Topic: No Laughing!!

[charlesoakwood]

The savings of LV and JF are consistent with my experiences.  The time/benefit of taking a little time (about a cup of coffee) Sunday and around here Wednesday to go through coupons can easily knock 20% off your bill.  You've got to play the store to score.  Pantry people will do the best. When the add is worth it buy, buy, buy, and store it. Then, sit with your coffee until it presents itself again.

Why spill 20 or 30% of your money?

[John Florida]

The savings of LV and JF are consistent with my experiences.  The time/benefit of taking a little time (about a cup of coffee) Sunday and around here Wednesday to go through coupons can easily knock 20% off your bill.  You've got to play the store to score.  Pantry people will do the best. When the add is worth it buy, buy, buy, and store it. Then, sit with your coffee until it presents itself again.

Why spill 20 or 30% of your money?

 When you start talking saving that kind of money and still being able to ad to the preps it a twofer.

[John Florida]

LOL

Based on her usage she apparently has enough for the next several decades

 That's a whole lot of being regular.

[LadyVirginia]

Why spill 20 or 30% of your money?

That's what finally got me motivated.  If with a little effort I could save $10, 20 or 40 a week why should I "let" the store have it?


The stocking up on sale really helps too even without coupons.  I have about a dozen bottle of laundry soup in the basement.  The kids do the laundry and wondered what was with all the detergent. And the added benefit is they can't tell me they can't so the laundry because we're out of soap! haha

Yeah, it also hurts less to double or triple whatever for preps.

[John Florida]

Why spill 20 or 30% of your money?

That's what finally got me motivated.  If with a little effort I could save $10, 20 or 40 a week why should I "let" the store have it?


The stocking up on sale really helps too even without coupons.  I have about a dozen bottle of laundry soup in the basement.  The kids do the laundry and wondered what was with all the detergent. And the added benefit is they can't tell me they can't so the laundry because we're out of soap! haha

Yeah, it also hurts less to double or triple whatever for preps.

 That's the stuff all those couponers had in common laundry soap and paper goods so I'm giving it a fair shot to see how much time and effort and what the payback is.

[Libertas]

People must be more patient than I, the logistics alone of organizing coupons and where they can/cannot be used, expiration dates and chasing the stuff down and getting 16 year old clerks to run the damn things through properly without hiccups indicates to me a range of variables where I would be guaranteed to want to rip someones head off.  Honestly I don't think I could handle it.  Good luck JF!

[charlesoakwood]

A big chain grocery and a big chain pharmacy is all you need.

[John Florida]

People must be more patient than I, the logistics alone of organizing coupons and where they can/cannot be used, expiration dates and chasing the stuff down and getting 16 year old clerks to run the damn things through properly without hiccups indicates to me a range of variables where I would be guaranteed to want to rip someones head off.  Honestly I don't think I could handle it.  Good luck JF!

 You have the time since online poker is gone, no?

[LadyVirginia]

People must be more patient than I, the logistics alone of organizing coupons and where they can/cannot be used, expiration dates and chasing the stuff down and getting 16 year old clerks to run the damn things through properly without hiccups indicates to me a range of variables where I would be guaranteed to want to rip someones head off.  Honestly I don't think I could handle it.  Good luck JF!

I said the same thing for years.

Here's my organization:

I keep the red plum and smart source inserts from the Sunday paper in a stack.  I date each one and that's it.  I don't cut them out until I need them.  I go to the site I mentioned above a few times a week--that tells me what coupons to match up at target or walmart, etc. (It's easy--they'll tell you the dog food coupon from the red plum 6/12/11 can be used at walmart this week cuz that brand is on sale) I do read thru the inserts to see if there's one for something I know I'm buying that week whether there's a sale or not on it.  I don't print out internet coupons unless I'm using them that week so there's no problem with having to store them.

I don't usually use too many at one time--I think the most I've had at one checkout was 8.  You do have to keep an eye out though. Last week the woman only scanned 7 of my 8--almost cost me a $1 but I was watching so I pointed it out to her.

If you have certain products you like you can sign up for the emails from that company and a lot of them will send you coupons--some even have them on their site to print out without signing up. So if I have a name brand product I know I need I check their website for coupons before buying.

[Libertas]

I might stick a couple CostCo coupons in my pocket, any more than that I will screw up and forget them.  Usually the latter, as that would explain the little wads of crud I find in my pants from time to time...

[IronDioPriest]

Extreme Coupons: TV Show Draws Extreme Backlash

Industry watchers say TLC's popular reality show, Extreme Couponing -- which depicts coupon-obsessed men and women spending 30 to 40 hours a week cutting coupons to net pounds and pounds of groceries for pennies on the dollar (exhausted yet?) -- may be causing more harm than good in the real world.

On the retail front, some big retailers -- wary of couponing copycats -- are pushing back on former coupon allowances for ordinary shoppers...

[John Florida]

Since I posted the original start to this I have been playing the game down here and it's a little harder than they show on TV as Florida does not have many of the policies that make some of it possible.

 But I have been suddenly spending about an hour a week  doing research and clipping away and to track it I set up a shelf that only holds what is bought using coupons and I have to tell you I'm building up a nice little pile of goods that we always bought before but now it's a lit cheaper because I only buy it when it's on sale instead of not planning ahead and having to buy when my back is to the wall.

 What it's teaching me to do is to have certain things always in the house and not get caught in a panic buy.IE my wife uses anything with the name Lysol on the label.


 IE Lysol Tub and tile cleaner normally costs 3.69 here but the store had a buy one get one free sale so I bought 2 and got 2 free and had 2 one dollar coupons so my cost dropped by quite a bit I ended up paying 2.69 for 2 of them which ends up being 1.35 each.

 My son uses Dove body wash normally 4.00 each on sale for 3.00 and I had a coupon for 3.75 so I only paid the taxes and it cost me .20 cents. Those are just a couple of examples.



 

[charlesoakwood]

Did those coupons come in your newspaper insert or did you hunt for the coupons?  I've never done the online thing, coming here is my limit of online exposure, so my couponing consists of a cup of coffee and scissors Sun. Wed. & Thur. Guys, I estimate it takes zero time from my life because that cup of coffee and I is quite time and clipping a coupon is pretty quiet.

And like you I only buy items I already use, therefore if it's on sale I buy it and either use it now or later.  Some of the paper items the good deals can be more than 6 weeks apart.  Anyway, inflation is coming so it goes in the pantry or attic or where ever (stock pile).  Even now with "no" inflation it's as good or better than a 6% CD.

The scissors:  I know the store floor plan, I cut the coupons, put them in order to the route I walk through the store, paper clip and there she goes.

[John Florida]

Did those coupons come in your newspaper insert or did you hunt for the coupons?  I've never done the online thing, coming here is my limit of online exposure, so my couponing consists of a cup of coffee and scissors Sun. Wed. & Thur. Guys, I estimate it takes zero time from my life because that cup of coffee and I is quite time and clipping a coupon is pretty quiet.

And like you I only buy items I already use, therefore if it's on sale I buy it and either use it now or later.  Some of the paper items the good deals can be more than 6 weeks apart.  Anyway, inflation is coming so it goes in the pantry or attic or where ever (stock pile).  Even now with "no" inflation it's as good or better than a 6% CD.

The scissors:  I know the store floor plan, I cut the coupons, put them in order to the route I walk through the store, paper clip and there she goes.

 Both,there's a site I go to that goes by my zip code and what it does is it lays out the local coupons and leads me to where I can find coupons that aren't in the papers and it also give you the coupon policies of the stores I shop and even does the coupon overlaps from store to store. If you like I can send post a link.

[charlesoakwood]

For sure, I can afford to gain another 6%.

[John Florida]

For sure, I can afford to gain another 6%.

http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/beginners-guide-to-coupons/thebeginners-guide-to-coupons-2/part-two/


 I did the reading and went to work and it's working for me.

[LadyVirginia]

Thanks JF for the link.  It looks similar to a couple of others I've used.

I haven't done anything with coupons other than stack the newspaper inserts.  Haven't been home much.  Hopefully, this weekend I can catch up.

I did give my husband 2 Dove's mens shampoo+body wash for father's day--normally costs $3.19 at Target and I had 2 $3 off coupons so his gift cost .19 each!

[John Florida]

Thanks JF for the link.  It looks similar to a couple of others I've used.

I haven't done anything with coupons other than stack the newspaper inserts.  Haven't been home much.  Hopefully, this weekend I can catch up.

I did give my husband 2 Dove's men's shampoo+body wash for father's day--normally costs $3.19 at Target and I had 2 $3 off coupons so his gift cost .19 each!

 Yesterday I watched a woman got through the lines and she had a 90.+ dollar total and pay out 22.dollars. That shocked me Till then I thought it was not possible here. But I went through and total was 110.+dollars and I paid 60. dollars so it wasn't bad at all. And what pisses me off is that for all these years I would not even look at a coupon.


 Today I bought Dove men's body wash and it was in sale for 5.99 from 7.99 and I has coupons for buy one get one free and one for 3.75 off and CVS gives you sore buck or coupons with a CVS card so I hit the machine and it gave me a 1.00 dollar coupon on top of it so I paid 5 bucks for three bottles and the register gave me a 5.00 coupon when I paid out so I already have 5.00 off anything I boy later which you can bet will be on sale and have coupons.

[LadyVirginia]

Thanks JF for the link.  It looks similar to a couple of others I've used.

I haven't done anything with coupons other than stack the newspaper inserts.  Haven't been home much.  Hopefully, this weekend I can catch up.

I did give my husband 2 Dove's men's shampoo+body wash for father's day--normally costs $3.19 at Target and I had 2 $3 off coupons so his gift cost .19 each!

 Yesterday I watched a woman got through the lines and she had a 90.+ dollar total and pay out 22.dollars. That shocked me Till then I thought it was not possible here. But I went through and total was 110.+dollars and I paid 60. dollars so it wasn't bad at all. And what pisses me off is that for all these years I would not even look at a coupon.

 Today I bought Dove men's body wash and it was in sale for 5.99 from 7.99 and I has coupons for buy one get one free and one for 3.75 off and CVS gives you sore buck or coupons with a CVS card so I hit the machine and it gave me a 1.00 dollar coupon on top of it so I paid 5 bucks for three bottles and the register gave me a 5.00 coupon when I paid out so I already have 5.00 off anything I boy later which you can bet will be on sale and have coupons.

I used to not bother with a coupon either. One here and there didn't seem to be worth the effort.  But now that I get the whole matching coupons etc it's like a game.  It's fun to play.

[John Florida]

Thanks JF for the link.  It looks similar to a couple of others I've used.

I haven't done anything with coupons other than stack the newspaper inserts.  Haven't been home much.  Hopefully, this weekend I can catch up.

I did give my husband 2 Dove's men's shampoo+body wash for father's day--normally costs $3.19 at Target and I had 2 $3 off coupons so his gift cost .19 each!

 Yesterday I watched a woman got through the lines and she had a 90.+ dollar total and pay out 22.dollars. That shocked me Till then I thought it was not possible here. But I went through and total was 110.+dollars and I paid 60. dollars so it wasn't bad at all. And what pisses me off is that for all these years I would not even look at a coupon.

 Today I bought Dove men's body wash and it was in sale for 5.99 from 7.99 and I has coupons for buy one get one free and one for 3.75 off and CVS gives you sore buck or coupons with a CVS card so I hit the machine and it gave me a 1.00 dollar coupon on top of it so I paid 5 bucks for three bottles and the register gave me a 5.00 coupon when I paid out so I already have 5.00 off anything I boy later which you can bet will be on sale and have coupons.

I used to not bother with a coupon either. One here and there didn't seem to be worth the effort.  But now that I get the whole matching coupons etc it's like a game.  It's fun to play.

 I'm using them to build up our preps.