Comments on: Are Grocery Coupons a Waste of Time?

By: 17 Reasons Why Planning Your Grocery Trips Will Save You Money — Frugal Mama

17 Reasons Why Planning Your Grocery Trips Will Save You Money — Frugal Mama — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:28:53 +0000

[...] you use coupons (I usually don’t), you can write down items you have coupons for in the order you would find them in the store, and [...]

By: Getting the budget under control « sleeplessinsummerville

Getting the budget under control « sleeplessinsummerville — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:00:38 +0000

[...] but other than that, it’s been 1-2 trips per week, and that is entirely reasonable. I read here about saving money on groceries without using coupons or shopping at three different grocery stores [...]

By: Don’t Feel Guilty if You Don’t Love Couponing — Frugal Mama

Don’t Feel Guilty if You Don’t Love Couponing — Frugal Mama — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:47:17 +0000

[...] I really need and want to save money, why don’t I use grocery coupons to the max? I just don’t get as much satisfaction from couponing as other frugal pursuits, and it tempts me [...]

By: How I Saved a Fast 45% on Fresh, Healthy Food — Frugal Mama

How I Saved a Fast 45% on Fresh, Healthy Food — Frugal Mama — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:55:26 +0000

[...] be done well, couponing requires the time and energy of a part-time job. But you can still slice off a few quick dollars if [...]

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:55:14 +0000

Hi Ann,

I’m so glad you stopped by! I totally agree with you that time and money are valuable, and that focusing on one store can really simplify life.

And Wegman’s — what a store! I’d heard about it before moving to Syracuse — it’s legendary, and for good reason.

I hope to hear more from you and your thoughts on saving money.

Sincerely,
Amy

By: Ann van Hemert

Ann van Hemert — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:58:15 +0000

Well someone was talking about Frugal Mama today and I decided to come over and find out what it is all about. I was worried that it was all about coupons etc. and was pleasantly surprised!

I have a paper problem here at home too and have found that coupons are more trouble than they are worth (usually….)

I spent sixteen years as a stay-at-home mom and during those years tried every frugal thing I could think of. I did the going to several different stores to get the best deals at each store (that was before gas started costing so much!) and doing one big shopping trip for the month. For the last six years I have been an aide in Special Ed. so my time has been cut short for enjoying the money saving process and I have started to value my time more. Now I am a single mom still working and going to school so my time is really cut short. I only go to two stores, my neighborhood store which is great on meat and bread and Wegmans. Wegmans used to be thought of as the expensive store. They have some really high end gourmet food, but a few years ago they send out a video to their regulars announcing that they were going to keep prices low on their basics and it has been true. They really put a lot of effort into making sure their store brand products are high quality. I haven’t found any other store that sells double roll 12 pack cottonelle for $4.99 regularly and their store brand is just as good for the same price the rest of the time. It keeps me coming back.
Even though money is very tight so is time and energy so I go to the one store in town that makes the process enjoyable and the one store in my neighborhood that is small so I can go in and get out fast.

(Sorry this is so long…I don’t get to vent on grocery shopping very often :)

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:40 +0000

Note: Grocery story circular coupons can be an exception. Why? Well, one way of saving money on food is planning your meals around what’s on sale at the grocery store. So if you are already looking over the store’s list of sale items, it doesn’t take much time to clip a coupon or two. Unlike manufacturer coupons, they’re more likely to include healthier foods, rather than gimmicky products you don’t need.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:59:38 +0000

Kimberly: Thanks so much for leaving your thoughts about coupons. We definitely all have enough of paper clutter, and most of us have enough mental clutter too.

I see coupons as a form of advertising, and I try to steer away from advertising as much as possible.

A friend of mine at Buttoned Up has just tried shopping for dry goods at Alice.com where she says they have uploaded all the coupons in the country so you don’t have to bother with them.

It’s worth checking out!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:14:24 +0000

I totally understand your viewpoint on coupons! And I hate paper paper clutter with a passion (you should see my living room right now as I’m going through some old papers!). I use coupons but only the ones worth my while. I don’t want to buy something I don’t want just because it’s only a quarter if I use coupon A and B and combing with a sale, etc. I wonder if it’s the same for the Walgreen’s scenarios? Walgreen’s seems to be doing really well financially and there’s one on every corner practically. Kind of like people that think they can get money at casinos, just look at the casino and tell me who’s making the money? Do they really make that much money on their pharmacy products if they are losing money from all the people doing various money making scenarios? I think it’s wise never to think in how much you save, but in how much you spend ALWAYS. I appreciate your perspective on coupons. And love your line about never seeing a coupon for an eggplant!

By: The No-Coupon Solution to Saving Money on Groceries (at Buttoned Up) — Frugal Mama

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:44:03 +0000

[...] you’ve read my post Are Grocery Coupons a Waste of Time?, you know I’m not a big fan of this method for saving money at the [...]

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:51:46 +0000

Gertie — This is a very interesting take on coupons! I agree that children like to feel useful and be given responsibility — and your children had the added pleasure of helping your family save money.

By: Gertie

Gertie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:45:12 +0000

When my children were younger, I had them clip out coupons because the Occupational Therapist wanted them practicing with scissors for fine motor development. They couldn’t read, so they cut out everything and there are some pretty strange coupons out there that I had to explain. It took forever trying to shop in the store with them so we could use some of the ones they had cut out and feel proud of. Anyway, I let them get the crappy cereal, but only if they had a coupon for it. I like to think I’m teaching something about money.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:01:30 +0000

I totally agree with your coupon philosphy. There have been times in the past where we stock up on items because we have coupons, just to have them go bad and get tossed because we bought way to much. I like the idea you mentioned….go in with a list, and scan the sale items to see if any of your needs can be met with a sale item. And, I also agree that fresh always seems to be cheaper and yummier! I LOVED this entry!

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:53:12 +0000

Paola, It sounds like you are clearly not obsessive-compulsive. I admire your ability to stay afloat without spiraling down into a coupon frenzy.

By: Paola

Paola — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:09:22 +0000

I have to admit that I am still addicted to coupons. I clip only the ones for items I regularly buy, especially yogurt, diapers and cleaning supplies. I keep them in a tabbed coupon pouch like the one you describe that always stays in my purse or in the car, so I always have it with me.

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

You’ll be happy to know that my microeconomics professor in college had the same view of coupons.