Do You Shop With Coupons & Vouchers?
By alicia812
@alicia812 (646)
Australia
May 3, 2012 8:34pm CST
I have seen this show in the US where they featured housewives, women, who are addicted to collecting shopping coupons. All they do the whole day, as if it is their full time job, is to go online, find websites on coupons or vouchers, file them, then schedule their shopping day.
On the scheduled day, these coupon/voucher users did their shopping costing thousands of dollars BUT paid only few dollars after using all those vouchers that they have collected. It was amazing! Really unbelievable!
And so I was inspired to go online after I watched that show. Unfortunately, after browsing in the net and visiting websites, I have not found coupons or discount vouchers that will save me heaps of money in the same way as those people have saved. Oh well, surely there are coupons and vouchers I can print out and avail here in Sydney, but they are like "buy one take one" or 10% off when you buy one item in full price. Still, that would save me some money, but nothing like those crazy discount coupons and vouchers I have seen in that show.
I forgot the title of the show but I will find out and post it here soon. Our Mylotters in the US might have an idea which show it is.
Do you also shop using discount coupons and vouchers? Have you experienced a big shopping trip using lots of coupons/ vouchers and saving you heaps? Share your experience here.
11 responses
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
5 May 12
I work for a grocery store and so I see couponist come in all the time. The grocery store chain i work at has several weeks where they do great sales and allow for super double or triple the amount of a coupon. The store I work at doubles the coupons every day and you can really save big, though this is a high end store and most things are a bit more expensive then other places.
We bring in the freshest proudce we can and we've been complimented on it and told that we are the place they go to, not even a farmer's market.
Well I believe that the shows are very very very made up and that is all there is to it. I believe there must be some sort of role play going on on the show as most of the companies here in the US would not allow for such big savings and we have guidelines to follow when it comes to coupons as well.
I imagine the store is reimbursed somehow by the show or that the whole thing is staged. YES you can save big, but you've got follow the guidelines.
Write companies to get coupons, expressing how you love their product, or maybe even how they can improve it. I've been told to do this before.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
12 May 12
Hi there. I love the last part of your
response here. That's a very good idea.
I will definitely do this and see how
manufacturers will respond to it. Whatever
the result would be a good topic for another
discussion. Thanks heaps!
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
7 Nov 12
No problem I am glad to help. Another tip is that if you get a product that is damaged, like say you open it and the inside plastic is damaged instead of going back to the store, contact the company and they will most likely send you out a coupon for one for free.
@bhonti (1246)
• Philippines
4 May 12
Just both two vouchers today. Haha! Actually it was this afternoon that I bought a 90-minute massage voucher from Ensogo. If you are familiar with it. It was really cheap and the spa was near the place where I work, so I bought two vouchers for me and my friend. 
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
5 May 12
Hi bhonti. I am referring to vouchers and
coupons online that are printable or even
those that were distributed and you don't
have to pay for it. Thanks for sharing
anyway. Enjoy the spa.
@morgandrake (2136)
• United States
4 May 12
My wife and I use a few coupons when we go shopping. She loves them. I, on the other hand, often wonder if they are worth the effort. I notice that the coupons are often for a more expensive item than I would normally get, and often the coupon does not make it cheaper than the item that I would go for without the coupon.
I am not sure what the name of the show is. But I have read dozens of newspaper and internet articles touting the value of coupons.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
4 May 12
Hi morgandrake. I get what you mean here.
Just the other day, Coles had a special promo
for this tissue boxes less 10% of the full
price ($1.99 - 10%/box). I instead bought
a different brand of the same quality, bigger
quantity for $1.29/box. I nearly got attracted
with the 10% off, lucky I realized.
I can't get the title of the show. I recorded it
and my husband deleted it, argh! I think it's a
documentary.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
4 May 12
Got it. It's "Extreme Couponing".
Thanks for the respondent below.
@yanzalong (18987)
• Indonesia
4 May 12
I would never find such coupons in indonesia. We get coupons or vouchers if our shoppings cost more than 5 dollas. Most coupons are for drawing prizes only. I've never heard of coupons given out from a website.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
5 May 12
Hi yanzalong. I believe that couponing
is very popular in the US. However, there
are also lots of websites in Sydney but not
as good as those that are available in the
US. Thanks for the response.
@yanzalong (18987)
• Indonesia
15 May 12
Hi alicia812, how come a friend request is still pending. Just wondering.About the couponing, it's not popular in Indonesia.
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
4 May 12
Yeah I don't use coupons at all. For those who it works well for I'm glad that they are able to save a lot of money. That is great. And I'm sure that it helps their family budget a great, but it definitely would take a lot of work to be that organized. I usually shop at all dollar store for household items and at walmart, and our local grocery store for food items. So most of the items I by are store brand and are already at a discounted price.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
5 May 12
Hi Dominique25. Thanks for the response.
I also love shopping at the dollar shop
here. I usually get those items I need
when there are occasions at home like
paper plates, cups, table napkins and
table clothes, party give-aways etc. They
are so cheap and the quality is ok. I
usually buy in bulk when the items I mostly
use at home were put on discounted prices
that really save me heaps.
1 person likes this
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
19 May 12
I agree with you. I think it is so nice to have a dollar store. We absolutely love shopping there. We are so grateful to such places that when we have extra money it makes us want to go shopping at the dollar store and spend a lot of money there. We don't regret spending a lot of money at such a store because we get a lot and it's a cheap store.
@pandasayori (82)
• United States
4 May 12
I can honestly say that I shop using coupons whenever I get the chance to, especially when I go to Michael's. Being unfortunately unemployed (but currently searching for a job)I like the idea of saving 20% off and entire purchase or 40 - 50% off of an entire item. I guess I'm just that cheap of a person, but I also like being able to save and try to keep some change in my pocket.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
4 Jun 12
Hi pandasayori. I love saving too
and keeping change in my pocket. I
like the idea that coupons are saving
me a lot of money and I can use that
savings for other things that are of
equal importance. Being cheap is ok,
and I think I am getting used to it lol!
@marcmm (1804)
• Malaysia
4 May 12
I know the show. It call "Extreme Couponing". I think I know how they save a lot there.
Like most of the voucher, they had this value or percentage save but it will not totally free. For some item, it wasa on sale and they had that coupon for another saving. Some even had the double up the saving coupon. Because of this they even had the negative price for the product.
Then they use the money the store owe them to buy other things which are not on sale like fresh food. There are a lot of way they manage to save and play around with their coupon and offer. It all depend on startegy and research. That is why they mange to buy goods worth hundres and even thousand for mere less than 10 dollars.
Just wish it was available in Malaysia.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
4 May 12
YES!!!! That's it! Hahahah! Wasn't that
amazing? But the thing there was, they used
the coupons even on items which were already
'on sale' or on 50% discount. That's what made
the items really cheap. And I agree with you
there are "strategies and research" that they
do before they schedule their shopping day.
Really amazing but not available or possible here
in Sydney.
Thanks for the response marcmm!
@Iynna12 (67)
•
4 May 12
My mother likes voucher and coupon systems which give discounts on goods. She thinks it is easer for the cashiers to follow the flow of money coming from the customersbesides there are discounts on them which help you to save some money. it's just the time to go and shop online. I think so too. by the way You said that you didn't found sites which display vouchers with discounts. have a look at www.inboxdollars.com,www.sendearnings.com
@redsurvey21 (17)
• United States
4 May 12
you can save a lot of money using coupons but it takes a lot of time and brain power to keep it all straight
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
4 Jun 12
It takes a bit of perseverance really
to collect them and work out how much
you can save, but it's worth it. Thanks
for the response.
@feebeetee (6)
• United States
4 May 12
I like using coupons. I have not been able to come away with paying just pennies. I am not sure how these people do it. Even when you double a coupon they only double it if it is .50 or less. I think buying store brands save you more money most of the time. Name brands are so expensive that when you use the coupon sometimes you still pay more. I am not a name brand junky so I go with price.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
5 May 12
Hi feebeetee. Recently I switched to home
brands on some of the products that I mostly
use at home. I can say that I am saving from
doing that. The quality anyway is just the
same as that of the branded ones.
@zarasoc (110)
• Philippines
4 May 12
I have not experienced shopping with coupons or vouchers since it was not also common here. Coupons and vouchers are not as common here compared to the US and maybe to other countries too. I do not search online for coupons too but had learned about some of those websites that offers discount coupons for some of the establishments here.
@alicia812 (646)
• Australia
5 May 12
Hi zarasoc. Good on you for having
discovered some of those websites.
I think they would really be helpful
in saving some money instead of paying
the full price on the products you
avail or purchase.
