coupons

[DollarBill]

I don't currently use coupons. I wonder where people get their coupons? I notice I can get a better deal if I buy at a discount store like Aldi's without a coupon. It seems like I could find some good deals with coupons but would have to buy name brand. Should I look at this differently??

[bikebum]

I don't do coupons. Seems they are always for things I don't want, and I don't want to spend the time with them.

[geekette]

The only coupons I get are ones my Mom hands me, and ones I search out online for stuff I do use - like the $7 off the expensive vet food that keeps my cat from dying. 

Some love 'em, but they're mostly not worth the trouble for me (and the Aldi's near us isn't worth the trip either). 

[LibrarIan]

If I happen upon them, I use them. Not for things I don't need otherwise, but for things I do buy and need. I'm not going to go out of my way for them. The Kroger grocery store has an online coupon system for a lot of items, but they're usually ripoffs. You can often get coupon papers and ad papers free of charge directly from the grocery store and sometimes you might find something worthwhile. Those people who make couponing their lives are wasting time, obsessive, buying things they don't need, hoarding things from others and setting bad examples for their children.

[Rebecca Stapler]

I'm a couponer, and for the products I buy, Aldi's never cut it for me. I could get better products, for cheaper, at the regular grocery store with coupons.

I mostly order my coupons from www.TheCouponClippers.com. I explained my method in a blog post a few months back: http://staplerconfessions.com/index.php/coupons-without-the-scissors/

But I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

[CommonCents]

There is no Aldi's near me.

Some I print.  I used to get coupons from the newspaper when I got a deal for buying it.  Now, I get the Saver, which has some of the same coupons but is free.  I also had a friend that would give me her parents coupons sometimes (they refused to coupon, saw it as beneath them).  Sometimes coffee shops would have them in the newspapers and I would grab them if I happened to be there on a Sunday.  I would also pull the coupons from Sunday newspapers on the very rare times when I travel them and was at hotel that had newspapers.  You can get mobile ones now but I haven't done that so much beyond % off type ones when shopping for things other than groceries.

[Gin1984]

savingstar.com has online coupons that load onto your grocery cards and when you get $5, you can transfer it into paypal.  I also use swagbucks' printable coupons.  I normally use the matchup sites (iheartcvs.com and a matchup for my grocery store) to see if there are any deals I need.

[CommonCents]

I'm a couponer, and for the products I buy, Aldi's never cut it for me. I could get better products, for cheaper, at the regular grocery store with coupons.

I mostly order my coupons from www.TheCouponClippers.com. I explained my method in a blog post a few months back: http://staplerconfessions.com/index.php/coupons-without-the-scissors/

But I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

Read your post.  I also suspended service when there were no coupons!  But when I canceled my subscription they calculated my weeks held wrong and charged me an extra week of getting it.  The cancellation call itself took an hour to get my refund (initially they had the count even more off), so I decided I didn't want to call them again, but would never again purchase a newspaper from the Globe because the woman directly lied to me about the amount she was processing the refund for.  I meant to write a letter of severe complaint (refusing to do what is right is one thing - lying is absolutely unacceptable) but never got around to it.

Haven't yet done the clipping service though I've considered it.

[ljp555]

Safeway is the pricier grocery store here. I use their app to see what's on sale, what's available for "just for U" discounts, and other electronic coupons. I see a $5 off $25 coupon about every month. It helps me make my grocery list and meal plans around what's on sale that week.

[hybrid]

I have nothing against couponing, I just don't get a big enough bang for the buck. I use a few each year if I stumble upon them. I do use The Entertainment Book some, which is similar to couponing (especially the $20 off $100 at Dicks Sporting goods, and the family always need a new pair of athletic shoes once a year so that's a gimme). There are a few inexpensive restaurants we frequent that are in that book, so it works for us.

A lady at work is a big time couponer and has always been very frugal. She uses some of her down time at work for that (may as well I say, she's very diligent at her job....). I just do side gig work instead, I can earn more in the time it takes to find coupons.  To each their own I say, just different ways of playing the same game.

[Rebecca Stapler]

I'm a couponer, and for the products I buy, Aldi's never cut it for me. I could get better products, for cheaper, at the regular grocery store with coupons.

I mostly order my coupons from www.TheCouponClippers.com. I explained my method in a blog post a few months back: http://staplerconfessions.com/index.php/coupons-without-the-scissors/

But I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

Read your post.  I also suspended service when there were no coupons!  But when I canceled my subscription they calculated my weeks held wrong and charged me an extra week of getting it.  The cancellation call itself took an hour to get my refund (initially they had the count even more off), so I decided I didn't want to call them again, but would never again purchase a newspaper from the Globe because the woman directly lied to me about the amount she was processing the refund for.  I meant to write a letter of severe complaint (refusing to do what is right is one thing - lying is absolutely unacceptable) but never got around to it.

Haven't yet done the clipping service though I've considered it.

You know what? I had the same experience cancelling my paper too! Was it the Boston Globe? I was on the phone for 45 minutes and her explanation STILL didn't make sense :(

[LouisPritchard]

I clip them. Where I live there's a Wal-Mart and a Kroger (City Market) so not too much in the way of options for shopping. I subscribe to the Sunday paper ($1.75 per) and print them on redplum.com and coupons.com. There's also the electronic ones at citymarket.com you can add to your card but they are usually the same as the paper ones and they won't double the electronic, but will the paper.

I think it's worth it if it's for stuff you're going to buy anyway, just don't start buying random stuff just because you have a coupon, and pay attention cause a lot of times there's a store brand or other alternative that's still cheaper even after the discount.

And check the email list for whatever stores you do use. I know kroger has a "friday download" is always a coupon for something free.

[CommonCents]

I'm a couponer, and for the products I buy, Aldi's never cut it for me. I could get better products, for cheaper, at the regular grocery store with coupons.

I mostly order my coupons from www.TheCouponClippers.com. I explained my method in a blog post a few months back: http://staplerconfessions.com/index.php/coupons-without-the-scissors/

But I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

Read your post.  I also suspended service when there were no coupons!  But when I canceled my subscription they calculated my weeks held wrong and charged me an extra week of getting it.  The cancellation call itself took an hour to get my refund (initially they had the count even more off), so I decided I didn't want to call them again, but would never again purchase a newspaper from the Globe because the woman directly lied to me about the amount she was processing the refund for.  I meant to write a letter of severe complaint (refusing to do what is right is one thing - lying is absolutely unacceptable) but never got around to it.

Haven't yet done the clipping service though I've considered it.

You know what? I had the same experience cancelling my paper too! Was it the Boston Globe? I was on the phone for 45 minutes and her explanation STILL didn't make sense :(

YES!

I chatted first with a guy with a thick Indian accent, whom I assume was actually located there.  We went through the history, discovered how many I was owed, but he couldn't credit me the money.  Took a while to walk it through with him (and I put it on hold for TWO weeks so there should be credit for TWO weeks, not one...).  He transfered me then to the woman that boldly lied.  I had to walk her through the same numbers, I asked her how much she was crediting me, she told me the right number, and then credited me one less.  Hmm, it's been almost year, but now I'm getting annoyed with them again.  Maybe I will write the letter still.  And sign it esquire and throw in a reference to consumer fraud and Chapter 93A...

[MrsPete]

I've never found food coupons to be particularly worthwhile.  As other have said, they tend to be for processed foods that I don't want, and store brands (equal quality to national brands) are cheaper most of the time. 

I'm able to do better by shopping at places other than grocery stores.  For example, when I go to "the city", I go to two different ethnic food stores (I take a cooler) and make a BIG purchase.  And I go to the health food store to buy spices.  Then I don't need to go to those stores again for 4-6 months.  In the summer I go to the farmer's market most Saturdays.  This is much more worthwhile than scraping after coupons. 

On the other hand, I have had good luck with coupons for health and beauty items and for cleaning products. 

[DollarBill]

Funny story...So when I posted this subject I was thinking how can I decrease my budget for food. Since it is my largest budget besides my taxes. Well, I looked in my fridge and the only things I saw were veggies and meat except for my condiments...lol. Everything else is can goods from Aldi's. So I guess I need to crunch some numbers in different parts of my budget. :) 

[FrugalZony]

I'm a couponer, and for the products I buy, Aldi's never cut it for me. I could get better products, for cheaper, at the regular grocery store with coupons.

I mostly order my coupons from www.TheCouponClippers.com. I explained my method in a blog post a few months back: http://staplerconfessions.com/index.php/coupons-without-the-scissors/

But I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

Read your post.  I also suspended service when there were no coupons!  But when I canceled my subscription they calculated my weeks held wrong and charged me an extra week of getting it.  The cancellation call itself took an hour to get my refund (initially they had the count even more off), so I decided I didn't want to call them again, but would never again purchase a newspaper from the Globe because the woman directly lied to me about the amount she was processing the refund for.  I meant to write a letter of severe complaint (refusing to do what is right is one thing - lying is absolutely unacceptable) but never got around to it.

Haven't yet done the clipping service though I've considered it.

You know what? I had the same experience cancelling my paper too! Was it the Boston Globe? I was on the phone for 45 minutes and her explanation STILL didn't make sense :(

YES!

I chatted first with a guy with a thick Indian accent, whom I assume was actually located there.  We went through the history, discovered how many I was owed, but he couldn't credit me the money.  Took a while to walk it through with him (and I put it on hold for TWO weeks so there should be credit for TWO weeks, not one...).  He transfered me then to the woman that boldly lied.  I had to walk her through the same numbers, I asked her how much she was crediting me, she told me the right number, and then credited me one less.  Hmm, it's been almost year, but now I'm getting annoyed with them again.  Maybe I will write the letter still.  And sign it esquire and throw in a reference to consumer fraud and Chapter 93A...

I guess it's the same with every paper!
I cancelled the AZ republic and they did the same to me
I now get sunday papers at the dollar store, trade coupons or buy from a clipping service if it's something I need
You can also write to the manufacturers of the products you use and some will send you coupons

[FrugalZony]

We have just had this discussion recently on the board, it's a common misconception that there's only coupons for junk food.
I buy mostly fruits and veggies, some dairy, mostly organic and I fair well with coupons
Here's a link to the other thread including some produce coupons

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/why-i-play-the-grocery-game/msg254252/#msg254252

Generally speaking it's easier to coupon for health and beauty items
Investing a few weeks couponing at drugstores, usually yields us enough
supplies for a few months, I start back up when we start running low
Usually a few weeks in spring and then back into the game right around the holidays
We have a stockpile of shampoo, razors, soap, laundry detergent and shampoo, that I literally
paid pennies for or in some cases got paid to remove from the store

[ivyhedge]

Many of the stores local to us (Boston) have done away with physical coupons in favor of using rewards cards. And Costco finally converted the paper coupons last year to a trigger on the membership card so you don't need to cut them unless they serve as a reminder.


Others that we use are online - Michael's & PetsMart, mostly. And those cashiers honor them like mad.