I have never put much thought into using store or manufacturer coupons. However, with the cost of living going up over the past several months so dramatically – I think that I may start to use them. You hear the stories of those savvy folks who use them to save a lot of money. I am about to do a little research on how to obtain coupons off the Internet. Has anyone out there used the Internet to find coupons? What are some good sites to go to and print off coupons? Do they have coupons out there for stuff most of us would actually buy?
- Phillip
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yes i do
Okay, now we have someone that uses coupons.
Could you please give us some information about where you get your coupons, and how much you save on average – weekly?
Thanks,
- Phillip
I have never been a coupon clipper…seems like too much trouble, but as prices get higher and higher, I am willing to consider my options. It seems everything goes on a truck at some point, causing all the prices of everything to be effected by rising fuel costs. My perspective is, if you use name brands, you are already paying a premium over generic store brands that may be just as good. So, if you normally buy generic products, coupons probably won’t help. If you normally buy name brands, coupons can save you loads of cash.
Good point about the generic products vs. the name brand products. Many of the non-food items are basically the same exact thing. Not real sure if I would buy certian food products personally since some of them do taste different.
I will be posting a little later in the week on my research on various websites that offer coupons.
- Phillip
After spending some time researching this whole topic, I have come up with some observations on where to get coupons.
1. There are a ton of websites out there in which you can go and get coupons. It seems like a majority of the sites I joined and searched for printable coupons eventually led me to the same coupon data base. Felt like I was running in circles, hey I was just on this site, hey I was just on this site. Another thing that may annoy you is that you have to fill-out questionaires to get to the online printable coupon offerings. I am sure they use this data to send you a bunch of stuff in the mail or e-mails advertising their goods. I guess that is the cost of getting your savings from a coupon on a website.
2. Coupons straight from the horses mouth. What I mean is getting coupons straight from the manufacturer on the products they put into the market. Again, you go online and search for the manufacturer’s website and once logged-on they uausually have a link for their coupons. You may still have to register with them to actully get printable coupons.
3. Coupons from the newspaper or magazines. The Sunday paper seems to be a great source for coupons. You can find some major newspapers with a double offering for a reduced cost, those seem to be just for people wanting coupons. You get two full editions of the paper and throw it all away for two things of coupons. Wasting a tree???
4. You can actually buy coupons online. I guess people sell everything on E-bay. Concept is that you pay pennies for a coupon that will save you dollars. Not only will you find them on E-bay, but there are websites dedicated to selling coupons. I have mixed thoughts about paying actual money for coupons. If you pay a little for a coupon that you actually need, then it would be a good use of your money. My reservation would be buying coupons from an individual and not a company. Perhaps you can tell that I do not shop on E-bay or Craig’s List very often.
I hope my ramblings have helped you to discover an alternative way to possibley save some money on your food bills. We all need help from where ever we can get it. I would have not thought about using coupons before now. The only advice I would give you from a financial standpoint is just do not cut-out coupons and buy things if you do not intend on actually consuming them. It does not help your pocketbook to save $.55 on a three dollar item if you have never bought it before.
What are your thoughts???
- Phillip
Phillip,
While I would love to dig through the coupon section of the Sunday paper, I don’t think its worth wasting so much paper to save a few dollars.
If you live in the city, chances are that you pass a number of supermarkets on your way home from work. I always browse through that “junk” mail we all get that shows the weekly sales at Kroger and Tom Thumb. Believe it or not, they often run sales that are cheaper than Walmart! Kroger often has chicken breast or bacon buy one get one free. The sale changes on Tuesday night, so when spinach is down to $1, I’ll buy one on Wednesday, and another next Tuesday (two weeks worth, and both on sale).
CVS and Walgreens also have a sales flyer at the door which I always grab on my way in. Sure, maybe I’m not completely out of body wash right now, but its buy one get one free, so I’ll take advantage. Walgreens also has a fantastic (usually) monthly rebate catalog which sometimes offers free toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, make-up, etc. If you accept a Walgreens gift card as payment, they add 10% to your total earnings which covers tax. I then use that gift card to purchase next month’s rebate. I’ve been recycling the same $20 for about 8 years now.
I’m also convinced that Sam’s and Costco offer the best deals on bulk items. Yes, the membership is something like $50, but if you split that with a friend, you still benenfit from the savings. Things like toilet paper, laundry detergent, and body soap are great buys there since they don’t expire quickly. I’m lucky to bum a membership from a friend for free.
Jess
I think the trick to coupons is that you pull out the coupon book when you are done shopping. That way you are not buying a more expensive brand just to use your coupon. It is a game and if you want to play and aren’t brand loyal or care what kind of food you are eating then couponing may work for you. As a single guy who is brand loyal and a picky eater I’ve found I only clip the coupons for the items I am already eating. I try to refrain from clipping coupons to try new foods because that will cost you more money than you will save.
One more thing…there is this website “thegrocerygame.com”. When you find that the “game” of couponing has taken over your life and you find yourself clipping coupons at 3am on a Saturday night and calling various grocery stores demanding price adjustments, this website is for you. Apparently all items in a grocery store go on sale every six weeks, this site will tell you when the item is on sale so you can combine it with your coupon and save. You could literally walk out of a store with hundreds of dollars in groceries for less than $25 bucks.
Doug,
I like what you said about not buying a more expensive brand just to use your coupon. That is a great point to keep in my mind.
I too, tend to be a picky eater.
- Phillip
Doug,
Thanks for the information on the grocery game website. I will have to check it out and report back. Has anyone else out there used this grocery game site?
- Phillip