Are you a Regular User of Coupons?
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
December 15, 2009 12:04pm CST
This year we have been trying to save as much money as possible because we've gone through many changes in our lives that makes our expenses greater than they've ever been in the past. I've looked for all of the different ways that I can cut my budget and I find that I am using coupons more often. I'm using coupons for everything.
We get a bi-monthly local magazine that has lots of coupons for different restaurants and although we don't go out to eat nearly as often as we did in the past, we base our choices on the restaurants that have coupons so we can still save money when we decide to give ourselves a luxury.
So, do you use coupons for your grocery shopping? Do you only use the ones in the newspaper or do you print your own online? Do you ever use coupons for restaurants when you decide to go out to eat?
3 people like this
18 responses
@themdno (402)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Yeah, I use coupons. I get the Sunday paper and save all the inserts. I found this site called grocerygame.com, and they give you a guide to use which show you what deals you can get. By using there guide, you can find stuff for really cheap and sometimes free. I needed to start doing that, because I don't have enough to buy groceries every week. I find a lot of stuff that I wouldn't normally try, and I get a bunch of other stuff that I need.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I've vaguely heard of the grocery game but I've never tried it. That might be something that I need to look into further. Does it cost anything to join it?
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
18 Dec 09
I was so busy yesterday that I didn't even have time to look at it again. But, I think that is probably something that we would be able to afford doing, especially when it is saving you money in the long run. Thank you very much for the information.
@themdno (402)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I think it's like $4 a month, and you get a list every week. You end up getting way more than $4 in free stuff, so it is worth it.
I'm pretty sure you can get a free 1 month trial, or something like that. I did that a few months ago, and I got hooked, and I had to subscribe to it.
@sweetbabyjane (1929)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I am a regular user of coupons. My Mother is on the J.C. Penney mailing list and receives a $10 instant cash coupon about every 3rd month. It can be used on merchandise in their store. It has helped out with my grand daughter a new outfit from there since she was born in 2005. I am always looking for more deals like this one. I use a lot of the buy one get one free manufacturer's coupons, they help out, too. Happy New Year and happy mylotting
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
28 Dec 09
Happy New Year to you as well. I like the instant cash that you can get from the stores as well. I really like to be able to get something for a very deep discount because it helps our budget out tremendously. My current favorite place to shop when it comes to clothing for my children is Children's Place because they are constantly sending coupons and then they also have sales on the marked down merchandise so I am able to get great clothing for my children for very little money.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
23 Dec 09
I am and love to go to the store buying over $100 of groceries for less than $50. We use coupons to eat out or do things around town.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
23 Dec 09
It is a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to spend so little on things that would ordinarily cost far more if you were to pay regular price for them.
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
20 Dec 09
We use coupons whenever possible. It's just a good way to save money. My friends and I will also exchange coupons, if one of us finds one for something another of us will use.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Dec 09
We too used to do a coupon exchange with our playgroup. Some of us used different brands of formula when our babies were younger and we would exchange the formula coupons for the brands that we did use.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
18 Dec 09
I try to limit my coupon usage to things that I was going to need to buy anyway, but you are completely correct in saying that they do save you a lot of money.
@sender621 (14893)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I use coupons all of the time. They can be such a savings tool. In these tough economic times coupons can indeed be a blessing.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I can think of more than one time that coupons have been a blessing. When you use a lot of coupons, I love to see the total cost go down when we are at the grocery store.
@nicholejade (2430)
• Canada
16 Dec 09
I rarely use coupons. The only time I really will use coupons are for restraunts. Usually the groceries I buy are in bulk and the only coupons that they have for groceries are for singles. I sometimes find coupons with Costco. That is wear I usually shop but that's only when they send their book of coupons and alot of the time stuff in there I rarely buy so usually it's just no coupons.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
If you are going to buy in bulk, I don't think that it is as important to use coupons as if you are buying just for a single week. We also need to start working in some bulk buying into our budget because it is nice to be able to buy things that you know you are going to use in bulk and not have to worry about it for a while.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
15 Dec 09
we use lots of coupons i have always used them but my son just recently started. in fact when the kids were growing up, they used to argue over who was going to cut the coupons out of the paper and/or magazines for me i really wish i had a printer to print them but my pc is a laptop. been meaning to look into that.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
You may be able to find a decent printer for fairly cheap around this time of the year if you are able to afford it. However, when you are looking into your printer, make sure and also check out the price of ink cartridges as well because sometimes you will find that the cost of the ink cartridge refills is as expensive as the printer itself.
@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Hi Dorann.
I used to always do the coupons when my kids were home, usually from the Sunday paper. And not so long ago, I also printed them from online. I decided the cost of printer ink nixed the savings! So I don't do that any more.
I usually buy generic or store brands. Most of the stores I use now have coupons you can tear off a "pad" attached to the shelf below the products. So that is what I do these days.
Sometimes, I use pizza coupons for eating out, but that is rare these days, too, and I miss it!
Karen
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
My husband and I used to eat out once to two times per week and now we are down to only eating out 1-2 times per month. I also miss eating out to a certain extent, but the thing that I do like is that I am able to enjoy it more when we do go out to eat.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I think coupons are a wonderful thing, they really do help us to make ends meet when the strings are really tight for us.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
The coupons that are for places that I wouldn't have visited or things that I wouldn't have bought anyway are normally bound for the blue container (our recycling bin). I really think about whether or not I need the item that I have a coupon for.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
It is nice to have coupons for restaurants and it is often the restaurant coupons that I have that will dictate where we will go out to eat.
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
16 Dec 09
Cupouns are a great option when you want to save. I always use cupouns when I go to the hairsalon, as there`s a monthly magazine I can pick up for free with coupons for lots of places. It has also for restaurants, but I still haven`t tried using them.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I also like it when I can find coupons to get my hair cut. As a matter of fact, I really need to get my hair cut right now but I just don't have the money to do it at this time. If I was able to get the money and find a coupon I would definitely get my hair back in shape again.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I've never came across a case where there have been obligations imposed for the use of a coupon. However, this is a great thing to remember so that I will always check to make sure of this.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I too will only use a coupon if it is for the exact item that I am looking to buy. I don't let a coupon persuade me to buy a pricier brand unless it will make the total cost be less than the brand that I typically use.
@dmrone (746)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Hi! Yes, i use coupons for my grocery shopping, and i print them from several sites online that i am signed up with and i also try to get them from the Sunday paper. I don't get them from the Sunday paper as often, because our Sunday paper costs two dollars now, and to me that is not worth it. I have used a coupon for eating out, but my husband and i usually only do that once a year lately.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
We don't get them so much from the newspaper any more either because of the fact that the cost is sometimes more than what I would be able to save on the other items that I need to buy. Mostly as far as the Sunday paper coupons go, I will take the ones that I will use from my mother after she has bought the newspaper.
@much2say (56050)
• Los Angeles, California
15 Dec 09
I am the coupon queen - hee hee!! Oh yes, I have a sturdy, handy dandy coupon organizer and I take it with me everywhere. The coupons are literally free money . . . and I love looking at the receipts when I get out of the store to see how much the coupons helped with the total bill. I have actually been growled at from the people behind me in line because I have had wads of coupons that the cashier had to go through - sometimes it takes a while - ha ha.
I have a few coupon sources. My parents get the paper (we don't, a luxury we've cut out from our budget) . . . and my mom saves the coupon section for us . . . whatever she doesn't use, we get the rest. We also get coupons in the mail - whether they are "flyers", an envelope with various coupons from local merchants, or in magazine form also from merchants in the neighborhood. I also get coupons from the main markets - for being in their "club" system. I know there are sites that have those online printable coupons, but I hardly ever go there . . . ink cartriges are expensive, so I try not to print unless absolutely necessary.
Market tip: You save more if a grocery store does the double coupon deal . . . and the item you are buying with the coupon is on sale. I've literally gotten stuff for a few cents . . . I love that!
Yes, we have used coupons when eating out . . . many times! Sometimes the coupons have decided for us where we'd eat! I don't think we've ever gotten a Papa John pizza without a coupon!
Oh - my one other coupon source - my mother in law. She works at a school and she buys those entertainment books. She buys them from 20 some bucks and never uses it so she gives it to us. There are a lot of 2 for 1 deals in there . . . not just restaurants, but also entertaiment places like ice rinks or aquariums, etc.
Side note: MIL can use the entertaiment book for herself if she'd only take the time to read what was in it . . . plus she gets a subscription for TWO newspapers but throws out the coupons saying she does not have time to cut them out. I've told you before they had money issues . . . there are ways they could be saving tons of money, but they just don't bother.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
You really do sound like you are the queen of coupons. I think that I need to take some lessons from you on ways that I will be able to save even more money with coupons. We had one of the enterainment books last year that I won at a local event and that thing was great, we used the coupons from it all the time until they expired. I really wanted to get another one for this year but I haven't been able to find anyone that is selling them.
@scottcoleson (578)
• Pilot Mountain, North Carolina
15 Dec 09
My wife and I are huge fans of cutting coupons. The Winston-Salem Journal newspaper has a huge packet of coupons every Sunday and we normally go through them and get the things that we use. We also sign up to be on people's mailing lists (Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, etc.) and they usually send out some really good coupons and discounts too. And any store that offers rewards programs, I would take advantage of them as well. The way the economy is now, every penny saved means a lot!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
16 Dec 09
You are very right, every penny that we save is something that can be used somewhere else with the way that everyone's households are going these days. Bravo to you and your wife for using coupons.