How I Went Broke Saving Money

RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by domestictech (1) | (04/19/2008) Profile | Contact I have to say sometimes it is just not worth the effort to use coupons along with sales to only buy a few things if you have to go out of your way in gas. How do you work this stuff in time wise when you work full time? I will say it is worth it if the store is "on your way" somewhere. I am the only one who will cook ANYTHING that takes any amount of prep work in my family. So stockpiling gets wasted a lot. I also have very limited kitchen work space and a small freezer. I usually look for the best price on basics on my way home from the local grocery store. It is hard to discipline yourself sometimes to be thrifty only to find out there is not enough time or someone else in your home does things to break that budget. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by 40sumthin (1) | (04/03/2008) Profile | Blog! | Contact This is the most sense I have heard in a long time. We have just started shopping this way and it takes getting used to but I think we will be further ahead in a couple of months. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post By Deb (Guest Post) (02/16/2008) I disagree somewhat on this one. Yes, you need to be careful if you stockpile but when you are paying .50 for Mayonnaise that you usually pay 3.00 for why not get 3 instead of 1? If it wasn't for stockpiling I wouldn't be able to afford to stay home with my kids. I went from paying almost 200.00 to 100.00 because I use coupons and stockpile. I got 10 jars of Peanut butter for free with coupons! Why not stock up! Deb from MA Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post By Barbara Snyder (Guest Post) (11/11/2007) Honey use your common sense that the Good Lord gave you only buy what you need yes coupons are good sometimes but shopping sometimes at different stores that are near you and using generic when needed if you like however I sometimes buy name brand because it is a good product and the generic will not do like the kraft mac n cheese daughter is autistic likes certain foods leftover kraft mac n cheese is good. Generic is same with philly cream cheese. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post By (Guest Post) (07/12/2007) Wow! I agree with everyone. Couponing can save money, but the original post had valid points. If it isn't done right you end up spending money on items that you don't use up before the expiration date, can be bought more cheaply in a generic brand, or that you don't really need. I love the buy one get one free deals at Winn Dixie, but for our family of two we can't always make use of two large boxes of cereal, for example. However, if it is something we use a lot, I never pass those deals up. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post By (Guest Post) (03/25/2007) I agree with the author that a lot of time coupons are a waste of money. I have done a bit in sales work and so has my husband. I learned from him about the bait and switch routine. So I tend to shy way away from coupons even when it comes to my hobby. As far as grocery shopping is concerned, Costco, WinCo and Trader Joe's are my choice. So when I shop, I don't need coupons but I do keep my eyes on the prices and many a time have found that generic is a better price than name brand. Also, sticking to my grocery list unless I know I've forgotten something that I really and truly need. Another thing I have found with coupons is that there is no more left, then I get bummed out and tend to overspend to make up for missing out on the sale. Even with a menu plan, what do you do if one item is all sold out at one store when you have already gone to your other stores...creativity is an edge. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by miraclelady50 (11) | (06/14/2006) Contact I havent gone broke saving money but I use coupons a lot one time I saved over 8.00 using coupons and these were on products I use all the time. I agree with the lady that said when the company offer 50 cent or even 1.00 off two of a name brand when the cheaper brand is less when buying one item most of the time when the coupon says so much off two I dont bother but cutting coupons and then shop does take time but when i can save say over 5.00 its worth the trouble to me I will try a new item if I have a coupon for it some times its worth trying some thing new thanks for all of your money saving tips. Any one have gas saving tips its either that or pray to go down thanks again I love this web site Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by mygaley (15) | (06/14/2006) Contact When one enters a store one is implicitly entering a contract with that store. The contract is this: the store offers merchandise for your needs and/or convenience; you pay money so the store makes a profit and therefore can continue doing business. Why would anyone feel distrustful or cheated because the store is offering this contract? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by susanmajp (687) | (05/03/2006) Profile | Contact I use few coupons and I do stockpile. I spend less than $40 per week on groceries; we eat at home almost all the time, and eat extremely well. We feed our one dog and two cats with name brand foods. The most notable thing I do is shop smart. I am familiar with the foods we like and eat. I garden, can and freeze. I stockpile not what is on sale, but what is on sale that we use. I rotate my stockpile, keeping track of what is in the cupboards and freezer. I buy off brands that are generally cheaper, except for loss leader sales-- especially when I have coupons. I know where stores keep marked downs. Often when I am busy, I'm lucky to shop for groceries one time a month, and it makes no difference in our eating habits. I go to food warehouses to see what bargains I can find just for fun and keep my pricebook close. Yes, you must have room to properly stockpile, but there are months when I spend less than $50 for food. And the following months I still never go over budget. Buying just because something is on sale or you have coupons is setting yourself up for failure. Discipline saves me money--not going to the store every week saves me more. A good part of savings has to do with other things, like: where you live, what stores you have near you, do the stores have great sales, what foods you routinely eat, do you cook from scratch, are you a disciplined consumer, do you use a pricebook, do you keep track of food staples at home, do you rotate your stockpile, do you have a great recipe repertoire... Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by camo_angels (675) | (04/29/2006) Profile | Contact Rebekah...do you shop at Fred Meyer ;) That is the only store that I have ever been able to do all that you posted! I would save 30-40 dollars in groceries alone, not to mention their AWESOME clearance prices! I would get two copies of their monthly coupon book, and use them for each pay day, and combine any coupons needed from other sources to "double" the savings. And of course the buy one get one free. If you get in when people are at work, you can always get the deal! And avoid weekend shopping.....that can lead to busting your budget in too many ways! Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post By Kelly Butterbaugh (Guest Post) (04/29/2006) I agree with Rebekah in that some people can save money in these tactics. In fact, shortly after writing this article I read another article that was completely the opposite of mine, and I found it interesting that we had unknowingly said almost the exact opposite of one another. I came to the conclusion that there are two types of people--those who use coupons, sales, and other offers to their advantage wisely and those who "fall for" the store's gimmicks and fail to save money. If you can get the most out of those "buy 5 get one free" coupons, by all means do it! Happy shopping and saving! Kelly Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by Persnickety Paula (374) | (04/29/2006) Profile | Contact Recently, at my local grocery store, they had their brand of frozen vegetables on "sale" for 77 cents a bag. When I went there, of course, they had very little left to choose from and this was the very first day of the "sale". Seems to me that whenever the sale price is very good, they never have enough of the product. The very next week they had the very same vegetables on "sale" again, this time for 1.00 a bag! I don't trust grocery stores at all, they are not there to save us money, they are there to make a profit off of our money. You have to watch them every minute, especially those scanners that are constantly ringing up things for the wrong price. I also feel very strongly about coupons, I am offended by a manufacturer of a product that will issue a coupon for 25 cents off, if you buy TWO. That is the most ridiculous waste of my time and money. If they are going to offer real coupons for real savings, of say, 50 cents or more, then that is worth my time and money! Report Spam or Abuse RE: How I Went Broke Saving Money Post by Madelynnsmama (155) | (04/28/2006) Profile | Contact While some good points are made here .. I find that almost the exact opposite works for my family! Couponing, done correctly, will save a bundle! Combining a coupon with a sale price and a special promotion is wonderful! For example, last week my local "mega-mart" had a promotion sponsered by a large food manufactor where you buy so much of their products and you get a coupon at checkout for $10 off your next shopping order. Well .. these were all products that were on sale, I had coupons for and my family uses .. if this weren't the case it wouldn't have been worth it. I paid $9 for $24 worth of salad dressing and bbq sauce .. and then got a coupon for $10 off my next purchase at that store .. it's like they paid ME for their product!!! I have no problem stocking up on deals like this when they come along AND its for products that I would buy anyway .. I think you have to know the prices and sale prices of items you buy routinely, so when a deal like this comes along you know its a good one! I do stockpile many of the "nonpersiable" items we use everyday, each week as I shop. But I know the "sale cycle" of products .. for example I know at my local store the boxed potatoes that my husband loves goes on sale every 6-8 weeks, depending on the time of year .. so I buy enough to last those 6-8 weeks, using coupons when I can to save more. I do have to disagree with the poster about clearance items as well .. I often get products for free or very close to it using coupons combined with clearance items, especially on health and beauty items, but again these are products that I use anyway or I donate to charity, so they won't be going to waste .. coupons usually don't state that they can't be used on clearance items. I also "stock up" on gift type items when I see them on clearance for over 60-75% of their orginal price .. Most of my holiday gifts are bought months before the holiday itself .. the danger here is forgetting you have them! Most of the smaller gifts for Christmas for my kids .. as the holiday nears my husband and I will sit and go through what we have and add to it with the "big" gift. Whew .. thanks for reading all of that .. sorry I went on and on .. I just want people to know that couponing, stockpiling and shopping clearances does work and does save money .. it may not be the same as putting the money in your pocket, but if you go about it the right way, it will put food in your pantry for less! I've only been couponing for the 2 years since my oldest was born and we became a one income family. In that short time I've slashed our grocery bill from between $75 and $100 a week to around $45 .. It does take me about an hour each week to make my grocery lists and collect my coupons but it's worth it! Good luck to us all! Rebekah Report Spam or Abuse