Do mustachians coupon?

[Not Your Monkey]

Hi!  I've been lurking for a little while now. I guess my husband and I have sort of been mustachians before we even knew what that meant. We have been blessed with two high paying incomes but live on less than one.  Some of that is due to the fact that we don't really enjoy shopping or owning lots of things. Some of it is due to the fact that we like to cook and eat in a lot. And some of it is due to the fact that I enjoy couponing. We generally don't pay for things like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, laundry detergent, etc. 

Just wondering if others partake in this hobby/money saving activity.

[ducky19]

I would say that me and Mrs. Ducky do but could probably do a lot more of it! Do you have any tips or pointers?

[FinancialWarrior]

I think one would have to be really diligent to not be tempted to buy things you wouldn't normally purchase just because a coupon exists for the item.

[Morning Glory]

I do it the easy way, no clipping or organizing. I browse websites like Krazy Coupon Lady and Hip2Save for deals, then print what I need. I also like apps such as ibotta and checkout 51. This saved me about 50% on diapers for my son. I have slowed down due to having enough toothpaste and shampoo. I still get the freebies if I am going to the store anyway and can use or donate them, and I browse for deals on pet food and other items I need.

I suppose it is mustachian if you don't get carried away or make unnecessary car trips.

[RWD]

Kroger often gives us coupons for stuff we've just/recently purchased so sometimes we use those. But we don't go out of our way to find coupons or even to use coupons we already have. We just don't buy enough stuff for it to be worth the effort.

[I'm a red panda]

We use coupons, but we don't "coupon".

I'd say mustachians do what they want. There aren't rules.

[inline five]

We coupon when we can but we have improved what we eat over the last few years. Not a lot of coupons for fresh veggies out there. Sometimes when things go on major sale we bulk up. But I also consider the cost of having 18 bottles of shampoo and 142 rolls of TP as well.

For my job I bring home lots of free soap and shampoo so that's something we haven't bought in probably 12 years.

[ketchup]

There aren't really coupons for the sort of things I tend to buy.  I'll "shop the sales" at the grocery store often though and stock up if there's a screaming deal on something non-perishable (or freezable).  Meijer will occasionally spit out a "$1 off your next produce purchase of $15 or more" or equivalent with my receipt, which is nice but rare.

The closest I come is probably using CamelCamelCamel for a lot of Amazon purchases (I'll know I want to buy something, look at the history, and if it tends to dip in price reasonably routinely, I'll add an alert for it.  Recently did it with a Brother printer that's usually $125-130 and got it when it dipped to $99.).

[stoaX]

We use coupons, but we don't "coupon".

I'd say mustachians do what they want. There aren't rules.

Exactly what I wanted to say but you beat me to it!

[CheapScholar]

I seem to remember one MMM article where he says coupons are a waste of time/money because they usually exist to move products people don't want, and are often processed food or marked up brands anyway.  I generally agree with this.  I won't go out of my way for coupons.  I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi and they don't take coupons (they sell mostly their own brands).  I stop by my local big grocery store for deli meats and hamburger meat and a couple other things Aldi doesn't carry.  Toothpaste - I find that's pretty cheap but I've used coupons a few times.  Soap and shampoo - I travel enough for work to where I just use the free stuff I get in rooms (this drives my wife crazy because I might have have a couple small shampoo bottles in the shower).

The few recent times I can remember using coupons:

Mail coupon for oil change at jiffy lube
Mail $1.99 happy meal I got for my son
Mail coupon from Great Clips for $8.99 haircut

[Not Your Monkey]

I would say that me and Mrs. Ducky do but could probably do a lot more of it! Do you have any tips or pointers?

I would agree with excalibur16 that you have to be careful not to buy stuff just because a coupon for that thing exists.

Like MrsWolfeRN, I use the hip2save website/blog and usually just print the coupons I need, mainly from coupons.com or redplum.com or SmartSource.com. That being said, the hip2save website is littered with a lot of consumerist junk that you have to wade through. I also read the krogerkrazy website because it seems to be mildly more reasonable and is specific for Kroger stores.
In the Pacific Northwest, whospendsmoney is really helpful because he doesn't have quite as much junk and he does weekly matchups with little helpful comments on the side (like "cheap" or "free" in red next to an item that is well priced for the week) and has a link for a matching printable coupon under that item right there for you to click.

In response to Slow2FIRE's comment, I think you just might have to know where to look for coupons sometimes. The California dairy board put out a printable coupon on their website for 35 cents off any cheese that is marked "real California cheese."  I have paired this coupon with a sale at Safeway when 8oz shredded cheese bags (store brand) are on sale for 99 cents (this happens maybe only twice a year). Makes it 64 cents per bag or $1.28/lb. I would buy 10 bags and throw them in the freezer to be used at a later time.
 
I think it's odd, but sometimes you can get the best deal on high end stuff. Currently there's a deal at Target where you can buy Woodstock Farms organic frozen vegetables for as little as 55 to 79 cents per bag if you print out the $1 off coupon and use Target's cartwheel app. Time to stock up.  Bob's red mill flour was on sale before Christmas for $1.99 at our local store. Pair that with the printable coupon found on their website and it ended up being 20 cents per pound of high quality flour. Since we bake our own bread and make cookies a lot, I felt comfortable that we would be able to get through 8 bags before the expiration date. So that's how many I bought!   

At this point, I know what a good deal is for certain meats, so I will always make a pass through the clearances meat section and pick up whatever is a great deal at 50% off.  My grocery store also has a section for discounted slightly bruised fruits and veggies (often organic!). I will plan my meals around what I was able to buy for cheap that week. I fill in the gaps with whatever I have in the freezer.  I have a healthy amount of frozen fish, meat, veggies, and fruit in my freezer.

I also don't use coupons for everything.  Buying nuts, beans, dried fruit, and especially spices in bulk is REALLY a cheap option.

My husband and I are fortunate in that we have a small basement area where we can easily house our stockpile. That way when an awesome sale for toilet bowl cleaner or contact solution comes up, I will buy enough to last years (or at least until the expiration date).

Hope that is a helpful start.

[nara]

I use them only on occasion for special treat items (like ice cream, gourmet peanut butter, etc.) I will even contact companies that I love and ask for coupons (those are usually the best ones) and hold onto them till they're on sale. I've gotten items completely for free this way.

[Well Respected Man]

I've used couponmom.com in the past. It tells you the best deals in your area by store or category (grocery, pharmacy, etc.). It tells you which week's circular has the right coupon. I did it for a while, then stopped getting the Sunday paper, so kind of let it go. I shop the sales, and use Petco, Staples, Bed Bath and Beyond coupons, as well as the occasional grocery flyer coupon or coupon printed at checkout.

[Nangirl17]

I keep my eyes open on a Facebook page that I'm on for freebies or nearly freebies (usually a combination of a sale, coupon, & Checkout 51), but I only go for what we usually use already - it usually ends up being laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, soap, toothpaste, etcetera. It is very rare (although it has happened before) to find foodstuffs that I would have bought already for free/very cheap.

The sense of satisfaction to get a bottle of dish soap for 17 cents (or better yet, -17 cents!!) makes my day - not only because I like to save money, but then my DH just acts like I'm really awesome, and who doesn't love a good ego-stroking?? :-D

[Jammu]

We do. We've saved thousands and thousands.

Yes, after a while you notice some trends like processed grains being heavily discounted. But we save on everything. That 35 cent California Dairy coupon was the best! Anyone find the new one yet?

My spouse mostly does the organizing. The key is double, triple, quadruple dipping. He reads the blogs. Sometimes Target will offer some very good values on real food. You just need to be ready when it comes up.

Sure, we get a lot of weird stuff going for the "money makers." Here's where I might put the breaks on. I don't allow us to, say, buy 100 of something to make 3 cents each. But we do make money, and donate the extra stuff to the local food shelf.

Rite Aid and Plenti points make us at least 500 bucks a year, plus truckloads of free stuff. We use the Plenti points to buy stuff we wouldnt otherwise.

The coupon frame of mind leeches in to other aspects of shopping or spending money.

Don't go overboard. It can almost be a burden if you tend towards the obsessive, as some of us surely do.

[calimom]

So much of what's coupon-able seems to either be processed food shot full of chemicals and sugar, or cleaning products I'd never use in the first place. So, no I don't coupon as a verb, but I get it as a noun. Whatever works.

[Not Your Monkey]

makes my day - not only because I like to save money, but then my DH just acts like I'm really awesome, and who doesn't love a good ego-stroking?? :-D

Ha ha ha!  This!!!
Mr NYM and I stopped in the store last month on our way home.  I quickly picked up a couple packages of flour tortillas, some yogurt, cheese, some candy bars, and a couple apples. The bill after coupons ended up being around 20 cents. He looked stunned and totally impressed. After giving me a huge goofy grin, he said, "you're the best wife in the world!"

Don't go overboard. It can almost be a burden if you tend towards the obsessive, as some of us surely do.

Good job saving as much as you do!  I can't agree with this piece of advice enough. I like saving money and I find couponing a fun math exercise. I think one of the main points of mr money mustache's blog is that life should be about increasing your happiness. So don't burden yourself if this looks like work to you! 

That being said, if anyone is interested in saving an easy $10 at CVS, they are offering a $10 off $15 purchase using their new curbside service. Basically buy $15 worth of stuff at cvs.com, pay for it online using curbside pickup, and it will be available at your local CVS store within an hour. The coupon code is cvscurb2017. I get no kickbacks from this. I just thought it was nice that I was able to buy Mr NYM's preferred moisturizer (retailing $16.99!!!) for $6.99. I have no idea if there are restrictions but looks like you can buy a variety of things including floss, shampoo, toilet paper, and even cases of water.

Also, for folks who say that coupons are only for processed food, I printed coupons yesterday for avocados and pork. Kroger has digital coupons you can add to your loyalty card for apples and a bunch of organic products. Ibotta and checkout51 will often give you some cash back if you buy bananas, milk, carrots, etc.  Ralph's will often post coupons on their facebook page for $5 off $15 meat purchase or $5 off $15 produce purchase. These are just on the top of my head.

[pbkmaine]

I coupon mostly at CVS. If I use their coupons plus extra bucks plus manufacturer's coupons and combine with sales, I generally save 75% or more.

[marion10]

Very seldom for groceries- although my local grocer sends us a $5 off 50 coupon almost every week. Through their app, they usually offer one free product every weekend and I usually walk down and get that. Otherwise I follow some of the sites mentioned already and get what is free. Walgreens had an online coupon for 3.00 off toothpaste and it was on sale for 3.00 so all I paid was tax. Drugstores often have some good deals on grocery staples and I will pick something up if it is a good price. I can walk to grocer, CVS and Walgreens so it's pretty easy to do so.

[Nangirl17]

It is my impression that the US has way better coupons than other countries (and stores that will double the coupon - those don't exist in my area!)

[undercover]

In general, no. Couponing exists solely to increase sales. There's no company that actually wants to save you money. It's all counter-intuitive. For "dumb"/no-brainer things like buying food, eating, clothing, etc, I try to set it and forget it. Set your consumption at a low level and any extra savings you could've had are trivial. Focus on the things that matter like building up passive income which leads to spending time the way you really want to.

As mentioned, most things that are "couponable" are either processed junk or household items. First, how many frozen pizzas and cookies do you eat in a month? How much toilet paper/paper towels/bleach do you go through in a month? If your answer to any of that stuff is "a lot", then you likely need to look at your consumption habits pretty closely before thinking about saving money on said items. I used Ibotta to get the bonus and I likely won't touch it again unless I'm in the store and there's an item that makes sense. These days I rarely to go the store anyway. I can't even recall the last time I've purchased anything other than food/basic household needs.

That said, I definitely look for deals on things that I was already going to buy. I never plan a specific trip solely to save money (again, unless it was something I was buying anyway).

[misshathaway]

The paper ones no. I buy mostly store brand and very little of the packaged foods that coupons are for. Store brand is still usually cheaper than the coupon item. One exception is Wegmans. When they first open a store in your area and you get their shopper card they send you a little booklet of coupons for about a year, and the coupons are for a whole class of food like $2 off anything in Produce. I loved those. But they only give them out for a year.

[soccerluvof4]

I do, but don't go out of my way to do so. I get a few flyers for stores really close to us that usually has a few items that will be lower than Aldi's. 95% i get at Aldi's .