. For me to get the Bangor paper it would cost more than the coupons I'd get out of it.

 

 

 

How do you not get a lot of junk mail and junk email by doing this? Can you post a link to the places you get these freebies?

 

Thanks

 

I get my coupons from a clipping service, either on eBay or a few other sites. It would cost me far more to get enough papers to stock up than it does to pay someone else to do the clipping. My parents used to save their coupons for me, but they don't get the paper anymore.

 

I don't subscribe to anything, I visit the sites to get info and go from there. For example, we have one local store with the best deals. Their new circular comes in the mail on Thursday, but I can go to HotCouponWorld.com and visit the forum for that store. Usually someone else has received their circular on Wednesday and posts a list or photos, and then people start responding with the deals they see and the coupon scenarios that are available. As soon as I get through the circular and make a list of things I need/want, I head to the clipping service to see what they have available for the items I want to buy. When they come in the mail, I go shopping.

 

It seems complicated, but honestly, once you get used to it and get a system down, it's very simple. I actually really enjoy it. It's kind of like a scavenger hunt. Be careful not to stock up on your favorite ice cream though, even if you have the freezer space. Ask me how I know! :glare:

[Closeacademy]

For the freebies and samples, I have an e-mail I use that is just for junk e-mail. I do surveys and read e-mail to earn gift cards (It took me a year but I got one for $25 and had more points left over). All my homeschool stuff and important e-mail goes somewhere else.

 

As for links, here are a few:

 

http://dealiciousmom.com/

 

http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/

 

http://goodorfreedeals.blogspot.com/

 

http://mygoodcents.net/

 

http://www.engineeradebtfreelife.com/

 

Now, I only send for those things that we are interested in. There are a lot of freebies and samples out there but not everything is for us. Also, some freebies/samples are only for some types of people like teachers, military, etc. or those that live in a certain area.

 

:001_smile:

[Closeacademy]

Oh, and on the newspaper thing. We have a regular weekly subscription because it is one of the things that we go crazy without. But on Sundays, we just stop by the paper box or the store to pick up another local and a couple of state newspapers.

 

Ther rule of thumb is to have 1 newspaper for each family member--so we get 4. I've found that the savings from coupons outweighs the cost of the papers. You can also have friends and/or family members who get the paper but don't use the coupons save them for you. We've done that too.

 

Or if you are adventuresome, you could dumpster dive into the paper recycling bin to find them. I know someone who did this a lot and did quite well.:001_smile:

[RoughCollie]

2. How do you find coupons for things you actually use?

 

I rarely find coupons for items I use. I'm fairly certain this is because I rarely buy convenience foods and I cook from scratch.

 

I do not hunt for coupons, either. I think it is a waste of my time to spend several hours to save a few dollars. I do not have time to get into coupon foraging deeply enough to make it worth my while.

 

Often, all things being equal between brands except for price, another brand is cheaper than the brand I have the coupon for, such that by using the coupon, I'm still paying more than I would for the cheaper brand. For example, Gillette shaving cream with a coupon would still cost more than Barbasol without a coupon. So buying Gillette would not save me a dime.

 

I save a lot of money by buying in bulk when things I use are on sale at a good price. For example, when meat costs $2 a pound, or less, I buy a lot of it.

Edited January 25, 2010 by RoughCollie

[melissel]

Hey, I have a follow-up question for all the veteran couponers. On the forum I visit, I see another site -- "SD" -- referred to a lot. Does anyone know what site that is?