Go Through Coupons Before Entering the Store

Becca25

February 10, 20090 found this helpful

Good idea. My mom always spends way too much money at the grocery store ( I am talking about $200 a week ) because she has coupons and thinks shes getting a deal. If you pay attention, new coupons usually coincide with whats on sale at the supermarket. With this in mind, they raise the prices and you end up spending the same as without sale/coupon if not more. I would advise using newer coupons later on.

Heather

February 10, 20090 found this helpful

When I get the weekly sales flyer I go through my coupons and pick out the coupons for things on sale and separate them. That way I buy the sale items dirt cheap. I ALSO keep an eye out for clearance items or "discountinued" mark downs and use coupons for those! It is a great idea to keep in mind what coupons you have.

Mary

February 11, 20090 found this helpful

forget the coupons and shop at Aldi's

you will never regret it and, you will save a lot of time

I had some coupons in an envelope checking out what I wanted to get with the coupons and when I got to check out counter my envelope and coupons were gone. From now on when I get something I have a coupon for I will put the coupon in my pocket! Times are getting hard when someone takes your coupons!

I have tried shopping at Aldi's and while they do have some good items (decent wheat bread, produce, and eggs), I didn't really save enough money buying the few things they had I needed to justify going back. I shop at several stores all very close together (2 minutes walking distance) and get excellent deals at all of them.

Big Lots has products that no one else in my town does, like organic teas. I don't have a health food store here and you can't beat organic tea for $2.00 a box. I also shop at Dollar General, Walgreens, and a regular grocery store with coupons. I have cut my spending from around $100.00 to about $60.00 per week without spending any extra for gas doing it. Before the end of 2009, I hope to have it down to $50.00. Walgreens has weekly sales and you can use store coupons and manufacturer coupons on the same items.

I have gotten some things for free there and one day between sales and coupons, I got 50% off my purchase. I have been able to stock up on some things I use a lot this way and save some serious money during the occasional lean month if the electric bill is high or something. So Becca25, I have to say I disagree that coupons are some kind of scam. If you pay attention to when the sales happen and hang onto your coupons until then, you can really get some excellent deals.

abcs

February 21, 20100 found this helpful

I've read where there's a 3-week delay between when the coupon comes out and the sales for many items that have coupons. In reality, I've found that many coupons come out in the Sunday paper enclosures and that the sale is that same week. So, I agree, make sure you go through these coupons before you hit the stores. Save further by bunching your stores into a single visit, if they're near each other. Otherwise, it's probably not worth the cost of your time and transportation.

Also beware of those ads that say something like "$7.99, less $3.00 manufacturer's coupons in most papers, $4.99 final price" because the $7.99 is the regular price (and I think that's what sales taxes are charged on)! Coupons are also sometimes available on the manufacturer's website. If the ad has a coupon that doesn't say "manufacturer's coupon," then it's a store coupon, and a manufacturer's coupon can be used in addition to a store coupon. Lastly, you'll find that some items always or at least frequently have a coupon for them, so never buy those products without one!