How do YOU save money with coupons?

[Sunny Side Up]

It seems I used to be able to save $$$ by cutting coupons, but now it just doesn't seem worth my time to cut, file, & consult while at the store. My primary source for coupons is the fliers that come in my Sunday newspaper. It used to be worthwhile to cut out coupons for items I used, especially when the grocery store offered to double the value of the coupons. I had a nifty little file folder in which I sorted & carried the coupons to the store, then would consult as I shopped.

But nowadays I rarely find coupons for the items I buy, and if I do, they're for such small amounts that it isn't worth the time to prepare & bring along to the store. I buy mostly staples and store brands. Most of the coupons are for prepared brand-name foods. And the extra 20 cents I might save with the coupon on the rare instance that brand is on sale already isn't worth my time to deal with all the preparation & maintenance of the coupon file.

It used to irritate me when I'd have to go through the file & discard all the expired coupons that never got used, it grieved me to think of all the time & effort wasted cutting, sorting & filing.

But there probably are other sources for coupons I'm not aware of, websites where you can access coupons for just the things you need, ways of printing them & more. If YOU have found ways to save $$$ with coupons please share your methods with us!

 

[EweSheep]

I am finding less and less of food products and more bath or household products in my Sunday's paper. It is not worth my time and effort collecting and i really do not save much on my grocery bill. What you might get twenty cents off, you can bet it goes to the taxes you pay at the end of the bill.

I have been finding myself getting good deals in store coupons like Cub's and Kroger's and buy discounted meats.

Homemade detergents helps out some but it is not getting them clean like I wanted it to be. So I am using the generic brand detergent on my good clothes while the homemade gets the towels, bedsheets and blankets.

 

[ChickenToes]

I buy mostly generic. Almost everything I buy is cheaper than the name brand would be, even with a coupon.

 

[Wifezilla]

Since I buy mainly fresh produce, meat and dairy, coupons are pretty useless. The only ones I use now are for TP, shampoo and dish washing detergent.

 

[vfem]

I go as far as clipping each Sunday, looking for who is doing triple coupons and what dates and saving them for then! Harristetter does triple coupons once a month for 3 days up to $0.99. I also hit some stores on Tuesday and Wens. when they do their clearance meats (Walmart has poor meat and high prices!). I also buy from AngelFood Ministries at our local church once a month. When all is said and done, I feed a family of 3 for $150 a month.

Why? Because that is all we can afford without skipping bill payments! ARGH!

Can't go without coupon clipping here.

I must also admit, when my husband gets the sunday paper out of those boxes, for $2 he grabs 2 or 3 papers for the extra coupons. I feel guilty, but he won't stop doin' it!

ETA: I also do the VIP cards, and Upromise has coupons and the college savings. We've managed to save $280 with upromise since 2007, so its worth the extra time to sign up for that.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Yeah- me too. Worst part is I have to drive an hour each way to get what I can't grow myself.

 

[seismic wonder2]

My wife has it down to a science.
We live south in san diego, she has a co worker that lives in north county.

They get together and either swap coupons or buy a lot of one thing and trade with each other.

The coupon thing is like a hobby.
Every once in a while she will com home from Von's with $200.00 of stuff and have spent about $60.00.

She's good at it.

I'm tyring to get her to write a book.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
My husband says that too!

I'll junk 3 stores once a month and come home with $200 worth of groceries for $60

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We don't go out to eat unless we have a coupon for it; we got lots of restaurant coupons at our house with the "junk mail." I buy KeyCards (fundraiser for school). Those are discount cards to local businesses and restaurants; using those, we end up saving 10-20% on each visit for an entire year and the KeyCards end up paying for themselves and then some.

Sometimes I clip grocery coupons, but I usually buy basic stuff at stores like Aldi or Costco, so it's already a pretty big discount just to shop there or buy in bulk.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh I'd KILL for a Costco! Or Trader Joes