Monday, March 30, 2009
Coupons
I think that this economy has a lot of people in the save a little more, spend a little less mentality. In light of that view, Stephen and I have been going over our budget. I don't think that we are extravagant spenders. I am not out shopping for clothes for me or the children like many people my age do. In fact, Emma's and Benjamin's clothes are almost exclusively hand-me downs. I just brought home another suitcase full of clothes from Utah from Elizabeth's kids (thanks again for sharing with us!). The one thing that I am not very budget conscience on is our grocery bill. I usually plan the meal calendar for the month without regard to what is on sale. It is usually what sounds good to us and what we like. I do stock up if I find a good price on things at the grocery store, but often I just don't know what is a good price to pay. Lately, I have been doing a bit more research on couponing. I know that it is really popular right now and there are lots of blogs that teach you how to do it. I have been reading some and trying to learn my way around the coupon world. (It really is its own world.) So the last two weeks I have been clipping coupons and taking them to the store. I will only clip it if I know that we will use it. I certainly have mixed reviews for couponing thus far. The first thing that is a con for me is that it takes so long. I have to find the specific item that I have the coupon for. I think that I was in the store maybe 15 to 20 minutes longer than I normally would have been. For me in newborn stage those minutes can make all the difference between happy baby and screaming baby. The other con that I wonder about is all the people who use more than one coupon. Most of the ones that I have come in across are specifically labeled one per household, yet all the coupon bloggers are stocking up on these. Is it really being ethical or honest to keep using the coupon when they are labeled one per household? One pro that I have for it is that all my coupons took $10 off of the last grocery bill. My only wonder is that are coupons really saving me money. Mostly they are for name brand items, and I wonder if I had bought generic would it be the same price or cheaper? My verdict is still out. Do you coupon? What do you think of it? (By the way, there is a good coupon for diapers here if you have a little one.)
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3 comments:
I agree that couponing can take much longer. but last time I used them, it was triple coupons and I saved $79. But if I'm not sensible about it, I have ended up with really weird food that we don't eat.
I have a friend who subscribes to a service called The Grocery Game. It costs $10 every 8 weeks, I think, and she swears by it. The service lets you enter your coupons and your store, and then it tells you what to buy and when.
As to the ethics, I don't know. The last time I used coupons, I didn't read the fine print. I figured if the coupon scans, it's okay.
Try www.grocerygame.com if you have it in your area. My best week was $130+ of groceries for $35 plus $5 in cash back. Also, check out www.solarvoyage.blogspot.com for tips on savings in your home energy.
I've always found it a waste of time and most coupons are for junk I don't eat. I actually tried to get some coupons yesterday and it took me an hour and the coupons never printed. It made me mad. I like you stock up if there's a great deal. My time is much more precious than saving a buck or two.
I will look at those links your friend posted. If you come up with a good system, please do share!
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