For those that think coupons are not worth it.

[anissarobert]

I've noticed comments recently about couponing not being worth it because coupons are mostly for junk food. I agree that there are great deals on low quality food, and I am trying to cut back on those deals, but I think couponing is worth it just for the non-food items.

 

Here are the results from my Walgreens run today:

 

6 large bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 trial-size bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 Right Guard deodorants

3 rolls of packing tape

1 package of Arthritis Arrest medication

5 Clearasil cleansers and treatments

3 bottles of Dial handsoap

9 large bubble mailers (for Paperbackswap)

 

There is a full rebate on the Arthritis medication, so I will have to mail that in. After this I paid....

 

$10.34

 

That's right only $10.34 for $142.52 worth of products. I also paid $3.86 in tax, but that varies by state.

[Ginevra]

That's amazing. I'm one who has dabbled in it, but I truly just don't *get* it. Maybe I'm sub-mental, but I find no coupon/sale comparisons that are going to bring freebies into my cart. Usually, if I find one item that is going to be an exceedingly good deal, there aren't any more on the shelf when I get there. Couponing seems to cause a lot of mental gymnastics for me.

 

For example, if the store has 3 for $5.00 widgets and you have a coupon that's get $1.00 off of 2, what does that make the price of the widgets? And how does that compare with the store brand widget sitting on the shelf next to it for $2.86? And this widget has 1000 units, but the store-brand widget has 1200 units? :willy_nilly:

[anissarobert]

That's amazing. I'm one who has dabbled in it, but I truly just don't *get* it. Maybe I'm sub-mental, but I find no coupon/sale comparisons that are going to bring freebies into my cart. Usually, if I find one item that is going to be an exceedingly good deal, there aren't any more on the shelf when I get there. Couponing seems to cause a lot of mental gymnastics for me.

 

For example, if the store has 3 for $5.00 widgets and you have a coupon that's get $1.00 off of 2, what does that make the price of the widgets? And how does that compare with the store brand widget sitting on the shelf next to it for $2.86? And this widget has 1000 units, but the store-brand widget has 1200 units? :willy_nilly:

 

I only attempt math like that in the aisle if I have a calculator! The coupon blogs really help. For example they posted yesterday that the Right Guard coupon in today's paper would match up with the sale at Walgreens. Walgreens had Right Guard buy one get one free and the coupon is also buy one get one free. So each coupon gave me 2 bottles for free. (Actually a couple of the body washes were over the limit, so they cost a few cents.) The trial size body washes were free with the deodorant, so I made sure to grab the ones that had them.

 

Walgreens deals only work for me if I have time to shop on Sunday. If I don't and it is not something I need, I just skip it, because the shelves will be empty.

[gingersmom]

I'm still not on the coupon band wagon.

 

I don't use any of the items that you purchased. There always seems to be coupons for stuff I have no desire for.

[Barb_]

 

For example, if the store has 3 for $5.00 widgets and you have a coupon that's get $1.00 off of 2, what does that make the price of the widgets? And how does that compare with the store brand widget sitting on the shelf next to it for $2.86? And this widget has 1000 units, but the store-brand widget has 1200 units? :willy_nilly:

 

:lol: and :iagree:

 

Not to mention I really just prefer to buy the brands I like rather than be stuck with Right Guard and Dial. I used to coupon back when I had way more time than money and it was a fun challenge, but now that the time/money balance is more of a tossup I find I'd rather not stock up. I hate trying to find places to store everything and I think stocking up can subtly contribute to waste. Psychologically I find the kids will use more of a giant bottle of Dial on a sponge when they know there are 5 more bottles just like it. But if I spend the same amount of money an a smaller bottle of stuff I let them pick out themselves, they will use it sparingly and make it last.

 

Barb

[anissarobert]

I'm still not on the coupon band wagon.

 

I don't use any of the items that you purchased. There always seems to be coupons for stuff I have no desire for.

 

The large bubble mailers were only .33 and the packing tape was .99, so those are for Paperbackswap. I find that it is so much easier to package books this way so I watch for these sales. Without the coupon the bubble mailers were $1.99!

 

I agree though that many coupons are for things I don't use. I don't use many of the coupons that I get. Also couponing works best if you don't have a strong loyalty to one brand.

[anissarobert]

:lol: and :iagree:

 

Not to mention I really just prefer to buy the brands I like rather than be stuck with Right Guard and Dial. I used to coupon back when I had way more time than money and it was a fun challenge, but now that the time/money balance is more of a tossup I find I'd rather not stock up. I hate trying to find places to store everything and I think stocking up can subtly contribute to waste. Psychologically I find the kids will use more of a giant bottle of Dial on a sponge when they know there are 5 more bottles just like it. But if I spend the same amount of money an a smaller bottle of stuff I let them pick out themselves, they will use it sparingly and make it last.

 

Barb

 

I agree about the waste thing. I have even found myself doing that. So I try to watch out for it. I don't have a lot of time, but I have even less money! :001_smile:

[Ginevra]

 

I think stocking up can subtly contribute to waste.

:iagree: I said something like this to dh recently. I wanted to get some snacks for an upcoming party, and they were 3/for ?$, but unless I literally hide them behind the asperagus or something, they will not be here when the party arrives. Everyone (me too, I'm sure) feels more liberal when there's plenty in stock.

[melissel]

I hear you! We have a local grocery store chain that is great for couponing (they double all year round). Three weeks ago they had they Dollar Days--for 7-8 manufacturers each week, if you bought a certain number of products, you got $12 in checkout coupons to use on future purchases at the store. So, for example, I spent $8 on Dole products (all natural, in juice, no chemicals or added sugar) and got $12 to spend in the future. For some of the manufacturers, I spent $12 and got $12 to spend on future purchases (free apple sauce!). For others, I spent $4 and got $12 to spend on future purchases. Sometimes the deals were so good on things we don't eat that I was able to do the deal cheaply and donate the food while still making money on the future purchases. Between my stockpile and the coupons I received, I won't have to spend any actual cash on groceries for the next four weeks. They do deals like that often enough to make couponing very worthwhile here.

 

I generally don't do the CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid deals though, because the shelves are cleared so quickly and because we don't use most of that stuff (I lean toward natural health and body care for the most part). When there is something I actually use, it generally isn't worth my time to go for the one item I could get.

[melissel]

:iagree: I said something like this to dh recently. I wanted to get some snacks for an upcoming party, and they were 3/for ?$, but unless I literally hide them behind the asperagus or something, they will not be here when the party arrives. Everyone (me too, I'm sure) feels more liberal when there's plenty in stock.

 

This used to be an issue when I couponed years ago, but I'm actually finding it's not a problem this time around. I think it's mainly because my own mindset is so different these days. And my kids are still young enough that they have to ask for any snack that isn't fruit (to which they have free access).

 

I agree that my time is worth a lot, but currently, our projected annual expenditure for 2011 is outstripping our projected annual income by almost $10K, and that's assuming no emergencies, so I consider it a part-time job of sorts (in addition to my actual part-time job *sigh*)!

[Prairie~Phlox]

:lol: and :iagree:

 

Not to mention I really just prefer to buy the brands I like rather than be stuck with Right Guard and Dial. I used to coupon back when I had way more time than money and it was a fun challenge, but now that the time/money balance is more of a tossup I find I'd rather not stock up. I hate trying to find places to store everything and I think stocking up can subtly contribute to waste. Psychologically I find the kids will use more of a giant bottle of Dial on a sponge when they know there are 5 more bottles just like it. But if I spend the same amount of money an a smaller bottle of stuff I let them pick out themselves, they will use it sparingly and make it last.

 

Barb

Yeah, but not everyone can afford the brands that they like, couponing is a great way to get stuff that you would use anyway for cheap or free. Some people don't care if it's right guard or speedstick, they just care whether or not they stink or not.

[Barb_]

Yeah, but not everyone can afford the brands that they like, couponing is a great way to get stuff that you would use anyway for cheap or free. Some people don't care if it's right guard or speedstick, they just care whether or not they stink or not.

 

:lol: Fair enough. Different strokes. I just make my $3 secret stick last for a year or two. I never said I don't watch the sales and buy accordingly--just that I'd rather not store 6 sticks of Right Guard that may very well dry up or get used as wall paint before I have a chance to use them.

 

Barb

[melissel]

:lol: Fair enough. Different strokes. I just make my $3 secret stick last for a year or two. I never said I don't watch the sales and buy accordingly--just that I'd rather not store 6 sticks of Right Guard that may very well dry up or get used as wall paint before I have a chance to use them.

 

Barb

 

How do you manage to make a Secret last for a year or two?! I thought I was doing a good job with a few months (and I don't even use it every day in the winter)! :bigear:

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I've noticed comments recently about couponing not being worth it because coupons are mostly for junk food. I agree that there are great deals on low quality food, and I am trying to cut back on those deals, but I think couponing is worth it just for the non-food items.

 

Here are the results from my Walgreens run today:

 

6 large bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 trial-size bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 Right Guard deodorants

3 rolls of packing tape

1 package of Arthritis Arrest medication

5 Clearasil cleansers and treatments

3 bottles of Dial handsoap

9 large bubble mailers (for Paperbackswap)

 

There is a full rebate on the Arthritis medication, so I will have to mail that in. After this I paid....

 

$10.34

 

That's right only $10.34 for $142.52 worth of products. I also paid $3.86 in tax, but that varies by state.

 

Except in my case, it would be a wasted $10.35 (plus tax) b/c I don't use any of that stuff. With the exception of the bubble mailers, b/c I can envision a day when something like that might be handy, it would not save me any money.

 

What I really need are coupons for

frozen berries b/c we go through those like mad with a smoothie almost every day.

 

Ditto for gk yogurt

 

celery, carrots, onion and garlic -- b/c this goes into lots of soups that I make.

 

Any other fresh veggie and fruit.

 

Bulk grains

 

castile soap, vinegar, baking soda

 

stuff that I never see coupons for. If you get coupons for that stuff in your neck of the woods, you are blessed! If your neck of the woods is my neck of the woods, I need to know!

[bamagirl]

Just my 2 cents on couponing....I've done it for years and actually teach classes on the subject. I hear the objections all the time about there not being coupons for anything I would use or I just don't have the time. The key is to find a site that does all the matching for you: there are many out there (Grocery Game, Coupon Mom,etc). You simply have to print your list, do a quick match up and go! It literally takes me about 20 minutes to get prepared for my shop.

 

We eat organic as much as possible, whole grains, not much junk at all. The key is taking a few minutes up front to get on email lists for companies/products you do purchase...almost everyone will send you coupons. You just have to ask :) Also, sign up for Mambo Sprouts, they send coupons regularly for "good foods" .

The newspaper inserts always have coupons for bread, eggs, canned/frozen beans & veggies, whole grain pasta. Will you throw a lot of Qs out? Yes, but you'll get big savings with the ones you do use, especially if you have a grocery store that doubles and also has it's own store Qs.

I just see in my own family what a difference couponing effectively has made in our food expenditure....IT IS POSSIBLE TO SAVE MONEY WITH LITTLE EFFORT ON GOOD FOOD :D stepping off my soapbox now.......

[hsbaby]

Well, I think you did a great job:).

[Jennifer in MI]

Except in my case, it would be a wasted $10.35 (plus tax) b/c I don't use any of that stuff. With the exception of the bubble mailers, b/c I can envision a day when something like that might be handy, it would not save me any money.

 

What I really need are coupons for

frozen berries b/c we go through those like mad with a smoothie almost every day.

 

Ditto for gk yogurt

 

celery, carrots, onion and garlic -- b/c this goes into lots of soups that I make.

 

Any other fresh veggie and fruit.

 

Bulk grains

 

castile soap, vinegar, baking soda

 

stuff that I never see coupons for. If you get coupons for that stuff in your neck of the woods, you are blessed! If your neck of the woods is my neck of the woods, I need to know!

 

 

We eat like you do - greek yogurt (I make my own~!), fresh veggies/fruits, vinegar, baking soda(cleaning - right?), bulk grains and beans, etc.

 

BUT, I also do couponing at our local Rite Aid (I know, not Walgreens). Last month, I MADE $10 at Rite Aid using coupons. I now have a couple things of Combos to add to our vacation food. I have some chocolate for the same thing. I got some contact lens solution for BIL - the only one in the family who uses it - for Xmas. I got a TON of homeopathic medicines for our family. I got a couple of free tubes of toothpaste and a couple of shampoos.

 

Couponing CAN work - even if you do ALL organic foods!!!!!

[Melinda in VT]

The nearest Walgreen's is an hour away. Ditto CVS. Once I figure in the cost of gas and wear on the car, plus my time, the money saved just doesn't seem worth it.

 

Besides, I'd rather patronize the local mom-and-pop stores.

 

It sounds like couponing is working well for you, though, and I think that's great. :hurray:

[Daisy]

If you use those items anyway or can use anything, then it is definitely worth it. Our family has horrible topical allergies (psoriatic arthritis, eczema, dry skin, etc.) and we have to use products that rarely have coupons.

 

I'm not anti-coupon. I just rarely find ones for what we actually buy.

[Barb_]

How do you manage to make a Secret last for a year or two?! I thought I was doing a good job with a few months (and I don't even use it every day in the winter)! :bigear:

 

LOL, I live in the desert. We buy conditioner in gallon tubs, however. :lol: Forget what I said about stocking up when it comes to conditioner.

[KristyND]

Congrats on your savings!

It is possible to eat healthy & inexpensive by couponing.

 

A quick trip yesterday I bought 5 boxes of organic granola bars, 3 boxes of annie chuns lunches for DH, and 1/2 gallon of coconut milk... total $3.50

 

It does take time and you have to be able to avoid the temptation of cheap/free junk food - but it is very worth my time.

[Jennifer3141]

I don't use soaps/cosmetics with parabens or sulfates so most of the store coupons don't work for me.

 

And I'm getting more and more local bulk food like frozen organic tart cherries in a 10 pound bag instead of buying the small bags of organic fruit.

 

I hit Target once a month for toilet paper and house cleaners. But Method and Caswell & Massey don't seem to offer many coupons, at least that I've seen. I do use Tide for laundry because DH "hates my hippy detergent." :D

 

We do belong to our local health food store's co-op so I get 5% off 6 times a year and I use that up in about 4 months.

 

I was just talking about this with a mama friend. Her son has severe food issues and her stuff is usually not couponed either. :glare:

[lisamarie]

I'm still not on the coupon band wagon.

 

I don't use any of the items that you purchased. There always seems to be coupons for stuff I have no desire for.

 

I agree though that many coupons are for things I don't use. I don't use many of the coupons that I get. Also couponing works best if you don't have a strong loyalty to one brand.

 

See, I DO have a preference for a lot of things. I will only buy Kraft mac-n-chz. It only goes on sale maybe 3 times a year, so when it does I buy it by the case and when it runs out we do without until it goes on sale again-store brand? Yuck! Many things I will buy the generic and it doesn't matter, but over the years I've found that with some things I just prefer certain brands--cottage cheese (breakstone), ranch dressing (newmans own or kraft), etc. We ran out of ranch and the only brand on sale was Meijer brand. I bought it but I was SOOOO thankful when the bottle was gone because yuck! I'd rather do without and wait until my favorite goes on sale than eat a different brand that tastes gross.

 

So I haven't really gotten into the drug store couponing. I know that's where the big deals are made, but I am a snob and I like what I like. I've tried other brands of things and it's a waste of money because it doesn't work as well as what I was using.

[MIch elle]

Today I stocked up on many items that were on sale. It's NOT just couponing that saves money but knowing your prices and eating habits and stocking up for several weeks worth of food when the items are on sale. Combining sales with coupons is the biggest way to save.

 

Just one example is buying name brand cereal for .60 - $1.50/box (sale + coupons). It's a good deal for us since I usually buy the generic brand for $2.19/box, so we now have 6 weeks of cereal. At this point, I'm only buying for 4-6 weeks worth of stock.

 

Join couponmom.com - it's FREE and well worth it!

[2_girls_mommy]

I just started trying out couponing a few weeks ago. I had a good week too.

 

I am getting more junk food than I did before, but we never got ANY before, so it is a nice thing for us to have some that I don't have to bake from scratch. I am spending slightly less $ a week than I was before on only the bare minimum groceries and I am getting things like toothpaste and shampoo (good brands) that we didn't before for that price. In addition, we have more meat on hand. Dh is happy.

 

I haven't got the whole CVS/Walgreens thing down yet. I am mostly doing 2 grocery stores: one that doubles all of the time, and one that has great sales on produce and milk. Between the 2 I am doing well.

[Baseball mom]

Great savings :hurray: :thumbup:

[Gooblink]

Good for you!

 

Dh uses Right Guard and I noticed the WG deal. I've found if I miss out on Sunday or Monday, they restock by Friday so I just go back. There's a CVS and/or WG at every corner around here, though, so it's no inconvenience for me.

 

Also, I do come across coupons for organics and other produce all the time! Organic Valley had (maybe still has) a ton of great coupons for their products printable off their website.

 

Same thing on Muir Glen organic tomato products.

 

Every few weeks there runs a coupon for $.55 off 2 dozen any brand eggs.

 

We eat the Cutie tangerines and use coupons.

 

The newness of couponing has kind of worn off for me, so I don't really try to work the system as much as I did at first (no time), but I still use a lot of coupons and occasionally leave folks agog at checkout. :)

[Joyofsixreboot]

Today I stocked up on many items that were on sale. It's NOT just couponing that saves money but knowing your prices and eating habits and stocking up for several weeks worth of food when the items are on sale. Combining sales with coupons is the biggest way to save.

 

.......

 

Join couponmom.com - it's FREE and well worth it!

That's my plan. When I find an awesome sale I buy loads to last to the next sale. I spent $80 at Kroger but saved $48. There are as many ways to save as there are preferences.

[Classical Country Mama]

I'm SO with you on the couponing. Yesterday I got $21 in free stuff at Walmart (that's sort of like a nasty Whole Foods, for you people not living in the sticks)--got YoPlait yogurt, Bounty paper towels, Gain dryer sheets, Best Life olive oil spread, and other stuff I can't remember now because I'm old and sleep-deprived.

 

No processed foods, though, unless you count the yogurt.

 

I do CVS pretty much every week, and have a stockpile of deodorants (all kinds of brands), toothpaste & toothbrushes, body washes (several brands), shampoo (Pantene, John Frieda, etc), and laundry detergent. This week, for example, my original bill was like $40; I spent $6 out of pocket, but got $10 back in CVS cash. So yes, I get paid a few dollars AND get a whole bunch of household & personal care products for free. Worth it? Yeah, baby!

[elegantlion]

That is an awesome savings.

 

I do like Walgreens program better than CVS. Where we used to live CVS prices were still higher with the coupon than Walgreens.

 

No, we don't live near either. It would negate my savings to drive to one.

 

I'm not a big fan of coupons, but we do finally live near a grocery that doubles them.

 

I have a great coupon for a free bag of dog food, but no one is our area carries it. It will probably expire before I find it. :glare:

[Amy in NH]

It's NOT just couponing that saves money but knowing your prices and eating habits and stocking up for several weeks worth of food when the items are on sale.

 

 

 

:iagree:

[Random]

Awesome savings! I'm always so happy when someone gets deals like that!

 

I went to Grocery Game's website, to see if I could maybe score some good deals. I entered my ZIP code and got the message that there are NO participating stores in my area! :lol:

[Barb_]

:iagree:

 

:iagree: with your agree-al. I swing more toward shopping the sales myself. We are lucky to have many groceries in our area...Sprouts, Fry's, Safeway, Trader Joes, Bashas...all within a short drive. It's fairly easy to rotate stores and fill in with Costco and save mucho bucks. This wasn't always the case though. Every time I go back to Florida where I grew up I get sticker shock because Publix is still the only real game in town. We've also lived in itty bitty towns where we had to drive 45 minutes or an hour to the nearest Super Walmart. So a lot of strategy is regional, I suspect.

 

Barb

[anissarobert]

Thanks to everyone who offered congratulations. Like Gooblink I have been couponing a while, and I rarely get excited by deals anymore.

 

The body wash and deoderant will not go to waste around here. I have 2 males in my house that will use it.

 

I agree that couponing works better when you are close to stores. I have 4 different grocery stores within 1 mile and Walgreens is 2 blocks away. We dont have CVS here though.

 

MomofOneFunOne- I would love frozen berry and veggie coupons as well! I seldom see those, but here are coupons for Greek yogurt, baking soda and vinegar.

 

Couponing might not be for everyone, but it is kind of fun to score good deals!

[mich311e]

Thanks to everyone who offered congratulations. Like Gooblink I have been couponing a while, and I rarely get excited by deals anymore.

 

MomofOneFunOne- I would love frozen berry and veggie coupons as well! I seldom see those, but here are coupons for Greek yogurt, baking soda and vinegar.

 

Couponing might not be for everyone, but it is kind of fun to score good deals!

 

Great job to the OP!

 

I've been couponing since January and we've got some great deals. We do not buy processed JUNK foods but we've been able to get great deals on organic milk, eggs(Egglands or Land O Lakes, so the healthier of the grocery store eggs), orange juice and things like detergent. I'm also more aware and stock up on things that can be frozen when they are on sale.

 

As far as frozen berries - I've found some deals because of my new interest in coupons and saving money. Safeway did a deal with a coupon for $5 off of $15 of frozen foods. I went in and bought 3 bags of organic strawberries, $10 after my $5 off.

 

I'm vegetarian so I buy the Morningstar Farms items (processed soy, I know, I don't eat them a lot) sometimes. By combining the manufacturer coupons, the store sale $3.49 and the same Safeway $5 off frozen I walked out one night with 6 boxes of MSF's products for $7! They are normally $3.99 a box!

 

I do CVS and Walgreens, too. We have several nearby so I just pop in when I have a chance.

[justamouse]

Wow, that was a great one! Good job!

[laundrycrisis]

I will only use coupons for specific products/brands that I already buy...like the Smart Ones frozen lunches DH takes to work (cheaper than the cafeteria) sometimes have peel-off coupons to save $3 on ten of them. I would eventually buy the lunches anyway - might as well save the $3. And every once in a while I get coupons for brands I prefer for very specific things...batteries, raisin bread...or services, like haircuts.

 

But most of the time, coupons that come to me are for items/brands that I would not normally buy, and I am already saving more money by purchasing generic or cheaper brands at the lowest priced stores. In those cases, using the coupons would end up costing me money.

[Lady Florida.]

:lol: and :iagree:

 

Not to mention I really just prefer to buy the brands I like rather than be stuck with Right Guard and Dial.

 

But you can get the brands you want with sales and coupons. It just so happened to be Right Guard this week. We prefer Hellman's mayonnaise. If I can pay $1.25 a jar instead of $3.50, why would I pay the higher amount? We like Ronzoni pasta. If I can pay less on sale with a coupon, why should I pooh-pooh that? We only like 3 specific brands of toothpaste. I can usually get any one of them for as little as free, or as much as 50 cents for a large tube. I can't get generic as cheap as I can get many name brands. I didn't think the little I seem to save by using coupons would make a difference, but since January I've saved almost $450. To me that's not small change. And I live in a state where no store doubles coupons.

 

People mistakenly think you can't be brand loyal if you use coupons. I have a friend whose daughter has a severe peanut allergy, so she has to be brand loyal. She is able to save tons of money with coupons, even though she has to be very particular about what brands come into her house.

 

I unintentionally deleted your part about not wanting to stock up, but will add this: Stocking up can easily turn to hoarding if you get caught up in the "buy as much as you can get while it's on sale" fervor. I've learned to buy just enough to last until the next sale. I've seen tv segments and online videos where people have a garage full of dog food or dish soap, or whatever, and I agree that's over the top. (Dog food stored in a garage in Florida would very quickly draw bugs anyway). However, having a few extra jars of mayo, or boxes of pasta, or tubes of toothpaste, etc. at rock bottom prices is certainly worth an extra 30-60 minutes a week of my time.

[Robin's Song]

I definately spent less money when I couponed. These days, however, I have more money than time (and I'm not rolling in either :tongue_smilie:). I shop at Sam's and the Commissary and stick to a budget. It works for us, but paying full price for toothpaste still bugs me!

[Ohdanigirl]

I'm still not on the coupon band wagon.

 

I don't use any of the items that you purchased. There always seems to be coupons for stuff I have no desire for.

 

:iagree:

 

Every once in awhile a coupon will come out that I will actually use, but not too often. More than anything, I pay attention to adds. If something is being offered at a very good prce, I stock up.

 

Danielle

[OnTheBrink]

Well, I think you did a great job:).

 

I do, too! I may dig out my coupons from this week!

[Crimson Wife]

I think couponing really only saves money if the stores where you live double the value (none in my neck of the woods do).

[delaney]

FWIW I haven't paid for toothbrushes, deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner in years because of couponing. I also never pay more than $1 for DH's razors.

[jenlaw31]

We are a family of 6 on one income. Couponing helps us out so much. With 4 girls in the house you can imagine the health and beauty products we go through. Since couponing I have never had to pay for deoderant, toothbrush, or toothpaste. I pay no more than $1.50 for nice brand shampoo's, ladies products, and soap/bodywashes.

 

Yes there are alot of junk food coupons. Sometimes your paper might not carry the better coupons. But you can buy them online. I frequently get coupons for cheese, yogurt, rice, juicy juice, bottled water,canned veggies/fruit and everyday pantry items like oil, pam, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, pasta, etc. Many of the items I get free or close to it.

 

Before couponing I was spending almost $200 a week at the grocery store. Now I spend about $300 a month :)

[3lilreds in NC]

Good for you! I need to get my couponing stuff together. Of course, it would be helpful to get a paper....

[Lady Florida.]

I think couponing really only saves money if the stores where you live double the value (none in my neck of the woods do).

 

I live in a state where stores do not double. Not anywhere in Florida. See my earlier post. I save a lot with coupons. I get most toiletries for free thanks to coupons.

[angela in ohio]

I'm SO with you on the couponing. Yesterday I got $21 in free stuff at Walmart (that's sort of like a nasty Whole Foods, for you people not living in the sticks)--got YoPlait yogurt, Bounty paper towels, Gain dryer sheets, Best Life olive oil spread, and other stuff I can't remember now because I'm old and sleep-deprived.

 

I can honestly say I've never seen Whole Foods compared to Wal-Mart! :D

[arghmatey]

That is awesome!

 

I am a recovering coupon queen, and I miss it so much! It's fun and saves money when the coupons on for products your family uses.

 

The crunchier I become, however, the less impact coupons have on our wallet.

 

One thing I do is write to the company and ask for coupons for products I use if I don't see any in the inserts or as printables--they almost always send me some!

[Mrs Mungo]

I don't use coupons regularly because my family has a lot of skin allergies. I really have to stick with our particular brands of toiletries, laundry detergent and such.

[Jenny in Florida]

6 large bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 trial-size bottles of Right Guard Body Wash

6 Right Guard deodorants

3 rolls of packing tape

1 package of Arthritis Arrest medication

5 Clearasil cleansers and treatments

3 bottles of Dial handsoap

9 large bubble mailers (for Paperbackswap)

 

I'm so glad this worked out for you.

 

I have to say, though, that this still wouldn't be helpful for me.

 

We buy only cruelty-free personal care products. So, I would not purchase any of the Right Guard, Clearasil or Dial items.

 

No one here has arthritis, but we would use generics, anyway.

 

I participate in both Paperbackswap and BookMooch, but I use bubble mailers only if I can recycle them from books sent to me. Otherwise, I wrap with plastic grocery bags and the printed mailing labels. (And I discovered the other day that my local dollar store has bubble mailers, $1 for packs of two or three, depending on the size. So, even if I wanted them, I would never pay $2.)

 

I could use the packing tape, but I usually just buy mine at discount stores.

 

I'm sure that couponing works great for some, maybe lots of, people. And I'm not above using coupons when I find them for products I normally buy. But, as I said, the majority of this list would be useless to my family.