I was seated beside a friend's pool with a bunch of other moms watching our kids splash and swim when a mom whipped out her scissors and stack of coupons and began clipping. After I got over my initial shame that I wasn't doing something equally industrious, I realized the moms were talking about coupons. I joined in and asked some questions and gave my two cents. What did I discover? Everyone has a slightly different opinion about coupons. Some people never bother with them. Some don't go to the store without them. And some plan their shopping around them.
I am tackling this subject not as an expert but as someone who has tried all of these ways and found what works for me. With coupons, there is not right or wrong (although there may be better or worse). You have to weigh your time, your money and your organizational skills to decide what is the best way for you to use (or not use) coupons. The following are a few methods I know of with the pros and cons attached.
1. Go coupon or go home. I have friends who have cut their grocery bill way down by using http://www.thegrocerygame.com/. They build their grocery list around a combination of store sale ads and recent coupons that you find in the local newspaper. There is a small fee to use the program, but I have been told it is worth it. I am going to do this for a month or two and report back about my personal experience.
2. Use coupons as a grocery shopping diet supplement. This is a method of combining ads and coupons also, but the center of the process is meal planning and knowledge of what is already in your pantry and freezer. Here's how it works. You clip coupons every week and organize them by type of product (dairy, paper, pets, etc.) When you get your ads in the mail on Tuesday for grocery sales beginning on Wednesday, sit down with a pen, paper, the ads and your coupon organizer. Check the front of the weekly ad to find the best deals on staple products such as meats, milk and produce. Start building a weekly menu around these items. You should have a general idea of what you have in your pantry and freezer. If you don't, go look before you start the process. Write it down if you don't have a good memory. Plan your meals first, keeping in mind what is on sale and what you already have on hand. Start making your grocery list based on what you will need for your meals. Then, go through your coupons to see what matches up. Pull all coupons that match your meal plan, even if you usually buy store brands. Sometimes you will still get a better deal with the coupon. Beyond the meals, make a list of staples you are running low on. Pull any coupons for these items. Put the coupons you plan to use in a separate envelope or pocket in your coupon organizer, but take your organizer with you. Sometimes the store will have an unadvertised special. It is not a bad idea to take a calculator with you. When you go to the store, stick as closely to your list as possible. If you saw a coupon for something you have wanted to try that is not part of your meal plan, add it to your list and consider it once you see the price. If it is not going to blow your budget, go for it. It would be better to try it when you have a coupon than later when you don't.
3. Clip and Carry. If the former two methods seem like too much work, at least do this. Clip and organize them. Keep your organizer either in your purse or car. When you are going into a store, take it with you. Who knows, you might get lucky and save a buck or two.
When I have had the best success with my grocery bill, I have used method two. I am going to try method one and get back with you. During times in my life when I have been in survival mode, I have resorted to method three. I am sure there are many variations you can come up with.
Here are a few tips I have learned about coupons:
1. If you are using them, shop where they double coupons.
2. Look at all sizes of a product to see how you will get the best deal. If you have a 55 cent coupon that will be doubled to $1.10, and the smallest size of the item that is allowed on the coupon costs $1.50, you bought it for 40 cents and saved something like 75% . If you need the larger size, however it may be worth it to go for that instead.
3. Beware of buying just because of a coupon. If it is really something you can use and it is in your budget, do it. Otherwise you may find yourself with a load of groceries and nothing to fix for supper. I speak from experience on this one.
4. Don't overload your larder. It's great to stock up when you find a steal, but keep in mind how much room you have.
5. If you do find a steal and don't have room, consider donating some of your excess to a food pantry. Hey, you only paid 20 cents for that box of cereal and you don't eat that kind. Someone else might be extremely grateful for it.
6. Clip weekly. It doesn't take much time if you stay on top of it, but if you don't, it will seem like too large a task to tackle.
7. Enlist the kids. If your kids can accurately wield scissors, they can help, and you will be teaching them some lessons in frugality along the way.
Please add more tips in the comments if you have them. I'm always willing to learn more. By the way, I haven't even talked about coupon books for restaurants and entertainment, but I will.
Storm chasing.
13 years ago
