Friday Question #48
By kilax, November 28, 2008 10:25 am
Do you use coupons?
A few weeks ago on the train, I saw a woman spend an hour organizing coupons into a little plastic box. She had all these ads out, as well as her scissors, and was cutting and filing away. I was intimidated by the amount of coupons she had – it must have been hundreds!
I don’t go out of my way to obtain coupons. If one comes in the mail that I think I’ll use, I hold on to it. I look through the Sunday coupons to see if there are any for products we already use, and I save those. But that’s about it.
But I know there are whole websites and clubs devoted to using coupons to maximize savings. I know for some it is a hobby! Are any of you in that group?
Themocracy
i tried for a while to get into the habit of using coupons but i wasn’t so good at it… i would go thru the sunday paper and clip out all the coupons that i thought i would use and then put then in a little box thingy like that lady had… my problem was remembering to take them into the store or if i was lucky enough to remember that i would inevitably forget to get them out at the register… so i just gave up…. i know, i know, i’m a quitter!! lol
=^..^=
I have the same story as CIC. I tried when I first got married, but I found that many of them would just expire. Now I’m more like you, if I get one in the mail, I’ll carry it around with me and hope that it comes in handy. But with food prices the way they are, maybe I should get back in the habit!
I hope ur thanksgiving was FUN!
They never have coupons for the stuff I really use (like fresh fruits and veggies, cause HELLO! That would actually HELP!) Every now and then I’ll get one, but over all I don’t use any. If I ate junk all the time, it would be a big saver, though.
Sure. Most of ’em don’t apply, but I look through the Sunday paper and will clip anything I use. I stick ’em in my wallet before I go shopping. If I have a list, I’ll make a note that I have a coupon, so I don’t forget to use it/get the right size.
For the most part, we do use coupons. The biggest one we use often is for Prilosec (acid reflux). It saves us $3 each time, which helps.
We also find coupons for meals at local eateries. Some national chains send coupons to us in the mail and we’ll use those to save $5 off a meal here and there. It helps a lot.
The sunday paper has the most.
Plus, my daughter cuts out tons of coupons that we go through. Any we don’t use, we put in the recycle bin.
i am faaaaar too lazy. if one ends up in my hands, and is applicable, i’ll use it… but going thru a paper and clipping coupons? waaaay too organized for me.
I do try and use them. I use coupons.com, check the Sunday paper sometimes, and get deals online. It is hard to remember to bring the coupons to the store, though!! When I do a huge shopping trip is when I really notice the difference.
I really am sorry but I just hate coupons.
I don’t have anything against anyone who uses them — even where they’re in front of me in line — I just don’t like the games you have to play to use them. The worst being telling the cashier or faceless drive-thru speaker you have coupons. I don’t like the process of having to explain what kind of coupons I have, and what they’re good for, and how they are supposed to be rung up.
I don’t like special orders either. I want to be able to say, “I’ll have a No. 3 combo with a Diet Coke” without any further explainations, delays, or fuss.
I have this supreme desire to be the easiest customer of the day. I can’t see how that’s possible with coupons or special orders.
It’s just me, though. 🙂
I use coupons if I remember that I have them. I try to clip only the ones for things
I’m going to get the next time I go to the store. We used to use the ones for Prilosec until they came out with Omeprazole, which is generic Prilosec. Walmart carries the Equate brand and it’s $19.97 as opposed to $24.97 for Prilosec. So even without being able to use the $3 coupon it’s cheaper in the long run.
I should be better about coupons, but I never remember to take them to the store with me. The main ones I would use are the CVS coupons that come on one’s receipt and the ones that come via e-mail for all the clothing stores that have my address. 😉
Kind of like Kyra’s fruit and veggie issue, it’s hard for me to find coupons for household goods I would actually USE, since I try really hard to keep to allergen-free and all natural, especially since nearly everything made by Proctor & Gamble (and there is quite a bit) causes me to break out in a rash. (I’m not even exaggerating on that one–Tide & Febreeze are the worst.)
Oh, I did a whole post about these little suckers not long ago. Here is the link and that is my answer!
http://www.vtroom.com/2008/08/19/coupons-are-the-devil/
I so seldom get to use them.
Then when you factor in the time I spend looking for them, then actually remembering to use them OR buying the product (something I might not have tried) and forgetting to actually use the coupon, I think I’m losing money in the end.
CourtneyInControl – Sometimes I forget to give them to the cashier until after they’ve already rung me up! It is hard to remember them when you are not used to using them! 😛
Gina (Mannyed) – I bet people are using them more now. Everyone is more conscious of money now! Thanks – I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving too!
Kyra – Good point! It is usually for sweets, or sweetened cereals. Never produce.
claire – Good idea! I do make a list each week, so I should annotate it with what I have coupons for!
martymankins – I’ve never used a coupon in a restaurant! I will have to keep an eye out for coupons for restaurants I actually like. I’ve seen my parents with them, but I never seem to find them.
Alice – Ha! Yeah, it can be a lot of work. Especially the way that lady on the train was doing it!
Bethany – Yeah, you really have to have a lot of them for it to add up to much! Otherwise, you’re saving $10 a month 😉
ajooja – Ha! You totally crack me up! I am sure the cashiers appreciate customers like you, because it seems like these people who ARE gung ho about coupons are all about combining deals and making the cashier’s life hell.
Denise – Yeah, I just switched over to some generics and am amazed that I will save about $120 a year!
diane – We sometimes use the ones that come on our Target receipt. I think they target us (ha ha) with items they think we will like. I didn’t know you were so bad with P&G stuff, but it does not surprise me! I wish there was a larger alternative to them.
teeni- Oh, thanks!
Gary LaPointe – Losing money… and your mind! 🙂
I used to save coupons but then I would always forget to use them. When we moved from our old house, I had an entire drawer full of unused coupons. I stopped saving them but if I find one for something I am going to buy right away, I do keep it and try to remember to use it.
tori – It is so easy to collect them and forget about them! Especially if you have a whole drawer! I wonder if that is why the lady on the train was so organized about it.
This is how I use coupons:
I buy the Sunday paper
I go through the coupons & cut out those I want
I put them in my purse
I throw all the ones I didn’t want away
I go to the store
I walk up & down each isle & put all items on the coupons in my cart
I put all items on the belt
I pay for all the items
I push the cart toward the door
I realize I didn’t give the cashier my coupons
http://hookedonmemes.blogspot.com
Vicki – Hee hee hee! I love how you described that!