I'm sure by now you have heard of these die-hard coupon people that are able to clip and collect coupons and show up in a grocery store with a fistful of magical coupons that drastically drops their grocery bill. $200 of goods for $75. $50 worth of food for $2.50.Crazy amazing price difference.
I've tried doing this, probably didn't try that hard or for that long but I'm just really not very good at it.
We don't HAVE to use coupons but why wouldn't you if you know that it is supposedly really easy and can save you money. And who doesn't want to save some money?
I try and keep up with all the nifty thrifty websites that let you know all the incredible HOT deals that are going on. I print some coupons off the internet if they seem like a good deal. And once in awhile I will buy the Sunday paper only to grab the coupons out of it. But I still don't feel like I have a good grip on this coupon thing. Here is why:1. It seems like you have to be into hoarding (hoarding coupons and hoarding extra pantry items) for this system to work really well for you. I'm not a hoarder. At all. I hate having lots and lots of STUFF around. Clutter makes me crazy.
2. A lot of the coupons you see are for baby products and processed foods that I don't want to eat or buy.
3. I'm a peaceful person and the idea of going to the store and having a cashier argue with me about whether or not my coupon is legit makes me want to crawl under my shopping cart and roll out the door. It doesn't seem worth it to me. The cost of my peace of mind vs the cost of an extra .50 cents or $1 on an item.
As negative as this all sounds (I'm not trying to be, just frustrated) I really do want to get better at cutting back our grocery bills and finding a way to get the coupon system to work for me.
Anyone have any tips?
i'm a total couponer, i admit it. i use a free website called grocerysmarts.com and it's super easy because they tell you the sales in the store as well as what coupons go with them, and they rate the deals with a 5-star system. i would google the grocery smarts code for what state you live in. i get 3 sunday papers a week and keep all the coupon booklets in a filing system in our spare room, organized by date. it requires commitment, but the pay-offs have been really great and cut down our grocery bills by at least half. anyways, sorry for the novel but if you have any questions at all, please email me!
ReplyDelete@yours truly dear
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your info! I know that it sounds like something I should try and tackle I'm just easily discouraged with it.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog. I am no professional couponer actually I'm just starting out. I like you am not a hoarder and would get very uncomfortable if a grocery clerk argued with me about my coupons. Here is what I do maybe it will help you out some. I clip the coupons from the Sunday paper that we will use. I also go online to Smart Saver, Red Plum, and Coupons.com and also get any that we will use. I try to get 2 of each coupon. I shop at Publix (don't know where you are located or if you have one around) and see what their BOGO and other sale items are that week and match them up with my coupons. I usually only buy 2-4 of something not 800 like some people. We are only 2 people I don't have use for that much stuff in a lifetime. When chicken breasts are on sale I will buy those and freeze them 2 to a bag so I always have the perfect portion. We don't eat too much red meat but if its on sale for a good deal I will incorporate it into our menu for the week. I try to eat the veggies that are on sale at that time (right now squash, zucchini, eggplant and green beans are $.99 at Publix).
Sorry for such a long post. But to give you an example I only spent about $7.5 this week on groceries and I got 2 cups of greek yogurt, 2 cans of soup, 1lb of ground beef, 2 pints of starbucks ice cream, a zucchini and a squash. Now obviously this won't feed us for the whole week but combined with the chicken, and pastas, and other frozen stuff I have I can feed us pretty well.
It's not even about the saving money for us. I just think its kind of fun to see how much I can buy for how little!
@Lane
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice Lane! I really do appreciate it! I wish I still shopped at Publix. We live in St. Louis now and not having Publix is probably one of the top 5 things we miss because they do have such great deals and quality of product. I'm feeling encouraged to keep giving this coupon clipping another chance.