Super Couponing!

MrsChanceW

My hubby and I have started to super coupon to save money. It has helped out a lot! We are fairly new to doing this. Any tips?

hoffse

I'm pretty bad at it, actually.  I have a friend who recently bought $135 worth of stuff for less than $10 via couponing.  She's so good at it she's considering teaching classes.  Last week she went to whole foods and tested her abilities with organic... $68 of food for $23.  She's ridiculous.

But I'll also be interested to hear any tips from the pros

HoneyBee973

My friend is like this!  She saves so much money every time she goes to the grocery store its insane. 

I am pretty bad at it.    But just like @hoffse, would love to read any tips from the pros.

 

 

Wulfgar

I am horrible at this, I grew up eating home grown food so I can tell the difference between good fresh quality food and the cheap food that they sell at discount super markets.

I do use coupons as I can and Giant Eagle does send me coupons on a monthly basis that I use.

Wulfgar

I am horrible at this, I grew up eating home grown food so I can tell the difference between good fresh quality food and the cheap food that they sell at discount super markets.

I do use coupons as I can and Giant Eagle does send me coupons on a monthly basis that I use.

DaBearsWife

I'm pretty pro at couponing *blushes* Believe it or not it is way easier to get non food items for free or cheap than it is to get food items. I haven't paid for shampoo, conditioner, otc medicine, vitamins, feminine products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, ziplocks, baby wipes, mouthwash, deodorant, or hair styling products in like three years. Food is way harder to get. I usually can only get cereal, hotdogs, pasta, pasta sauce, frozen pizzas, frozen veggies, and hot pockets for free or cheap. To be 100% honest there is not one single trick or tip I can offer. It is like 30 things you have to learn and then use them all at the same time. I only use one website and it taught me absolutely everything. Its called we use coupons. Read the coupon forums like a crazy person and you will catch on. Its like riding a bike though. You'll hit a few mailboxes but once you get the hang of it it is super easy!!

hoffse

Ok @DaBearsWife - you inspired me!  When you said you basically haven't paid for toiletries for three years I had to figure out how to do that.... Spent a couple hours reading up on it, and I'm going to try it!  Time to finally put my CVS keychain thing to good use.  I'm going to start with $10 and see what I can do.

I would love to get to the point where I only need to budget like $5/month for toiletries for H and I...

HoneyBee973

Love CVS!  Their coupons and sales are awesome.  Currently have a $6 cash back coupon waiting to use, good for any purchase. 

When they email you a coupon, most of them you can send to your card (your CVS keychain thing) instead of printing it out.  They do expire just like a paper coupon, so keep that in mind. 

DaBearsWife

Check that website everyday, they have an app too. Sometimes there are surprise deals that are only good for that day (they call them DD deals, or double dipping) and check ALL your local stores. I am always surprised to find an awesome deal at pricier places.

Ducktale

I tried it for about 6 months, and I saved a lot, but it took a lot of time, checking deals everyday, going to multiple stores, spending lots of time figuring out what was REALLY the better deal. Then we changed our diet and almost completely cut processed foods from our diet, and I wasn't saving as much. Still saving, but I started feeling like I was spending more time than it was worth for me. Now I do a much more simplified version. The day before i grocery shop, I check out ads and meal plan around what's on sale, then I go on krazycouponlady.com and print off any applicable coupons, check out Target cartwheel, and that's it. I'll stock up on items if I find a really great deal. So I'm still saving (though not as much) but it's just less time consuming. I know if I tried harder I could save more, but it's all a trade off.

vlagrl29

I coupon but a lot of times buying the off brand is cheaper than the regular brand + coupon.  I don't want to spend the time to find all these coupons.  You got to figure out if it's worth your time or not.  I pretty much do the same as @Ducktale.

Mom987

If you have a Publix near you, I'd watch their BOGO + coupons. The Facebook page "I Heart Publix" they show the weekly deals and coupons (ours accepts Target coupons) so that Facebook page does all the work for you. Also whenever I'm checking out at Target, I double check the Cartwheel app to make sure I've searched for everything. Today I saved $4.30 on kids clothes without even "trying" I just happened to be buying Cherokee clothing which was 15% off.