Coupon Clipping & poll

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Brenda_V

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Okay, so everytime I want to find out how to save money on my groceries I read some article on how this one family is doing it by clipping coupons and going to the store on “double” or “triple” coupon day!

So tell me, how many of you even have a store that doubles the coupons let alone triples them? Also, where in the US (or World) do you live? I am also interested in if you even use coupons, hence the poll.

There is not a single store in my State that I know of that does double coupons and not only that but most coupons are for things we don’t even use or like so my savings are nil when it comes to this savings tactic.
 
I live in NJ…there are two local supermarkets that every so often (maybe once or twice a month) will double the coupons up to 99cents…WHOPPIE:rolleyes:
 
None of the stores in my area offer double coupons. Back when I was just out of college most stores would double coupons and I used to spend a lot of time dealing with coupons. Sometimes I could save $100 and spend only about $30; however, a lot of what I ended up with really wasn’t the type of foods or products that I really would have wanted had they not been free or almost free. I don’t clip coupons anymore. Instead I buy based upon what is on sale, buy store brands, and buy mostly fresh fruit, veggies, and meat, avoiding packaged processed foods as much as possible. To me that is the best way to save money & time and end up with the products that I actually want.
 
I save a lot using coupons, some times I get stuff for free (sale+coupon). The ones I use the most right now are the diaper ones. I don’t always use/remember to use the ones that are for 50 cents or less, but if it is something I use I clip the coupon and put it in my little coupon binder. My grocery store also offers coupons for being part of the baby club, and those are great, ($1 off any produce, free wipes, stuff like that). My grocery stores do not do double coupons. One thing that I did notice was that the local grocery store here (I’m not home) does do double coupons every day for some items, but the price is jacked up so it ends up costing the same as if I bought it at Walmart or something. Another thing I used to do back home was use the supermarket shoppers from the newspaper to see what was on sale and check out what I needed/use often. I would make a list with prices according to store and take it with me to Walmart (with coupons if I had any) and they would match the price 🙂
 
**We live about an hour outside of Philadelphia and both stores i shop at double coupons up to 99 cents no matter what day it is:) Wegmans and Giant Food Stores…

I personally like Wegmans a bit better but sometimes they are a little more…**
 
We don’t have any local stores that double coupons. One of my local stores does take expired coupons, so that helps! I only clip coupons that I know we will use (diapers, toliet paper, soap, pasta, cereal, etc). Then I try to match my coupons with sales. Since I don’t buy a lot of packaged stuff, I don’t clip a lot of coupons, and most that I clip are less than 50 cents each. But I still do pretty well at the store. It takes some time to clip, compare with sales. It also takes some space to store extras. I usually wind up with plenty of toothpaste several times a year, because Walgreens often puts in on sale and combined with a coupon, it is anywhere from free to 25 cents a tube. I like buy one get one free sales, because I can use two coupons and get a really good price. (Or with a buy one get one free coupon, you can get 4 items for the price of one, which is like a 75% off sale.) In all honesty, though, if I think only about my groceries (not diapers or household stuff), I don’t save much money on food by clipping coupons. But I make up for it in savings on other stuff.

MJ
 
My grocery store doubles coupons up to 50 cents. But this is what I have found in the past few years…many coupons are only good if you buy 2 or 3 of the product. So…a coupon says 1 dollar off…and the smaller print says “three of this item” so my savings drops, and is often not as much as if I buy the store brand. sigh.

My store always has several buy one get one free offers, and the good news is that this chain…will let you buy one at half price! YEY! I save most of my grocery dollars that way. I stock up when I am literally getting the item half price.

I do find that coupons and buy one get one free (but you do have to buy two) at the drugstore chains, are often worth the drive. I stock up on cold medicine, vitamins, hair color etc, and often they will have a Sunday circular coupon as well that drops the price even more.

I go to the “scratch and dent” grocery store and Aldi once a month to stock up on canned goods at better than grocery store prices, and I buy my toiletries at Dollar General.

Rather than waste too much time and gas…I do this. I have a once a month day to hit the discount stores (Dollar General, or Dollar Tree) for toiletries, and the discount food stores for canned goods and pasta. I check the Sunday circulars for the best deal on the items I actually use at the drug store chains, and hit them when I am driving by to do other errands. I stock up on whatever my regular grocery store has on sale. I look through the Sunday circulars at the coupons, and I cut out laundry detergent, and a few others that don’t require me to buy 3 of something. I rarely end up using more than 2 or 3 coupons. Even when I cut them out and bring them to the store…I do the math, and usually they don’t save me over buying store brand.

I never cut out coupons for items we don’t use just to save money. That may sound simplistic but with kids…it is not. Many times…that coupon is a big teaser to get you hooked on something that will be high priced forever in the future. I don’t need my kids hooked on some high end product and have to keep hearing about it ad nauseum.

Hope this helps.

cheddar
 
I only clip coupons for products that we will actually use. We don’t eat a lot of the processed foods, so no point wasting my time clipping those. If we need something at the store, I won’t NOT buy it just because it’s not double-coupon day or a sale; I’m a full-time student, DH works a lot of overtime, and we go to the store only when it’s convenient for us. But it is a really good feeling when I go to the store armed with my detergent (or other) coupons, to find out that it’s double-coupon day and our preferred brand is already on sale. Score! 😃
 
My local store (Ralph’s) doubles coupons, but Vons no longer does. I play (off and on) something called the “Grocery Game” where I can print out a list, and it figures out when I should use the coupons and when I should save them for another week. The philosophy is one of “stocking up” on items that are non-perishable, and buying them when they are at their lowest price and using a coupon. It sounds complicated, but it’s not. You can find out about it on www.thegrocerygame.com. I’m not sure if it’s available in all areas.
 
There are several near me (Baltimore Suburbs) that double, I’m not sure about triple. We have many grovery chains here, though, so I guess it’s a competition thing. I don’t clip anymore though. I stopped buying most prepackaged items, and so I canceled the paper since I was barely braking even.
 
There are rarely any coupons for products that I use. If something like flour turns up with a coupon, the store brand is still cheaper. However, I have used the coupons for the store itself, the kind where you get $5 off if you have a $50 grocery bill. Unfortunately, they upped it to $75 dollars, making it harder to use the coupon.

I save by shopping ethnic groceries and using their loss leaders. Their produce is cheaper and fresher, though their potatoes just don’t last like potatoes from a standard grocery, and the selection is substantially different. Their meat is more likely to be choice and not barfy select.
 
I usually buy store brands, and they are cheaper than the name brands, even with the coupons, most of the time.
 
You didn’t have my option!
I don’t clip coupons because it is a waste of my precious time.
However, this is why it is a waste of my precious time.
My dh will clip them.
We even have an envelop on the frig to hold them until shopping day.
We’ll make our menu and make our list.
We’ll note which items we have coupons for and place said coupons in pocket/purse.
We get the groceries in the cart.
We get in line.
We buy said items.
We go home.
We empty our pocket/purse before bed.
THEN we use the coupon (that was chewed by toddler, was invisible when we search for it at the store, or completely forgotten) to pad the trash can near the bed.
Therefore, I do not clip coupons because it is a waste of my precious time.
It is a sign of character that my loving husband still retains hope of them being used and continues to clip them.
It’s a private joke (or not now!) between us.
Oddly enough, it makes no difference in our shopping expenses. 😉 I think we do pretty good for our size family.
Also, I have done it cheaper and paid in health. Don’t let people fool you. Cheap groceries are not money savers. I will buy healthy at the best prices. I’ll go cheap for a meal or 2. But eating on the cheap 7 days a week is just shifting the expense from the grocery budget to the medical budget.
 
www.couponmom.com

I don’t use coupons much, but this lady wrote a book about it, and has a website that helps you get the best deals at the stores near you.
It only has one store in my area though.
 
Lately, I’ve found that coupons for items I actually want to buy are few and far between. Also, some coupons are for .99 off if you buy 3 or 4. I don’t have room to store 3 or 4.

I rarely use coupons any more. —KCT
 
I put all the coupons from the sunday paper in the drawer until I’m about to go food shopping – then I sit down with them instead of hitting the couch after the kids are in bed (I can still see the tv, so it’s not much sacrifice…lol) – I clip, and make my list, puttting a check mark next to each thing that has a coupon…that way I don’t forget it. Then I shove my coupons into my back pocket of my jeans for the next day, and off we go. I tend to save about $7-$15/trip this way, which to me, is worth the effort.

Oh, I should add I shop at the commissary, so no coupon doubling or anything.
 
I have found that by using coupons from newpaper inserts for products we use actually pays for the newspaper. In my area the pharmacies compete for business so you get a gift card for ten to twenty-five dollars for having a new or transferred prescription.

My DIL uses the Couponizer. She says the only way it could be improved is if if had a snap or Velcro closure. I may try this also since my main problem is keeping coupons organized and not hiding in the kitchen drawer. qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail
 
I love to clip coupons, but only for stuff that my family is really going to use.

And we do have 1 local store that does offer double coupons…but their prices are higher on everything, so it’s cheaper to go to the stores that don’t double the coupons, lol
Tif =8-)
 
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