I've been working on clippng coupons for these last couple of months. Actually I don't clip them until I need them which cuts down a lot on the mess for me. So here's a picture of the stuff I bought yesterday.
The details:
Spent 59.45
Store savings: 84.17 (all the stuff I bought was on sale)
Coupon savings: 28.81
SO I spent $60 and saved $114 that's 66% savings. Plus we got 2 free movie tickets to Star Trek.
Here's the problem: We would never buy most of this stuff. We would buy BBQ sauce ($.70 each) Peter Pan PB (less than $1.50 each) and refried beans ($.60 each) but all this other stuff we don't really need and I don't really want to use to feed the family. Sure every once in a while we might buy carmel popcorn (more than likely we'd make it) and sometimes its nice to have treats on hand for last minute stuff but never in my life would I feed my kids poptarts. Of course I bought them yesterday to get the free movie tickets. Do we want to see Star Trek? No, and if we did we'd wait til it got to the dollar theaters.
This is more my style. One grocery store with good deals without coupons. Of course if there were coupons on practical stuff like produce then I'd be sure to use them. This was two full bags of produce for $27. 00
stawberries: 4/$5
aples: $.88/lb
cluster tomatoes: $.99/lb.
lettuce and celery $.88/each
grapefruit 4/$1
red peppers $.99/each
cauliflower 4/$5
etc. etc.
Now I know you can find these prices at a regular grocery store at times but never so much produce on sale at one place. Its great!
I'm not giving up on coupons. I just need to practice using them more productively. So far the biggest thing I've learned is that coupons don't really save you money until they're combine with good sales. The good thing is that I get the coupons for free from2 seperate neighbors (they are so happy to not be throwing them away now.) Yay for free stuff!
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5 comments:
well if you don't want to see star trek I do! It's interesting some of the sales techniques stores have...and how you got sucked into buying things you don't use...but it happens to all of us.
I have been doing the coupon thing too but you are right. Most of the time coupons are for things I would never buy or name brand items where I can buy store brand much cheaper. I also try and look for coupons online when I know I am going to be buying an expensive name brand item...Claritin or things like that. Happy clipping! :)
You know, you really are in the wrong profession. You need something with more artistic expression. You can even turn food into art! And you have captured my feelings exactly about coupons. They are always for things I never eat anyway. Why can't they have coupons for basic stuff that doesn't contain tons of preservatives?
I did the same thing with the movie tickets. You don't have to see Star Trek though any movie counts. I agree about the coupons and not usually buying the items. Sometimes I think it is just the thrill of how much I saved...but it is really how much more I spent and got what I didn't need. So I am trying to be MUCH more selective so I won't fall into their trap!
My problem is I'll have coupons for something I know I'm going to by and then when I'm standing in line to check out, I realize I left all my coupons at home. I'm not the best couponer, but I do look for sales to stock up and I really love those produce sales as well.
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