I am a big coupon clipper! I usually just check the Sunday paper and match the coupons for items I use with store flyers for extra deals. I've even written to Kashi and Amy's foods and was sent coupons for free items! It's a way to save a few bucks, and since I enjoy it, it's worth it for me.
I'd love to be one of those who saves $100+ on their grocery bills by clipping coupons...but I'm not. Maybe someday, but I haven't yet taken the time to create a system that is practical and will work for my current situation.
Yes, I do clip coupons. Every Sunday I get several papers and cut the coupons from those. I also look for extra sets at the recycling center, or I purchase them at Coupon Clippers or Ebay. I'm not brand specific on 99% of what I buy, so I combine sales and loss leaders with coupons so I can stockpile. It does get tedious at times but we are a family of 5 on a tight budget and it saves us a ton of money. It's a nice feeling knowing we have something to fall back on if there were a job loss or injury and we couldn't get to the store so often. And I have to admit, it's a small thrill to get things for free! LOL
I find the whole sorting, recycling ones I don't want, clipping, filing, weeding, using, process very soothing. It tickles that "organization" need and "pitch" need without a ton of stuff. And it comes with my paper every week.
Granted, I don't actually use many of my coupons, but I do make a point to always use a few (cat litter, dishwashing detergent), and so while the return may not be huge monetarily, it is huge in terms of expense per enjoyment hour. :-)
Shortly before I was married, my husband and I got drunk and got our names tattooed on each other. When things went south, I wanted to get mine removed, but couldn't afford the treatments. The name was in the small of my lower back, all black and was really small about 1.5"H x 3.5"L. I read on the internet that I could remove it using a cloth dipped in hot water and then in sea salt.
I did it cold turkey. Nothing to ease the pain. I kind of looked over my shoulder into a mirror and began scrubbing. The salt made the wound feel hot- but not terribly painful despite the amount of blood. I did about ten two minute scrubbing sessions being careful not to scrub too deeply- just enough to make it bleed- and then bandaged it up with Neosporin. I kept changing the bandages and on the second day, the bandage had traces of the ink on it. It took a full two weeks to heal, but the tattoo faded significantly and continues to fade as time goes by. There is no scarring. I know this process would have removed the entire thing if I ever did it again... but we reconciled and he doesn't want me to finish the removal. I would suggest it to anyone.
I think we have to ask ourselves where each of our desires and needs comes from. Some time of reflection will help a lot. If I earn 120k a year, why not live the same way someone that earns 60k? What a advantage I will have while investing the 60k. Of course, this have to be tough before you choose to increase your living standards.
As I get older (I'm about to turn 35) I'm really enjoying the gradually increasing standard of living. As you get older, you have more responsibilities and probably more needs. I've got a four year old and old back injuries.
*camping gear - In the past I'd slept on the ground, then later in a crappy sleeping bag, then a nice sleeping bag, now we have those little puffy mats - my functionality on waking up is about the same but my back needs the comfort, these days.
*work - in the past, if I got too broke I could take random awful jobs and work long days if I needed to. Now I have more family responsibilities and less stamina, so I am happy not to have to do that.
*spending money - last weekend we were in Chicago. In the past, if I got separated from my friends or walked too far in heels and my feet hurt, I'd have to walk back anyway. Now I have an extra $20 for a cab if I get in that situation, not just $4 stuffed into my bra in case I need to take the bus.
*travel - I have taken multi-day train rides and slept in my seat because it was cheaper. I have taken long bike trips and sletp in the ditch. Again, as I get older, creakier, and have less stamina I *really* value being able to take a hot shower, get sleeper-car tickets, and stay in a hotel if my couch-hopping plans fall through.
Of course, if you start out with a pretty high standard of living you don't necessarily need it to edge upward...but the rise is pretty satisfying anyway.
POM Wonderful juice is delicious and probably gives a decent dosage of anti-oxidants. I still think it's a waste of money, overall.
In fact, out of the many studies that are carried with POM Wonderful pomegranate products - the company has spent >$25 Million in research - many end up not being published because the results are inconclusive.
I'm sure that there are millions, maybe billions, of dollars spent every year on research that draws inconclusive results, across all industries. On one hand, great, I'm glad the company is not publishing inconclusive results and trying to skew the findings in their favor. On the other hand, the fact that so much is spent on research that DOESN'T prove the pomegranate juice has many benefits might be a more telling point. The sad thing is that industries keep pouring more and more money into research to prove that they have the magic bullet - the secret ingredient that is the key to health. The fact that plenty of studies prove the pomegranate juice does next to nothing in terms of improving health is actually fairly conclusive in and of itself. You have to keep doing more studies, hoping that one of them will eventually have something to show for it all, right?
Every industry does this, so I don't mean to call out POM unfairly. And again, the product is good, although I wouldn't consider it much better than the juice at Trader Joe's.
I generally do not clip coupons for grocery items, as we eat mostly whole foods and avoid packaged, processed stuff. I will, however, use them to save money on things like personal items, additional percent off when I'm scoring some good buys on Macy's clearance racks, etc. Kohl's often has $10 off a minimum purchase of $10 or more (hello, free undies! LOL), or 40% off one item at the craft store.
For grocery-savings, my strategy is to have a spreadsheet with my master price list, which I alphabetize by item. I note who has the lowest price on a specific item (and amount of product) as well as the sale price that comes around on occasion, which can sometimes undercut the lowest price at another store where we shop.
yes! i clip coupons like crazy. i don't even buy newspapers, i just head out to the recycling center on sunday and get tons of free coupons.
recently i broke my foot, and my boyfriend and i have spent about TWICE what we usually spend, since i can't get out there and shop the grocery sales like i used to.
I totally agree with what you said, and it goes for all bargain-hunting -- do what makes sense and fits into your lifestyle. Don't let it TAKE OVER your life.
But I don't seek them out, generally. I'll skim store fliers for stuff I already buy, but most of my coupon use comes from the ones printed out at the grocery store counter.
I go through stages of coupon clipping. When I am trying to build up my stock pile of stuff, I clip lots of coupons. After my stock pile has reached its max, I take a little break and relax for a while.
I don't get a Sunday paper or many coupons in the mail, but if I did, I would definitely use them more. My printer is also very tempermental, so printing them is hard too. But I do love coupons! =)
I love coupons! I live alone so my grocery bill is already pretty low, but money is tight so every little bit helps. Unfortunately, I did the math and the cost of subscribing to a newspaper just for the weekly coupons would offset any savings. Luckily, I have a generous aunt who is an avid coupon clipper. Every week or two she sends me her extra coupons. I don't know if I'm an "avid" coupon-clipper, myself, but I definitely get a thrill when I see that total drop as my coupons are applied. :)
We clipped and stockpiled and saved for months and months.. then life got busy. Now, nearly a year later we are running low on a lot of the stockpiled items that we had, so we decided that we needed to start again.
We are again clipping and again getting some great deals. It's all a game to us.. where we can get the best deal... and our stockpile is enjoying getting full again.
For regular groceries, I clip coupons, but only the ones from the free neighbor newspaper and from online sites. Don't want to pay for a newspaper. So, I probably don't make much savings there -- maybe $1-2/week.
For warehouse stores like Costco, I definitely take advantage of their coupons and will wait until I get a coupon to buy items like paper towels and toilet paper. This provides good savings, usually $10+ per trip.
I clip coupons only for things that I need or use frequently. I often use them in conjunction with a sale. While I am not as fanatical about it as some, it's only me in the house, so I don't buy as much as a person with a spouse and/or kids, but it definitely saves me a lot of money over the course of a year.
my mother clips those she thinks i'll use. usually she's spot-on. i, however, don't clip, because that would require getting the paper, which i don't find to be a terribly good "poor skill." i'd rather find coupons online, or take them from those who won't use them. i don't use them if we don't need the product, or wouldn't normally buy it. i HAVE managed to save quite a bit using this technique. i also sift through my coupon booklet monthly and recycle that which i haven't used.
Very few of the items I buy have coupons as I usually only get fruits/veggies/staples. I do try to use coupons for cat food/litter but usually the store brand is less expensive then the name brand with coupon. I do have a few items that if i see a dollar off c oupon for I will clip but I don't go out of my way much to do it.
I had to comment, not just for the $10 chance, but because I read Carrie's blog too. I have my own strategies for saving money, but I shop more around what I want to eat & make and try to find bargains along the way.
I will use coupons ONLY if they're for stuff I normally buy, and if they fall in my lap - they're on the shelf, they're in/on the package, etc. I love reading about extreme savings like Carrie gets, but they really dictate what you eat. I like to choose what I like. I buy vegetables & fruits mostly in season at my local fruit store, I buy in bulk when it makes sense, I buy out the case when my meats go on sale and freeze them, I go to the stores where my favorite items are cheapest and taste best (even Whole Foods has a couple of bargains), and I print out an aisle-by-aisle list so I don't get distracted by other stuff. It's hard enough for me to plan, shop and cook in addition to having a job outside the home...so the long answer to the short question is NO, I'm not a clipper.
Not me, but my wife does it all the time. She saves around $25 per month by using coupons, and all it takes is about an hour of her time once a month clipping and organizing. $25/mo (often higher) doesn't seem like a lot, but it's $300 in a year, without having to leave the house.
I rarely clip coupons, though I'll use them if they come inside a package of something I've already purchased. I spent years trying to get coupons doubled at stores (that supposedly doubled coupons), never having them doubled, then getting home and not using the products I'd purchased -- has led me to realize the waste of time and money that is, for me, clipping coupons. For some people, I"m sure this is a great way to save money. But avoiding unnecessary purchases in the first place (and shopping at stores that have lower costs) is my current preferred method.
I often think that by getting rid of the "little stuff", that is the things we chase after because we think we're supposed to, it advances the small list of things we find to be really compelling.
If we can get rid of as many of the little things as possible, that frees us up to focus on what we truly find joy in.
Now when I say "little things", they may not be so little. It may mean giving up a status car in favor of a beater, so that you have more money for international travel. It may mean selling a house in the suburbs and renting one in an apartment complex so that you can do extended mission work overseas.
The problem comes in when we have serious dreams, but still think we can carry all of the baggage of the suburban lifestyle along with those dreams. The lifestyle, in that case, is only holding you back from doing what you really want.
Do I use coupons? HA!!! I use them on the regular to purchase items on sale (AKA loss leaders) at a grocery store that doubles coupons up to 50 cents. Some items I get for free and some I pay very little. I buy my meat at the same store and I bring my own bags which gets me points toward 10 cents off a gallon of gas on my next fill-up. My husband always tells the cashier "Watch this" when I hand over the coupons. I save at least 65 to 70%. I LOVE coupons!
I am a big coupon clipper! I usually just check the Sunday paper and match the coupons for items I use with store flyers for extra deals. I've even written to Kashi and Amy's foods and was sent coupons for free items! It's a way to save a few bucks, and since I enjoy it, it's worth it for me.
I'd love to be one of those who saves $100+ on their grocery bills by clipping coupons...but I'm not. Maybe someday, but I haven't yet taken the time to create a system that is practical and will work for my current situation.
Yes, I do clip coupons. Every Sunday I get several papers and cut the coupons from those. I also look for extra sets at the recycling center, or I purchase them at Coupon Clippers or Ebay. I'm not brand specific on 99% of what I buy, so I combine sales and loss leaders with coupons so I can stockpile. It does get tedious at times but we are a family of 5 on a tight budget and it saves us a ton of money. It's a nice feeling knowing we have something to fall back on if there were a job loss or injury and we couldn't get to the store so often. And I have to admit, it's a small thrill to get things for free! LOL
I love clipping coupons.
I find the whole sorting, recycling ones I don't want, clipping, filing, weeding, using, process very soothing. It tickles that "organization" need and "pitch" need without a ton of stuff. And it comes with my paper every week.
Granted, I don't actually use many of my coupons, but I do make a point to always use a few (cat litter, dishwashing detergent), and so while the return may not be huge monetarily, it is huge in terms of expense per enjoyment hour. :-)
Shortly before I was married, my husband and I got drunk and got our names tattooed on each other. When things went south, I wanted to get mine removed, but couldn't afford the treatments. The name was in the small of my lower back, all black and was really small about 1.5"H x 3.5"L. I read on the internet that I could remove it using a cloth dipped in hot water and then in sea salt.
I did it cold turkey. Nothing to ease the pain. I kind of looked over my shoulder into a mirror and began scrubbing. The salt made the wound feel hot- but not terribly painful despite the amount of blood. I did about ten two minute scrubbing sessions being careful not to scrub too deeply- just enough to make it bleed- and then bandaged it up with Neosporin. I kept changing the bandages and on the second day, the bandage had traces of the ink on it. It took a full two weeks to heal, but the tattoo faded significantly and continues to fade as time goes by. There is no scarring. I know this process would have removed the entire thing if I ever did it again... but we reconciled and he doesn't want me to finish the removal. I would suggest it to anyone.
I think we have to ask ourselves where each of our desires and needs comes from. Some time of reflection will help a lot. If I earn 120k a year, why not live the same way someone that earns 60k? What a advantage I will have while investing the 60k. Of course, this have to be tough before you choose to increase your living standards.
As I get older (I'm about to turn 35) I'm really enjoying the gradually increasing standard of living. As you get older, you have more responsibilities and probably more needs. I've got a four year old and old back injuries.
*camping gear - In the past I'd slept on the ground, then later in a crappy sleeping bag, then a nice sleeping bag, now we have those little puffy mats - my functionality on waking up is about the same but my back needs the comfort, these days.
*work - in the past, if I got too broke I could take random awful jobs and work long days if I needed to. Now I have more family responsibilities and less stamina, so I am happy not to have to do that.
*spending money - last weekend we were in Chicago. In the past, if I got separated from my friends or walked too far in heels and my feet hurt, I'd have to walk back anyway. Now I have an extra $20 for a cab if I get in that situation, not just $4 stuffed into my bra in case I need to take the bus.
*travel - I have taken multi-day train rides and slept in my seat because it was cheaper. I have taken long bike trips and sletp in the ditch. Again, as I get older, creakier, and have less stamina I *really* value being able to take a hot shower, get sleeper-car tickets, and stay in a hotel if my couch-hopping plans fall through.
Of course, if you start out with a pretty high standard of living you don't necessarily need it to edge upward...but the rise is pretty satisfying anyway.
POM Wonderful juice is delicious and probably gives a decent dosage of anti-oxidants. I still think it's a waste of money, overall.
I'm sure that there are millions, maybe billions, of dollars spent every year on research that draws inconclusive results, across all industries. On one hand, great, I'm glad the company is not publishing inconclusive results and trying to skew the findings in their favor. On the other hand, the fact that so much is spent on research that DOESN'T prove the pomegranate juice has many benefits might be a more telling point. The sad thing is that industries keep pouring more and more money into research to prove that they have the magic bullet - the secret ingredient that is the key to health. The fact that plenty of studies prove the pomegranate juice does next to nothing in terms of improving health is actually fairly conclusive in and of itself. You have to keep doing more studies, hoping that one of them will eventually have something to show for it all, right?
Every industry does this, so I don't mean to call out POM unfairly. And again, the product is good, although I wouldn't consider it much better than the juice at Trader Joe's.
I generally do not clip coupons for grocery items, as we eat mostly whole foods and avoid packaged, processed stuff. I will, however, use them to save money on things like personal items, additional percent off when I'm scoring some good buys on Macy's clearance racks, etc. Kohl's often has $10 off a minimum purchase of $10 or more (hello, free undies! LOL), or 40% off one item at the craft store.
For grocery-savings, my strategy is to have a spreadsheet with my master price list, which I alphabetize by item. I note who has the lowest price on a specific item (and amount of product) as well as the sale price that comes around on occasion, which can sometimes undercut the lowest price at another store where we shop.
yes! i clip coupons like crazy. i don't even buy newspapers, i just head out to the recycling center on sunday and get tons of free coupons.
recently i broke my foot, and my boyfriend and i have spent about TWICE what we usually spend, since i can't get out there and shop the grocery sales like i used to.
I totally agree with what you said, and it goes for all bargain-hunting -- do what makes sense and fits into your lifestyle. Don't let it TAKE OVER your life.
But I don't seek them out, generally. I'll skim store fliers for stuff I already buy, but most of my coupon use comes from the ones printed out at the grocery store counter.
I go through stages of coupon clipping. When I am trying to build up my stock pile of stuff, I clip lots of coupons. After my stock pile has reached its max, I take a little break and relax for a while.
I don't get a Sunday paper or many coupons in the mail, but if I did, I would definitely use them more. My printer is also very tempermental, so printing them is hard too. But I do love coupons! =)
I love coupons! I live alone so my grocery bill is already pretty low, but money is tight so every little bit helps. Unfortunately, I did the math and the cost of subscribing to a newspaper just for the weekly coupons would offset any savings. Luckily, I have a generous aunt who is an avid coupon clipper. Every week or two she sends me her extra coupons. I don't know if I'm an "avid" coupon-clipper, myself, but I definitely get a thrill when I see that total drop as my coupons are applied. :)
We clipped and stockpiled and saved for months and months.. then life got busy. Now, nearly a year later we are running low on a lot of the stockpiled items that we had, so we decided that we needed to start again.
We are again clipping and again getting some great deals. It's all a game to us.. where we can get the best deal... and our stockpile is enjoying getting full again.
For regular groceries, I clip coupons, but only the ones from the free neighbor newspaper and from online sites. Don't want to pay for a newspaper. So, I probably don't make much savings there -- maybe $1-2/week.
For warehouse stores like Costco, I definitely take advantage of their coupons and will wait until I get a coupon to buy items like paper towels and toilet paper. This provides good savings, usually $10+ per trip.
I clip coupons only for things that I need or use frequently. I often use them in conjunction with a sale. While I am not as fanatical about it as some, it's only me in the house, so I don't buy as much as a person with a spouse and/or kids, but it definitely saves me a lot of money over the course of a year.
my mother clips those she thinks i'll use. usually she's spot-on. i, however, don't clip, because that would require getting the paper, which i don't find to be a terribly good "poor skill." i'd rather find coupons online, or take them from those who won't use them. i don't use them if we don't need the product, or wouldn't normally buy it. i HAVE managed to save quite a bit using this technique. i also sift through my coupon booklet monthly and recycle that which i haven't used.
Very few of the items I buy have coupons as I usually only get fruits/veggies/staples. I do try to use coupons for cat food/litter but usually the store brand is less expensive then the name brand with coupon. I do have a few items that if i see a dollar off c oupon for I will clip but I don't go out of my way much to do it.
I had to comment, not just for the $10 chance, but because I read Carrie's blog too. I have my own strategies for saving money, but I shop more around what I want to eat & make and try to find bargains along the way.
I will use coupons ONLY if they're for stuff I normally buy, and if they fall in my lap - they're on the shelf, they're in/on the package, etc. I love reading about extreme savings like Carrie gets, but they really dictate what you eat. I like to choose what I like. I buy vegetables & fruits mostly in season at my local fruit store, I buy in bulk when it makes sense, I buy out the case when my meats go on sale and freeze them, I go to the stores where my favorite items are cheapest and taste best (even Whole Foods has a couple of bargains), and I print out an aisle-by-aisle list so I don't get distracted by other stuff. It's hard enough for me to plan, shop and cook in addition to having a job outside the home...so the long answer to the short question is NO, I'm not a clipper.
Not me, but my wife does it all the time. She saves around $25 per month by using coupons, and all it takes is about an hour of her time once a month clipping and organizing. $25/mo (often higher) doesn't seem like a lot, but it's $300 in a year, without having to leave the house.
I rarely clip coupons, though I'll use them if they come inside a package of something I've already purchased. I spent years trying to get coupons doubled at stores (that supposedly doubled coupons), never having them doubled, then getting home and not using the products I'd purchased -- has led me to realize the waste of time and money that is, for me, clipping coupons. For some people, I"m sure this is a great way to save money. But avoiding unnecessary purchases in the first place (and shopping at stores that have lower costs) is my current preferred method.
I often think that by getting rid of the "little stuff", that is the things we chase after because we think we're supposed to, it advances the small list of things we find to be really compelling.
If we can get rid of as many of the little things as possible, that frees us up to focus on what we truly find joy in.
Now when I say "little things", they may not be so little. It may mean giving up a status car in favor of a beater, so that you have more money for international travel. It may mean selling a house in the suburbs and renting one in an apartment complex so that you can do extended mission work overseas.
The problem comes in when we have serious dreams, but still think we can carry all of the baggage of the suburban lifestyle along with those dreams. The lifestyle, in that case, is only holding you back from doing what you really want.
Excellent post Philip!
Do I use coupons? HA!!! I use them on the regular to purchase items on sale (AKA loss leaders) at a grocery store that doubles coupons up to 50 cents. Some items I get for free and some I pay very little. I buy my meat at the same store and I bring my own bags which gets me points toward 10 cents off a gallon of gas on my next fill-up. My husband always tells the cashier "Watch this" when I hand over the coupons. I save at least 65 to 70%. I LOVE coupons!