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LLMom
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Is couponing cheaper than buying store brand items? I buy almost all store brands-- from toiletries to food to save money.
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
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jawgee
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LLMom wrote:
| Is couponing cheaper than buying store brand items? I buy almost all store brands-- from toiletries to food to save money. |
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Couponing can definitely be cheaper than store brands if you take the time to do the research!! Take a look at www.thekrazycouponlady.com for some ideas. Just on her front page today:
-make money on Tresemme Hair Stylers at Rite Aid or Walgreens
-make money on men's shampoo at Target
-Pop Tarts are 67c at Dollar Tree
-Shredded Wheat free at Walgreens
-Colgate Mouth Wash is 49c after coupon
Those are just a few examples! For someone who wants to take the time and put some effort in, there are opportunities to save a LOT of money!
(I couponed for years when my oldest two were little. After my next two came along I just didn't have the time to do it as often anymore).
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SeaStar
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LLMom wrote:
| Is couponing cheaper than buying store brand items? I buy almost all store brands-- from toiletries to food to save money. |
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Agreeing with Monica- yes! It can be much cheaper. My experience has been this:
After my dc were born I gave up couponing and switched to buying all store/generic/ whatever brand was cheapest. I also took advantage of any buy one/get one free sale I could. Shopping that way, I saved anywhere from 10-40% per shopping trip. And that was good. Sometimes it was not quite 10% and it was rarely 40%, but I was saving. 
In the past month or so that I have been using coupons, I am saving 50-80% off my total. I am disappointed now if I only save 50%  . With coupons this week I got boxes of Total cereal for 27 cents and boxes of Betty Crocker cake mix for free (those went to the food bank, much to ds's regret).
DianaC- I am glad you got the cartwheel to work. I really have to look into that! Did you print the coupon from home and take it to the store?
SallyT- I do miss Bilo. I used to shop there all the time before we moved.
It's all Harris Teeter here... but at least HT does double coupons and does let me stack coupons.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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SeaStar
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I forgot that I wanted to add also: if you are using coupons to buy food for donating to a food bank, please think about donating sweet items as well as canned goods, etc.
A long time food bank director told me last year that everyone loves sweets, and it makes people very happy to find that cake/frosting/candy/treats are part of their options at the food bank.
And that makes sense- who doesn't like an on occasional brownie or cookie, especially after a bad day?
If you have leftover Halloween candy, or find clearance candy, please consider donating that also. The food bank here uses it to fill Christmas stockings.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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TryingMyBest
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Tonight was my first trip to Target using Cartwheel. I'm a bit disappointed. Looks like I only saved $4.18.
Most of the Cartwheel items were also on sale. I wonder if that's a coincidence.
I think I saved more by choosing the items on sale instead of using Cartwheel.
I saved more by using a coupon of coupons I printed from Target.com.
Next stop was Whole Foods where instead of going with a shopping list for sunday dinner, I decided to buy the meat that was on sale. I'm not sure that's the best tactic since I ended up forgetting some things so now have to go back to the grocery store this weekend which is what I was trying to avoid by buying items for sunday dinner tonight. But I think it's a good idea to go the store with flexibility about your meat choices since that's usually the most expensive item you buy.
Using Cartwheel was kind of a pain. I didn't print anything since the purpose of a smart phone is use the phone only. But I kept losing access in the store. When I got the checkout, I chose the My Cartwheel option and it brought up a barcode which the cashier scanned. Since the savings are applied in total at the end instead of item by item there's no way to know that you bought the wrong item that wasn't eligible for the discount.
But in looking at this, I just realized that the Method Detergent I've been buying for about 6 months costs $17 (before Cartwheel with 10% discount). How did I not notice how much that cost? I think I'll be looking for a cheaper laundry detergent in the future.
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SeaStar
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Couponing is an imperfect sport, I am finding. I have read about people having trouble bringing up the cartwheel coupon on their phones in the store. That is why I am curious to know if you can print a coupon and take it with you.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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DianaC
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SeaStar wrote:
Couponing is an imperfect sport, I am finding. I have read about people having trouble bringing up the cartwheel coupon on their phones in the store. That is why I am curious to know if you can print a coupon and take it with you.
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Yes, you can. I don't have a smartphone, so I printed the Cartwheel page (it has the barcode and a list of the items you've selected).
I used the sheet as my overall shopping list and we'll use the back of the sheet for math scrap paper.
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4 lads mom
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After looking at so many coupons, I am sort of sick that I NEVER used any coupons for the diapers and wipes I used for 17 years....oh....so sad.  The MONEY I could have SAVED!!!
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SeaStar
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4 lads mom wrote:
After looking at so many coupons, I am sort of sick that I NEVER used any coupons for the diapers and wipes I used for 17 years....oh....so sad. The MONEY I could have SAVED!!!
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Not to worry- When I was using coupons for diapers and wipes 8- 10 years ago, the only coupons available were in the Sunday paper. That was great- but you couldn't go online and find the bonanza that you can now.
I am not sure exactly when internet coupon world exploded the way it did.
I feel sort of sick that I could have at least been using the ecoupons on my grocery card or Saving Star all this time and saving with very minimal effort that way.
But today is a new day! Getting the max out of the coupon world does take some effort. But I figure that if I save $50- 75 a week using them, that is about as much as I would earn with a small part time job, and I don't have to be away from home to do it.
Plus, my kids can help me with it- home ec, right? And then they will grow up to be like Erin's son
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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SallyT
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I know, right? I've thought the same thing, re diapers. But I've been consoling myself with coupons for acne face wash . . .
Sally
PS: My college daughter is a great couponer. She's living in an apartment this year and spent much of the summer working out a reasonable budget, planning some shopping routines, etc. Now that I'm paying better attention, I've been sending her links to online coupons for things like her shampoo/conditioner.
Oh, and I sent her a Yogi Tea Well Wish the other day, after sending one to myself. If you or people you love like herbal teas, that's a fun little freebie.
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cathhomeschool
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I used coupons on occasion but, like Jenn, found that most were for packaged things that I normally didn't buy. That's been years, though, so this thread is interesting and I have some questions.
Has anyone figured out how much you time and money you spend finding/clipping coupons and driving to different stores instead of one-stop shopping (factoring gas use, cost of newspapers, etc too) to see if it's worth it? Do you really only buy things your family would have used anyway (or consider an occasional treat, like the raspberries)? If you don't have anything else to do (like Melinda's example of clipping while a child is at lessons and stopping by a store that isn't close to home but is right by lessons), then it's an easy "yes." I'm just trying to figure out if it's makes sense for me, especially since it would involve a learning curve up front. I looked at some of the sites in this thread and they weren't easy for me to navigate so it got overwhelming fast.
I also wonder where everyone stores the stuff they buy. I stock up on cereal when it's on sale, but it's not a year's supply. One problem is that since I'm a major declutterer, I often see a pantry full of cereal as a need to eat more cereal and get rid of it.  But if I didn't, where would I store a year's supply of stuff? For those that have the option of moving, would it make more sense to downsize and invest the money you save? (I'm guessing that most of you ladies stock up, but not that much so that storage is an issue.)
Is there a site out there for beginners that is very user-friendly? 
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JodieLyn
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I have a pantry area in my garage.. it wouldn't work for cereal though.. everything there is pest proof.. so canned goods and popcorn tins and food safe buckets for storage.
Underbeds, in the back of closets.. those are all good places to tuck stuff away.
As far as why you stock up.. when you stock up on foods when they're on sale.. instead of each week using foods you buy where some are on sale and some aren't.. you use your pantry and all the foods you use each week ideally, you will have purchased at sale prices.. you get the items on sale that week and combine with items from the pantry that you got on sale rather than buying those items at full price. It makes a big difference in the long run.
How much you stock up depends on why you're stocking up. I stock up both for savings and to have food on hand for winter leave (non-pay status) options. It's much easier to get through times that are tight money-wise if you aren't needing to spend money right at that moment.
Now yes, you could put aside that money to spend later except.. food prices are not going down.. you are investing that money by buying food today for a few months from now.. you'll be able to buy more food with that money now than you will later.. AND again you have more option for buying at sale prices.
If you're just buying ahead for the money savings, then you'll want to watch your prices.. sales tend to be cyclical and you'll want to stock up enough to make it to the next sale. So some items might be every 6 weeks some might be every 3 months. People keep a price book for this. I do it at more an intuitive level and never have been able to get a price book like I'd want to have.
If you're buying ahead for other reasons.. then those particular reasons will determine how long that is.. but still you work cyclically so while I might stock up on canned goods during the big case goods sale (shown to be cheapest prices) in September, I may stock up on baking supplies (sugar, flour, brown sugar, pwd sugar) near Christmas time because those sales are the cheapest for those products.. so it's not like I have a year's supply of food from January to January.. but I have enough canned goods to get me from the best price of the year to the next year's best price.
Now if you truly want to have a year's supply of food stuff at all times.. then you actually need to work off a rotating pantry system and stock up to 2 years when you stock up.. so that you can be working through 1 year and still have a minimum of a full year stored up. Otherwise as soon as you start using it, you have less than a year's supply.
Stocking up is a very agrarian way of life and goes quite well with seasonal eating.
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SeaStar
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Janette-
I have been using coupons intensely now for exactly 2 months and 2 days, and this week I broke the $1,000.00 mark- combining sales with coupons has saved us over $1,000 on grocery/household items in that time.
I buy 2 Sunday papers each weekend, which costs me $4. My mother also gives me whatever coupons she is not using herself. Then I print the coupons I think I will use from the internet, so there is some cost in paper and ink. I also buy All You Magazine (with a coupon, of course), since it has good coupons and great articles on moneysaving. I have probably not spent over $50 in couponing costs to save over $1,000.
I have a grocery store within 2 minutes of my house, so that helps. But still I find that I have settled into a routine of two store trips a week- one to the store close by, and another to the store close to my daughter's ballet class.
In two months I have learned that it's best (and enough) for me to keep up with just those two stores for the items I need. If I am going to Target or Walmart anyway, then I will check their deals. But I don't go very often- they are not easy for me to get to, and I like CVS but again, I just don't have time.
I have also found that the Southern Savers website is the best and most thorough for the stores I shop in. You can pick the store you want, see the deals, and print out your shopping list. All the items are linked to available coupons, so you can click and print right from that site. Very easy and fast.
I started my coupon journey by reading a couple of books from the library and trying the suggestions. It was interesting and not overwhelming that way- I felt inspired. I agree that some websites are over the top- they give me a headache. And it has been a learning curve, like you said.
I have come to think of it as a kind of hobby- I can put as much or as little time in as I want. I don't buy a year's worth of products... I just go from sale to sale, like Jodie mentioned.
I am astonished every week at how many items I can get for free or just pennies. Toothpaste, pasta, chocolate, cereal, spaghetti sauce... things that I use all the time.
My goal in couponing has been to reduce my overall spending on food, and at the same time to increase what my family is able to give to the food bank at church. I have been able to do both .
And if anyone needs any Lindt chocolate, well, I am stocked up! This fall there has been an avalanche of coupons for their 3.5 oz bars. I have gotten about 6-8 free bars- oh, my- I am in heaven 
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SeaStar
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SallyT wrote:
I know, right? I've thought the same thing, re diapers. But I've been consoling myself with coupons for acne face wash . . .
Sally
PS: My college daughter is a great couponer. She's living in an apartment this year and spent much of the summer working out a reasonable budget, planning some shopping routines, etc. Now that I'm paying better attention, I've been sending her links to online coupons for things like her shampoo/conditioner.
Oh, and I sent her a Yogi Tea Well Wish the other day, after sending one to myself. If you or people you love like herbal teas, that's a fun little freebie. |
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How did I not see this earlier?
Go, Sally's daughter! And I signed up for tea
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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cathhomeschool
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Jodie, your comments on seasonal stocking are great. I realized that I do this already to a teeny tiny degree -- I stock up on granola only when it's on deep discount and do the same with items on discount after Christmas. So extending this thought to the rest of the year seems less overwhelming.
Melinda, I think a library book would be a great start for me and our library carries a couple of titles that I just put on hold! Sadly, Southern Savers doesn't have our grocery store  but maybe I can find a user-friendly site that does. I tried the other night but need to try again. The money saved sounds worth it if I can start slow and not get overwhelmed.
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JennGM
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I have been thinking about the Couponing in this thread because I have been watching those Extreme Couponing shows.
The one thing I see not explained and a little bogus is the situations they set up. If they can save a certain amount of money on couponing, then the person can buy the target item like a car or shed.
But while these people are stockpiling, I still don't see what are they eating every day? Are these savings just to add to the stockpile (which it looks like to me) or is this about planning the the grocery and meal list for the week? I just don't see lots of coupons for non processed foods.
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guitarnan
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That's because there aren't any...or very few. I do better stocking up during the holidays, when some of those items (flour, for example) are discounted a bit.
Now, toiletries are another story - they're not food, and sometimes it's possible to save on things like deodorant and shampoo via couponing.
Another reason to coupon beyond what you would need for your family is to give the extra items to those who need them. Homeless people always need small-sized toiletries, and food banks need, well, food, especially food that can be prepared on one burner or in a microwave.
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SeaStar
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The shows are meant to be fun and dazzle you. If you read couponing books, the authors will state up front that they use coupons for many things and use the savings for things like meat, milk, produce, etc.
There really are many coupons for nonprocessed foods if you know where to look. Stonyfield, Apple Valley, Organic Valley, Earthbound (produce)... they all put out coupons regularly. I have several coupons on hand right now for salad and boxes of Clementines. Also this month I had nice coupons for Silk Almond Milk, which is certified nonGMO- my kids love the dark chocolate almond milk, and with sales and coupons this month I was able to buy it for $1.29 a half gallon.
Subscribing to a couple of coupon blogs has helped me learn where to find the organic deals and coupons. The lady who writes the MoneySaving Mom blog (I think that's where I read it) recently wrote an article on how she uses coupons for her whole food living approach.
If I can find the article again, I will link it for you.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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SeaStar
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Couponing on a Whole Foods Diet
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Martha
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It really does take money to make money.
My dh does some secret shopper stuff. How it works is he spends within a certain $ amount as requested by the agency and they reimburse him that amount plus some more as payment. How much more varies pending where he is secret shopping. But he has to have the money to shop it first.
Same goes for knitting or crochet or sewing something. You have to have the money for the materials before you can make it and sell it for a profit, hopefully.
I can't think of anything that doesn't require start up capital.
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Topic: If you needed to make money....
