Question as to the value of coupons

[gabbyraja]

I've always heard (and found) that they only offer coupons on things that aren't essentials. I've never found an instance where the name brand plus coupon is less than the store brand at full price, much less store brand on sale.

So, for me this begs the question: I see lots of people say they saved X amount using coupons, but wouldn't they have saved even more by buying store brands, sale items, and making some things from scratch (for instance I make my own window cleaner from vinegar and water, saving me many dollars over Windex+coupon)? Are they really all that valuable? Especially when you have to pay $2+ for the paper in order to get the coupons?

[Bokonon]

It really just depends on the item and how you use your coupons.

I've gotten things like rice, shampoo, deodorant, and ice cream for free or almost free by matching coupons with store sales, or at Target, store coupons with manufacturer coupons. Sure, you could make your own window cleaner much cheaper than Windex on sale with a coupon - but most people don't make their own cleaning supplies.

And I get tons of coupons in other ways besides buying the Sunday paper. I get coupons from my preferred grocery store in the mail, for $2 off a $6 purchase from the meat department, or $5 off a $75 purchase. I also pick up coupon books at a couple of other grocery stores.

[Bokonon]

Oh, and my preferred grocery store doubles coupons up to $1, which adds to my savings. I don't mind spending $2 on the Sunday paper because I almost always save at least that much from the coupons inside, plus I like getting the store circulars in the paper, and hubby reads it. So I'm not spending $2 just for the coupon insert.

[luv-my-boys]

well for us coupons have really helped keep our budget in check and we for the most part eat from scratch and organic. I NEVER use a coupon for the sake of using a coupon, meaning that even if the tub of hemmoroid cream ends up being 50cents thats not saving me anything if we dont use hemmoroid cream, kwim?

That being said I am also not partial to name brands or store brands just because of name. There are a few things I buy only name brand for because of quality/taste and things that generic are comparable to.

I also dont mind *buying* coupons from coupon sites so im only buying what I need. I know a lot of people look down on that because they say "what are you saving" but I see it this way.
I recently bought $1.00 off per item coupons for .15 cents each so really I see it as .85 cents off per item. These are items I normally stock up on and use quite regularly whetehr its on sale or not so saving .85 cents adds up. It so happened it was on sale before the coupon expiredand I got an extra 1.00 off so I saved 1.85 on a item that normally runs about 4.50.

Also my grocery store offers in store coupons for their items and sometimes its items that are even advertised.

[Pariah]

I match coupons to sale items as often as possible and that makes items less than store brand alternatives and sometimes almost free.

[KatWrangler]

I go to MFG sites. I subscribe to frugality and coupon blogs that give you a heads up on the deals out there. I print a ton of coupons online.

I don't buy 100% ogranic. However, there are organic coupon sites out there.

Off the top of my head Earthbound Farms has coupons. I just printed a spinach coupon over the weekend. I have a bunch of coupons from them when I got my reuseable bag a couple of weeks ago.

Whole Foods has a coupon book at the checkout.

Target has coupons. You can stack their coupons with MFG coupons. Same at Walgreens.

You probably don't eat it, but I got a box of Grape Nuts for free yesterday at Walgreens. I printed a $2 off coupon and Walgreens has Post cereal for $1.99 (I think it's three varieties only).

Walgreens has Register Rewards. I have $6 in RR from this weekend.

Sears has a deal right now. Spend $50 and get a $50 rebate. Tie that with the CVS deal of getting a Sears gift card of $50 AND get $10 rewards to CVS.

So the deals are out there. The freebies are out there.

[2xy]

There are very few items that we consume that I find coupons for. I make or buy non-mainstream cleaning supplies. We eat few packaged foods. If there were coupons for milk and eggs and fruit, we'd certainly make the effort to clip. Our local paper seems to put out a lot of coupons for toothpaste, makeup, salad dressing, and dog food. Really....how much toothpaste does a person need? There are four of us here and I probably buy toothpaste twice a year.

As for the online coupons, it seems to take a lot of my time, ink, and paper for those. Ink is pricey, and time is money.

[Caneel]

OP, I get where you are coming from. I make as much of my own cleaning products as I can and I don't have brand loyality except for like 3 items. For those items, I will always search for a coupon and put an APB out to all family members for those coupons - tp, toothpaste, toothbrushes.

I think family size and purchase habits really makes a difference. I no longer stockpile none-food items. I just don't have the room and with only three of us, it doesn't make a big difference in our financial life.

For example, a container of deoderant lasts me a ridiculously long time. I might use two a year. We use very little shampoo (DH is nearly bald, I have short hair as does DS) and other products so I don't care if I have a coupon or not.

If I had a couple of teens in the house, I suspect we would go through many, many more products and then coupons might make a huge difference.

It must be where I live and shop because I never see coupons for food that isn't majorly processed or junk food. Like, for example, I don't see coupons for big bags of jasime rice but I do see coupons for those 4 serving Lipton rice packets. (not that it is junk, just not to my taste) Wegman's, which is over an hour from my house, is the exception. My mom tells me about awesome shopper's club coupons she gets from Wegmans.

[happysmileylady]

It all depends on how you use them and when.

Papers-our paper is $1.75 for Sunday, but at the dollar store, it's only $1. I usually buy 4, so that's a $4 outlay. Sometimes you can find recycle places or stores that are getting rid of the paper the next day where they might let you pick through the inserts for free. Not to mention printing from the internet, which while not free due to paper and ink costs can still be cost effective too.

An example of the best way to use them...last week (the 6th) the paper had it's P&G Brandsaver insert. In the insert were Pampers coupons, for $1.50 off any Pampers and another for $2 off any Pampers wipes, 60ct or larger. This week, Walmart had the wipes tubs on sale for $1.97 each. SCORE! Four tubs of free wipes (plus I actually have a 5th coupon floating around somewhere that my mom gave me)! Or, if you prefer, 2 tubs for free and that I paid sale price 4. But that has already paid for the cost of the papers. And, each tub came with a coupon for $1 off a refill. AND, I have the tubs now to reuse for craft projects, pencil holders etc etc etc.

Another thing is stacking store coupons with manufacturer coupons. Most of the time, you can use a store coupon, one that can only be used at that store, AND a manufacturer coupon at the same time, for more savings. Another example of that-Last week, CVS had Tampax Pearl on sale for $2.97 for the 18 ct pkgs. From that same P&G insert, I had $2 off ANY Tampax Pearl, making them $0.97 each. In addition to that, I had CVS Extra Care Bucks, which are basically just like cash that you can only use at CVS. So, 4 boxes of Tampax, free. Now, I am pg and plan to BF so I won't need them for a while, but dd is 14 and can use them soon, plus, it's something that keeps, so even if I didn't have someone using them in the house, they would get used eventually. It's better to buy it now when it's free and save it until you need it (provided it's something that can be saved like that) than wait until I need it next year and pay $4 a box for it.

And yeah, occasionally it is better to go store brand and/or make from scratch myself. Bread is a great example of that for me. I have a breadmaker and use it multiple times a week. It's totally cheaper for me to buy my basic bread supplies like flour, sugar and such, as store brand, in bulk, and make the bread myself, than paying for even the cheapst bread in the store, AND it's better for me. But the key in using coupons and such is knowing for sure when that IS the better option. It's in taking the time to study the sales, know your local coupon policies (ie does your store double coupons at all, up to a certain point, do they run a triple coupon day once a month etc.) and know what the most cost effective way of getting coupons is.

Also there simply aren't a lot of coupons for the fresh and organic stuff. They exist, but they not as common as the coupons for the crap like Hamburger Helper and stuff. But if you can get things like razors, baby wipes and such for free or pennies on the dollar, then that savings can be used to get more of that fresh stuff. And you can still shop the sales and often use the store coupons (the ones that are for $1 off $10 order etc) to get good deals on that stuff. Meijer just had blackberries for $0.50 a 6oz container (usually $3 or $4 each) so I bought a bunch and am freezing them for use later in things like pancakes, waffles and such.

[KatWrangler]

Shop N Save here in town has $10 with $50 purchase on Thursdays. I have even been told the cashier will split your order and do two transactions if you have enough for another $10 savings.

This weekend I saved.

$20.29 at Target
$23.94 at Walgreens
$4.80 at Walgreens
$1.80 at Petsmart (I had a 15% off printable to Petsmart)
$3.80 at Walgreens
.80 cents at Walgreens because they overcharged me
$13.73 at Target

Total - $69.16 and I wasn't even trying very hard to save.

[BetsyS]

I'm an off and on coupon user, but I can save with them.

Some things help me out of the bat--we get the paper subscription already. I love getting the paper delivered! It's a great treat in my life, regardless of coupons. So, for me, the coupons are just an extra that is coming into my house.

Our local stores all double.

There are a couple of blogs that do the matching of sales to coupons every week for me, so that I don't have to think about it.

A local store has a weekly coupon that gives you a $0.01 item. Window cleaner for a penny is still cheaper than vinegar. Other items that they might do include toilet paper (and a penny is cheaper than any other way to get it), bread, and sometimes coffee.

For me, we also have Aldi, and for things that rarely go on sale (artichoke hearts, black olives, sugar, pinto beans), or things that rarely have coupons (many items), then Aldi's is generally the cheapest. However, for things that go on sale regularly or have coupons, then one of our local stores is usually cheaper.

Things that I routinely buy with coupons: rice (recently got this for $0.09/lb), mayo, cereal (including oatmeal), ice cream (right now, a local store plus coupons makes Ben and Jerry's only $1.40/pint), some toiletries, cheese, Rotel, and several other things. Like a PP said, I rarely get coupons for produce and meat, but by saving money on other stuff, then I have more money for those things.

[Karamom]

For me, It makes a huge difference in the amount I save by reading coupon blogs. They do all the work of matching coupons to sales. I try to buy only organic/ whole food and its harder than buying junk but there are deals. Someone already said Earthbound farm put out coupons as well as Organic Valley and Seventh Generation just to name a few. I think organic coupons are easier to find online than in the newspaper but if you read a coupon blog they will link you right up to where to print the coupon.

Some of my favorites:

Organic Coupons and deals http://organicdeals.blogspot.com/

Krazy Coupon Lady http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

Money Saving Mom http://moneysavingmom.com/

There are many many coupon blogs out there just look around for one that suits your style.

[Stayseeliz]

I think it all depends on what you eat and what you're willing to eat. I jumped into couponing with both feet a little over a year ago and started saving big. DH and I both gained 10-15 lbs along the way and I realized I had to make a change. With what we're eating now I'm buying maybe 1/5 of my groceries with coupons and I'm finding that's just not worth it. I'm going to take a break and focus on shopping at Costco, Aldi and meat sales at my local grocery for a month and see what happens. I'm honestly sick to death of running to 4 different stores every week to get the best deal. I'm trying a different tact. We'll see how it works!

[happysmileylady]

Originally Posted by Stayseeliz

I think it all depends on what you eat and what you're willing to eat. I jumped into couponing with both feet a little over a year ago and started saving big. DH and I both gained 10-15 lbs along the way and I realized I had to make a change. With what we're eating now I'm buying maybe 1/5 of my groceries with coupons and I'm finding that's just not worth it. I'm going to take a break and focus on shopping at Costco, Aldi and meat sales at my local grocery for a month and see what happens. I'm honestly sick to death of running to 4 different stores every week to get the best deal. I'm trying a different tact. We'll see how it works!

I totally do Costco for quite a bit of my meat. I love the $0.99 a lb chicken legs, or $0.89 a lb whole chicken, without having to wait for the sale elsewhere. And their ground turkey and turkey burgers are great...when they are carrying them. That's one thing that frustrates me, they tend to just drop stuff sometimes.

[spiderdust]

Honestly, this guy has sold me on the value of couponing. He had some pretty wacky and creative ways of couponing to bring down the price of food that he needed -- such as buying 30 packages of cream cheese (which he donated to the food bank) on sale for 49 cents & using 55 cents off of cream cheese coupons for the overage. This let him buy cream cheese and eggs for 70 cents, and cream cheese and bananas for a whopping 2 cents!

It's mind boggling to me how it works sometimes, but it works.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by 2xy

There are very few items that we consume that I find coupons for. I make or buy non-mainstream cleaning supplies. We eat few packaged foods. If there were coupons for milk and eggs and fruit, we'd certainly make the effort to clip. Our local paper seems to put out a lot of coupons for toothpaste, makeup, salad dressing, and dog food. Really....how much toothpaste does a person need? There are four of us here and I probably buy toothpaste twice a year.

As for the online coupons, it seems to take a lot of my time, ink, and paper for those. Ink is pricey, and time is money.

I've gotten coupons for eggs and milk from the Sunday paper. And not fresh fruit, but lots of coupons for frozen veggies, which I love to have on hand.

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

I've gotten coupons for eggs and milk from the Sunday paper. And not fresh fruit, but lots of coupons for frozen veggies, which I love to have on hand.

The coupons I (rarely) see for eggs and milk usually go something like, "get a free half-gallon of milk when you buy three boxes of garbage cereal," or "get a free carton of eggs when you buy two packs of solution-injected chicken." Not my cup of tea.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by 2xy

The coupons I (rarely) see for eggs and milk usually go something like, "get a free half-gallon of milk when you buy three boxes of garbage cereal," or "get a free carton of eggs when you buy two packs of solution-injected chicken." Not my cup of tea.

I've gotten some for organic Eggland's Best eggs, and $.55 off any product with the "made from California milk" seal, which doubles to $1 at my grocery store. I've also gotten many coupons for almond milk, and have even gotten coupons from my grocery store for FREE Silk almond milk.

I also get the Mambo Sprouts coupon book in the mail, and have seen it at my natural foods store, and have saved money on organic items and even kefir!

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

I've gotten some for organic Eggland's Best eggs, and $.55 off any product with the "made from California milk" seal, which doubles to $1 at my grocery store. I've also gotten many coupons for almond milk, and have even gotten coupons from my grocery store for FREE Silk almond milk.

Our local store's organic and/or cage-free eggs are usually cheaper than Eggland's Best. I know everyone has their own pet peeves, but I don't like that Eggland's uses styrofoam to package so many of their products, so I don't buy them, anyway.

Yes, I see coupons for almond milk and rice milk occasionally, but my family doesn't use those things.

[Norasmomma]

I've couponed hard in the past year, I can say it totally goes in waves for us.

While pg with DS I knew we were in for a hard first months with him, DH was out of work, we were living on unemployment and our food was SNAP benefits. I have saved a TON with coupons during this hard time for us, and I bought healthy foods-not crap.

I also stockpiled toiletries, and diapers. I know not exactly MDC, but I'll admit I just couldn't afford cloth for DS, but we have EC'd since 4 months. I still have diapers, I haven't spent any money on them since gosh Jan or something. We didn't have to purchase dipes for him. Plus in many cases got money back-in the form of gift cards and such, I'm using them for b-days and Christmas.

Christmas I buy TONS of baking supplies, I still have cans of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and sugar-all bought for little and much of it organic. Coupons are abundant for baking supplies, as are the sales. You have to know the sales cycles to get the most bang for your buck. Peanut butter goes on sale in late July/Aug, so does school/office supplies....that's where you save knowing what's on sale and when.

So many times I have discovered that with sales and coupons you can buy brand name for waaaaaayyyyy cheaper. The condensed milk was .90 after coupons, the store brand was 1.50 w/out, so it was cheaper for me to buy name brand.

The biggest thing is changing HOW you shop, yes you can save more on a regular day on a store brand, but when a sale and coupon is combined you can save way more. Stockpiling is the key, I live far from town and it's just better for me to do this anyway. I have 2 pantries and 2 freezers, stocking up is key.