Do you coupon?

I love coupons! Last week at the grocery store I saved $50. Happy clipping :drinker:

I need tips!

I cant seem to figure it out ~ I feel really slow LOL ~ but I would love to. In this economy every lil bit helps.
Swear I'm not as stupid as that sounds, to put it a bit more clearer, it doesnt seem like I can find coupons that are for anything that I use. Its frustrating Either that or what I usually buy is cheaper without a coupon for something else.
I would love some tips!!

Pssst... don't forget facebook! See if your local grocery stores have a fb page...mine does and they run a big coupon every Thursday for the weekend. Usually it is something like $5 off a $25 purchase, or a free item with $10 purchase....good for fresh fruits and vegies! Last year I paid a grand total of $6.85 for our ENTIRE Thanksgiving dinner for 4 people because of the fb coupons. My fav store will double manufacturers coupons up to .99 per item, and offers a military discount (my guy is a vet). They even give you the sale prices for over lapping ads on Wednesdays. If I go shopping around 9pm they are marking stuff down in the meat and bakery departments, I just take the stuff home and freeze it anyway.

The biggest thing about couponing is not to let it get out of hand. If you don't NEED or USE the item, don't buy it just because you have a good coupon! This time of year I do generally over purchase items for the local food bank though.

saved $68 this week. Can save 40-60% off bill with a little work. The bad thing is fresh fruit and veggies you can't use coupons.

There are sometimes coupons for frozen vegetables/fruit, and last week there were some great nut coupons.

Also if you have coupons that will give you overage you can apply that overage to your produce and meat.

I always clipped some coupons, but I got into it seriously after browsing through a drugstore ad. I saw toothpaste was free after rebate and I new I had a coupon for it. Immediately thought "Wow, they are going to pay me $1 to try their toothpaste." I haven't paid for a tube of toothpaste since. In fact, I won't even bring it home unless they pay me to do so.

I really can't think of one particular deal that was my best. Before Extreme Couponers started to ruin it for everyone, I used to come home with several bags of stuff for each of the major drugstores in my area. Most weeks I made money to bring the stuff home. All done within the rules of the stores and restrictions on the actual coupon.

Of course there are people out there that aren't happy until they ruin a good thing. They would open store cards in their cat & dog names. Make pdfs of internet coupons so they can be used more than the one time they were restricted to. This abuse took place prior to the tv show but the show has caused many to think walking out of the store with three shopping carts of free stuff is the norm. Not only isn't it the norm, most of the people featured on the show are committing fraud. The stores they shop at are facilitating it. There are several articles on the internet that detail the downside of what these scumbags are doing.

For those of you that would like to learn how to coupon, I recommend www slickdeals . net

Just hope you learn how to do it within the rules and don't become one of the scumbags you see on tv.

I started when my husband lost his job in 2010. I'm not an extreme couponer and I don't stockpile either. I just don't have the space to keep tons and tons of stuff on hand. I typically only clip coupons for things I know I will need and use. All others I donate to the military as well as my expired coupons.

These are my tips for anyone just getting started.
1) Get Organized! Don't have them stuffed down in your purse or wallet. Find a system that works for you and keep them organized. I know many people who use binders with card slot insert pages. I used to use a photo album that held 4x6 inch photos. I hated using a binder. It was bulky and trying to rest it on the cart on top of the things in the upper basket was annoying. I switched to a file system. I found a small file that came with inserts and pre-printed category stickers. It fits in my purse and has a snap on the back so you can hook it onto the cart and it's hands-free. For others they love the binder method. It's all about personal preference though and what organization method works best for you.

2) Do NOT use a coupon "just because." Wait for a sale and then use the coupon on top of that.

3) Just because you have a coupon does not mean you should not price compare. There are many times where I will have a coupon for an item but I buy a different brand because it's cheaper even without a coupon. It ties back to rule number 2.

4) Look for coupons EVERYWHERE. Don't pull out just the coupon inserts in your Sunday paper. Look at the adds as well. Stores, especially drug stores and places like Target, will have store coupons in their ads. Don't forget to look on the items as you shop for the "save x amount now," and the pull and take coupons that are in the little red machines attached to the store shelves. Look online and go through your junk mail. Coupon fliers don't come in just the Sunday Paper. Read the RedPlum and the SuperSavors that come in the mail as well.

5) Brand loyalty is a catch 22. I tend to stick to a product I like if I find one that works. For example, I know what kind of deodorant works for me and I typically will only buy that one brand. You also need to know what you like. If you hate Prego pasta sauce and like Ragu don't buy the Prego just because you have a coupon for it. You won't use it and it will sit in your cabinet. On the flip-side, trying new products/brands may mean that you find something new you like better. Be willing to try new stuff but don't go on a spree and buy tons of it just because it's a great deal until you know you like it.

6) Don't clear the shelves. It's rude and annoying. Period.

7) Don't spend more money in gas just to get a great deal. I will not drive all over town to multiple stores to shop. If I can hit place on my way to wherever to score a deal then I will. I won't go out of my way to save a few cents because ultimately, I'm spending more in gas to get there.

8) Don't forget your loyalty cards. The Kroger group of stores has coupons on their website you can load to your card. Print the list of coupons that are loaded though because these are used BEFORE any paper coupons you may have.

9) Know the store's coupon policy.

That's all I've got for now. I may think of other tips later and will add to the list if I do.
Happy Couponing!

Just found this awesome blog that might help some of you who are having trouble

http://myfrugaladventures.com/2011/04/extreme-couponing-where-to-begin/

If you have a Meijer store in your area go on their website and sign up for MPERKS! You get random $2 or $5 coupons off our purchase and you can "clip" digital coupons and then at the check out you just enter your phone number and they will scan your coupons for you. So no actual paper ones. And they almost always have coupons off of their market fresh produce!

Good luck everyone

I really should and I've tried several times. I just don't have the time or patience to clip coupons. I tried grocery game - by the time you pay for the paper, pay for their list and them run to all the different stores - I've spent just as much as if I'd just bought generic.
However, now that my diet has changed drastically I don't have the need for many if the processed, boxed foods anyways. If there were coupons for fresh organic foods I'd reconsider

I've cut back on couponing recently since I stopped buying processed foods for the most part. If you have about 2-3 hours a week to invest in coupons, it's well worth the time. I normally buy 5-6 papers a week. Check major pharmacies (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreenes etc) for the better deals in health and beauty items. Follow the ads and match up the coupons. There is quite a few forums and sites that take the hard part out and do the match ups for you. Just be very careful when getting online coupons. If it looks too good to be true, it's probably counterfeit.