Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 14, 2011 18:03:46 GMT -5
I think that I've consistently said that I DO use coupons. When they are for something that I am going to buy anyway. Right now, I have a rebate form for $3 for three bottles of wine of the brand I buy anyway. And I consistently use Costco's coupons for things I buy regularly.
Somehow that gets interpreted as being "anti-coupon".... I simply prefer to take a simpler, minimalistic approach instead of buying things I don't need in order to "save" on things that I do.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 14, 2011 18:31:34 GMT -5
I used cloth diapers and washed them. Didn't buy baby wipes either - they didn't exist - another manufactured "need". Most daycares won't allow cloth diapers or wipes. I chose to go for convenience and save what money I could by using coupons and deals. Disposable diapers is a great example of how the free market steps up to the plate when there is a demand for a product. More mothers were returning to the work force. Disposable diapers were no longer a luxury, but a necessity to both the mom and the daycare provider.
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2kids10horses
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Post by 2kids10horses on May 14, 2011 20:05:03 GMT -5
I've never seen the show, but I've heard enough about it, LOL!!!
We coupon. We do the RiteAid thing as described in earlier posts. We recently bought some Allegra-D, because we need it! It's listed at $25. We had a coupon for $3 off a $25 purchase. Then, we had a Manufacturer coupon, and a RiteAid coupon for Allegra. My rewards card automaticly lowers the price of anything at Rite-Aid 10%. The final bill was $9. And then the register prints out a catalina for $5, and another for $4. Cha=ching! Free Allegra!
On groceries, there's a web site we use: southernsavers dot com. It lists what's on sale in our area, tells you what coupons to get (some are printed on the in-store flyers) some are on-line, and they provide links for the on-line ones.
Yesterday, I bought 5 jars of pickles. They were BOGO, then I had 75 cent coupons off each jar.
Dishwashing detergent, was BOGO, and I had coupons. Bagle Chips (yes, it's junk food, but I LIKE bagle chips) BOGO and a coupon.
There were a couple of other things. All stuff we use.
Anyway, the gross was $35, but I only paid $7. Even the checkout girl was impressed.
My wife is also a wizard at the thrift shop. The first time she came home and had 20 polo shirts for me, I was appalled! I mean, what the??? But they were all nice polo style or golf shirts. Each one would have cost $35 to $50 at a regular retail shop! So, I starting wearing them!
So, now, I won't buy them anywhere else! I figure, if I bought one at retail, I could have gotten 35 at the thrift shop!
My son plays in a youth orchestra. Needs to wear a tux. He's 15, he grows a suit size in 3 months. Solution? Thrift store. He owns 4 tuxes. Each cost $1. They're like brand new. When he outgrows the one he's in, we'll donate it back. We've already got one for when he gets to the next size, it's a Brooks Brothers tux. $1. No kidding.
Daughter recently got 4 prom dresses for $4 each. New, they would be $400 to $750 at Nordstrams or Saks. One of them was a new one from Saks. Still had the tags on it. Unbelievable.
Don't say it's "Not worth my time".
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on May 15, 2011 7:36:52 GMT -5
Don't say it's "Not worth my time". Some people value their time MUCH more than others.
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Post by bobbysgirl on May 15, 2011 10:44:49 GMT -5
CAW: Tell your wife there's a 1.00/1 coupon for Ronzoni in today's coupon inserts. If she's interested it will only take her a few seconds to find it. When else has she made 1.00 in less than a minute?
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Post by bobbysgirl on May 15, 2011 10:50:39 GMT -5
It's too bad that many of you don't use coupons. Rite Aid this week has an Oral B crossaction toothbrush (we all use them) for 2.99. There is a 2.00 Up reward with this purchase. Then in May's Proctor and Gamble insert there is a coupon for 1.50 off one. I will make money this week on this deal. (.50 each) I'm retired so this is my way of keeping my mind active. Beats the cash return on reading books and watching TV shows.
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Post by bobbysgirl on May 15, 2011 10:51:49 GMT -5
I've never seen the show, but I've heard enough about it, LOL!!! We coupon. We do the RiteAid thing as described in earlier posts. We recently bought some Allegra-D, because we need it! It's listed at $25. We had a coupon for $3 off a $25 purchase. Then, we had a Manufacturer coupon, and a RiteAid coupon for Allegra. My rewards card automaticly lowers the price of anything at Rite-Aid 10%. The final bill was $9. And then the register prints out a catalina for $5, and another for $4. Cha=ching! Free Allegra! On groceries, there's a web site we use: southernsavers dot com. It lists what's on sale in our area, tells you what coupons to get (some are printed on the in-store flyers) some are on-line, and they provide links for the on-line ones. Yesterday, I bought 5 jars of pickles. They were BOGO, then I had 75 cent coupons off each jar. Dishwashing detergent, was BOGO, and I had coupons. Bagle Chips (yes, it's junk food, but I LIKE bagle chips) BOGO and a coupon. There were a couple of other things. All stuff we use. Anyway, the gross was $35, but I only paid $7. Even the checkout girl was impressed. My wife is also a wizard at the thrift shop. The first time she came home and had 20 polo shirts for me, I was appalled! I mean, what the??? But they were all nice polo style or golf shirts. Each one would have cost $35 to $50 at a regular retail shop! So, I starting wearing them! So, now, I won't buy them anywhere else! I figure, if I bought one at retail, I could have gotten 35 at the thrift shop! My son plays in a youth orchestra. Needs to wear a tux. He's 15, he grows a suit size in 3 months. Solution? Thrift store. He owns 4 tuxes. Each cost $1. They're like brand new. When he outgrows the one he's in, we'll donate it back. We've already got one for when he gets to the next size, it's a Brooks Brothers tux. $1. No kidding. Daughter recently got 4 prom dresses for $4 each. New, they would be $400 to $750 at Nordstrams or Saks. One of them was a new one from Saks. Still had the tags on it. Unbelievable. Don't say it's "Not worth my time". Absolutely delightful to hear!
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on May 15, 2011 11:11:25 GMT -5
I've never seen a Rite Aid. I went to their website and there are no Rite Aids within 100 miles of Minneapolis.
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Post by bobbysgirl on May 15, 2011 11:22:13 GMT -5
I've never seen a Rite Aid. I went to their website and there are no Rite Aids within 100 miles of Minneapolis. I'm sorry to hear that. ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png)
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 11:22:17 GMT -5
It's too bad that many of you don't use coupons. Rite Aid this week has an Oral B crossaction toothbrush (we all use them) for 2.99. There is a 2.00 Up reward with this purchase. Then in May's Proctor and Gamble insert there is a coupon for 1.50 off one. I will make money this week on this deal. (.50 each) I'm retired so this is my way of keeping my mind active. Beats the cash return on reading books and watching TV shows. ha ha ha I guess I have to agree. I am retired too and waiting for DH to join me in 2012. I have enjoyed all the great freebie deals over the last couple of years that have allowed me to stockpile most of the non-perishables that we use for regularly for little or no OOP. I have not built any one stockpile overnight (like you see on Extreme Couponing), but slowly over time. I am fortunate in that there are a lot of cabinets in my laundry area that are filled with FREE laundry and cleaning products and well as foil and ziplocs. I also have an extra linen closet where I have stored all my toiletry and hygiene items as well as OTC meds. The cabinet under the guest bath sink is stuffed full of free TP and more free TP and free paper towels and close to free Kleenex are stored in the master bedroom closet. I know that we'll be doing some traveling so I wanted to make sure that I had decent stockpiles for those times when I wouldn't be around to roll drug chain rewards into the next weeks freebies. ;D
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 11:26:28 GMT -5
I've never seen a Rite Aid. I went to their website and there are no Rite Aids within 100 miles of Minneapolis. MN-Investor: If you have a WAGs or a CVS, just keep your eyes peeled because they have similar deals regularly.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 11:33:10 GMT -5
It's too bad that many of you don't use coupons.This is the "my way is the right way and I feel sorry for those of you who are too stupid to do it my way" attitude that irritages the bejezus outta me. Rite Aid this week has an Oral B crossaction toothbrush (we all use them) No, we don't ALL use them. We use a Sonicare toothbrush. We buy replacement brushes when Costco sends us coupons. They come to our mailbox. No time wasted hunting them down. I'm retired so this is my way of keeping my mind active. Beats the cash return on reading books and watching TV shows. (I'm also retired and I have better uses of my time than chasing coupon "specials". I don't read books for the "cash value". I read books because I enjoy them)
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on May 15, 2011 11:36:13 GMT -5
WAGs?
Walgreens is well established here and, in the past few years, CVS has started building in the Twin Cities. Walgreen advertises (but I rarely shop there), but I don't think I've ever seen a CVS ad.
This is Target's home location, so I've always gone to Target, not to places like Walgreen. In fact, for awhile I did get my prescriptions filled at Walgreen, but they had really crappy service, so we moved our prescriptions to Target.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 11:39:11 GMT -5
I've also experienced very poor customer service at Walgreens. We fill our prescriptions through Medco via the mail. I haven't found any big box store that can beat their prices.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 11:52:57 GMT -5
WAGs? Walgreens is well established here and, in the past few years, CVS has started building in the Twin Cities. Walgreen advertises (but I rarely shop there), but I don't think I've ever seen a CVS ad. This is Target's home location, so I've always gone to Target, not to places like Walgreen. In fact, for awhile I did get my prescriptions filled at Walgreen, but they had really crappy service, so we moved our prescriptions to Target. Sorry, yes Walgreens. You don't have to get your Rx filled there, but keep your eyes peeled when you get their ads. A lot of time they'll have something that everyone uses every day for free after reward: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, dental floss - you get the idea. I don't know how long it has been since you tried shopping there. There used to be a lot of buzz on the internet about crappy customer service at Walgreens, but with the competition among the drug chains, chances are this might have changed. I used to put up with it cuz free is free, but now I don't have to - my WAGs is awesome!! ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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stats45
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Post by stats45 on May 15, 2011 12:07:51 GMT -5
I imagine that at most I spend around $10,000 in 'couponable' goods and services in a year. Let's say I could save one quarter of that through couponing, which seems absurd given my expenses...but just for argument.
I would save about $50 a week using coupons. Let's say that I only incur $10 a week in extra costs couponing (extra gas to travel to grocery stores, dry cleaning place, salon that accepts coupons, etc.), meaning I'm ahead $40. Let's also say that I'm able to do all of the couponing in one hour a week, and there is only one hour extra I spend shopping, traveling to places I don't already go to shop (this seems very generous). For $20 an hour (again, at most), there is no way it is worth my time.
I don't have a problem with the couponing, but I think people who do it often overestimate its value because they receive a good amount of enjoyment out of shopping and searching for a deal.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 12:23:32 GMT -5
I imagine that at most I spend around $10,000 in 'couponable' goods and services in a year. Let's say I could save one quarter of that through couponing, which seems absurd given my expenses...but just for argument. I would save about $50 a week using coupons. Let's say that I only incur $10 a week in extra costs couponing (extra gas to travel to grocery stores, dry cleaning place, salon that accepts coupons, etc.), meaning I'm ahead $40. Let's also say that I'm able to do all of the couponing in one hour a week, and there is only one hour extra I spend shopping, traveling to places I don't already go to shop (this seems very generous). For $20 an hour (again, at most), there is no way it is worth my time. I don't have a problem with the couponing, but I think people who do it often overestimate its value because they receive a good amount of enjoyment out of shopping and searching for a deal. I am pretty sure that I do not spend anywhere near $10K in "couponable" items. We simply are not big consumers and I use a number of homemade recipes for things that people buy. I also do not have any problem with people who want to play the coupon game. I DO have a problem with people that have the attitude that it's the only/best way to save money. And, yes, clearly it appeals to people who would be out shopping anyway. I've seen posts on the WIR board saying , "I saved so much money that I treated myself to such and such!"
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stats45
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Post by stats45 on May 15, 2011 12:39:25 GMT -5
I agree gg, and my estimate would involve doing things I wouldn't want to do like only eating at restaurants with coupons, changing where I get my hair cut, changing my dry cleaners, etc.
Karma for defending reading for its own sake above! Everyone has to take a stand on valuing some things that can't be quantified but are vitally important, and on this I completely agree.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 13:21:40 GMT -5
I imagine that at most I spend around $10,000 in 'couponable' goods and services in a year. Let's say I could save one quarter of that through couponing, which seems absurd given my expenses...but just for argument. I would save about $50 a week using coupons. Let's say that I only incur $10 a week in extra costs couponing (extra gas to travel to grocery stores, dry cleaning place, salon that accepts coupons, etc.), meaning I'm ahead $40. Let's also say that I'm able to do all of the couponing in one hour a week, and there is only one hour extra I spend shopping, traveling to places I don't already go to shop (this seems very generous). For $20 an hour (again, at most), there is no way it is worth my time. I don't have a problem with the couponing, but I think people who do it often overestimate its value because they receive a good amount of enjoyment out of shopping and searching for a deal. I am pretty sure that I do not spend anywhere near $10K in "couponable" items. We simply are not big consumers and I use a number of homemade recipes for things that people buy. I also do not have any problem with people who want to play the coupon game. I DO have a problem with people that have the attitude that it's the only/best way to save money. And, yes, clearly it appeals to people who would be out shopping anyway. I've seen posts on the WIR board saying , "I saved so much money that I treated myself to such and such!" gardeninggrandma: You are right. Using coupons is not the ONLY way to save money and I don't think there has be ANYONE in this discussion that has made that claim; but for those who do it on a regular basis and have learned to play the game, it is definitely the BEST WAY - the way that they have found gives them the most savings. The primary reason that anyone gets into couponing is to save money. Trust me, if there were a BETTER WAY to save MORE MONEY we (the couponers) would be all over it so please let us in on the secret and tell us how we can save more money that by using coupons, cuz WHATEVER IT IS, we'd like to do it too. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 13:27:50 GMT -5
And, yes, clearly it appeals to people who would be out shopping anyway. I've seen posts on the WIR board saying , "I saved so much money that I treated myself to such and such!" And yes, some people turn to it because they LOVE TO SHOP and couponing allows them to get their "shopping fix" and save money at the same time. Hey, I say, "You go Girl". They have found a way to turn something that might have been financially destructive into something that is now financially productive. Me? I do not care to shop. Shopping is not a recreational activity for me - it is a necessity.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 13:35:40 GMT -5
tell us how we can save more money that by using coupons, cuz WHATEVER IT IS, we'd like to do it too.
Actually you wouldn't like it at all. Before buying something you ask yourself two questions: 1) Do I need this (really, truly NEED it)? ("I can use it" or "I can donate it" don't count) 2) If I don't really need it, can I afford it?
If the answer is "no", you don't buy it. One's genuine "needs" are actually quite small. I've lived on a very tight budget and I managed by learning to separate "wants" from "needs".
But shoppers like to shop. Coupons help them support a habit they will indulge in anyway. The really sad thing is that people who really do live on a very tight budget will spend money they can't afford because they have a coupon. They will drive miles out of their way (spending $4/gal) and spend hours of their time chasing "bargains", most of which they don't truly "need". If it gives them a thrill, fine, I don't care, but then they come on this board posting that they "feel sorry for people who don't coupon".....
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 13:37:37 GMT -5
I don't have a problem with the couponing, but I think people who do it often overestimate its value because they receive a good amount of enjoyment out of shopping and searching for a deal. It's pretty easy for you to say that people are overestimating its value if YOU yourself have never done it. I have been couponing for almost 25 years. Savings: tens of thousands of dollars. Early Retirement for DH at age 55: Priceless. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/heart.gif)
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 13:39:31 GMT -5
I don't have a problem with the couponing, but I think people who do it often overestimate its value because they receive a good amount of enjoyment out of shopping and searching for a deal. It's pretty easy for you to say that people are overestimating its value if YOU yourself have never done it. I have been couponing for almost 25 years. Savings: tens of thousands of dollars. Early Retirement for DH at age 55: Priceless. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/heart.gif) I've repeatedly said that I DO use coupons - when they meet my parameters. I simply refuse to use them to buy things I don't need or to buy the coupons themselves, or to go out of my way to search for them. And it's not very often that I find them for the things I buy (organic produce, hormone free meats and poultry. I don't buy a lot of junk food. If I did, coupons WOULD save me money) Amy Dacyczyn (the queen of frugal and the author of The Tightwad Gazette) was not a coupon fan either. I retired at 54. DH retired at 58. Priceless indeed.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 13:53:11 GMT -5
tell us how we can save more money that by using coupons, cuz WHATEVER IT IS, we'd like to do it too.Actually you wouldn't like it at all. Before buying something you ask yourself two questions: 1) Do I need this (really, truly NEED it)? ("I can use it" or "I can donate it" don't count) 2) If I don't really need it, can I afford it? 1) Of course I don't need everything that I have "purchased" with coupons, but IF it is FREE after I use my coupon and I know that it can be used by someone who does NEED it, why on earth wouldn't I do that? When I drop off diabetic supplies for distribution, I am helping my own family AND my community. 2) Anything that is free after coupon is FREE; affordability is not an issue because it is F R E E!! The entire premise of using coupons is to "buy" things today that you can get for FREE so that when you NEED them tomorrow, you do not have to spend money on them. On the Grocery Challenge we warn newbies NOT to use a coupon just because the have it or because it is going to expire. In spite of our warnings, some newbies DO end up spending more money in the beginning than they need to, so it can happen - but it isn't because they haven't been warned. It does not take them long to get fully on-board with how to use coupons effectively and pretty soon they are saving a ton of money. Many wish that they had "discovered" it years earlier than they did.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 14:10:23 GMT -5
It's pretty easy for you to say that people are overestimating its value if YOU yourself have never done it. I have been couponing for almost 25 years. Savings: tens of thousands of dollars. Early Retirement for DH at age 55: Priceless. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/heart.gif) I've repeatedly said that I DO use coupons - when they meet my parameters. I simply refuse to use them to buy things I don't need or to buy the coupons themselves, or to go out of my way to search for them. And it's not very often that I find them for the things I buy (organic produce, hormone free meats and poultry. I don't buy a lot of junk food. If I did, coupons WOULD save me money) Amy Dacyczyn (the queen of frugal and the author of The Tightwad Gazette) was not a coupon fan either. I retired at 54. DH retired at 58. Priceless indeed. The point is that for many, learning to coupon the way that I do and the way that they have learned to do has been extremely beneficial to THEM. If you don't think that is it for you, I am not trying to convince you that it is; I just want you to realize that is is FOR OTHER PEOPLE. I have never bought coupons. I do not buy them now. I don't even buy the newspapers that they come in and I don't dumpster dive to get them. They are given to me; I get them for F R E E!! Yes, there are gals on the Grocery Challenge that buy extra newspapers or even order extra inserts from a clipping service. They do it because they KNOW through EXPERIENCE that it is profitable - that they will SAVE MORE MONEY by getting the inserts than it costs them. Again, the show Extreme Couponing is NOT reality. No one that I knows in the Grocery Challenge community has ever done what is portrayed on that show, Yes, they have stockpiles of non-perishable items that they will use in the future, but they do not have a garage filled to the rafters. Many of the gals on the Grocery Challenge have used couponing so that they can pay off student loans, get out of credit card debt, save up enough money to take a nice vacation. They take the money that they would have spent on the items that they get for F R E E with coupons and apply it to other things that they N E E D. It has not hut them financially; it has HELPED them. That is all the gals on the Grocery Challenge want to do - save money and help anyone who wants to learn to SAVE MONEY too, ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 14:17:54 GMT -5
The really sad thing is that people who really do live on a very tight budget will spend money they can't afford because they have a coupon. They will drive miles out of their way (spending $4/gal) and spend hours of their time chasing "bargains", most of which they don't truly "need". If it gives them a thrill, fine, I don't care, but then they come on this board posting that they "feel sorry for people who don't coupon"..... Yes, it is really sad that people who really do live on a very tight budget might go out and spend money that they can't afford because they have a coupon. But we do not teach that nor encourage it. All the gals on the Grocery Challenge (including me) spend a lot of time helping whoever wants help to learn the best and most cost effective way to save money with coupons. All we can do is pass along what has worked for us and warn against the very pitfall you describe (and others that are similar), after that it is up to them. I wonder though if you speak from experience (you tried it and found that it cost you money) or you're just supposing that this is a common problem.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 15:02:45 GMT -5
And it's not very often that I find them for the things I buy (organic produce, hormone free meats and poultry. I don't buy a lot of junk food. If I did, coupons WOULD save me money) Amy Dacyczyn (the queen of frugal and the author of The Tightwad Gazette) was not a coupon fan either. I retired at 54. DH retired at 58. Priceless indeed. Why is it that a lot of people who eat mostly organics think that there are never ANY coupons for them. There are tons of non-perishable items that you have already said that you buy at Costco that I have been able to stockpile for F R E E. Again, I am not trying to convince YOU that you should become a couponer. Obviously you have enough money that you are willing to spend it buying bulk at Costco. If you are not on a tight budget and do not NEED or want to save the money that you spend there, then obviously that works FOR YOU - but there are others that would rather get those items for FREE somewhere else by using coupons and use the money that you spend at Costco on SOMETHING ELSE that they NEED that cannot be purchased with coupons......like GASOLINE. In the end, I think that you are missing the whole point of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. FREE is FREE.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 16:05:42 GMT -5
Why is it that a lot of people who eat mostly organics think that there are never ANY coupons for them.
Because the only coupons they see for organics is for PROCESSED foods. Most food coupons are for PROCESSED food (which has the highest profit margin, costs the most and has the least nutritional value)..
Inthe end, I think that you are missing the whole point of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. FREE is FREE.
I think YOU are missing the point. If you spend an hour of your life clipping, organizing, sorting, trading, checking the exp date of coupons, nothing is free. It has cost you your TIME. That's the stuff life is made of. You can never have that hour back to spend in more fulfilling ways. (And from what I've observed on WIR, those women spend a lot more than an hour - making multiple trips into a store because of purchase limits, arguing with cashiers, escalating to store managers)
PS I shop at Costco because I keep track of the unit prices of the items I buy most. Costco consistently has lower prices than the nearest stores. Sometimes I can beat Costco's price with a sale and/or coupon. And sometimes not. I keep track.
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dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
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Post by dancinmama on May 15, 2011 16:52:14 GMT -5
Why is it that a lot of people who eat mostly organics think that there are never ANY coupons for them.Because the only coupons they see for organics is for PROCESSED foods. Most food coupons are for PROCESSED food (which has the highest profit margin, costs the most and has the least nutritional value).. Inthe end, I think that you are missing the whole point of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. FREE is FREE. I think YOU are missing the point. If you spend an hour of your life clipping, organizing, sorting, trading, checking the exp date of coupons, nothing is free. It has cost you your TIME. That's the stuff life is made of. You can never have that hour back to spend in more fulfilling ways. (And from what I've observed on WIR, those women spend a lot more than an hour - making multiple trips into a store because of purchase limits, arguing with cashiers, escalating to store managers) A $5 coupon has the same value as a $5 bill when you are buying the product that it is intended for. I can either SPEND TIME at a job to EARN the $5 bill (adding of course the costs to do that: payroll taxes, income taxes, gas to get to work, money for work clothes, daycare expense, etc.) OR I can clip a $5 coupon and use it INSTEAD OF A $5 bill. They both take time. I can tell you that most of the gals that have come to the Grocery Challenge to join us in saving money by using coupons, have done so BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO. Many have gotten very good at it and are not as in dire straights as perhaps they once were (THANKS TO COUPONS), but they continue to do it because they have found no better way to save money - in my case so that we could pay off our mortgages and max out DH's 401K. So I challenge you again to find a way for them to provide for their families that would save them more money on the items that they NEED to buy.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
Senior Associate
Sarcasm is my Superpower
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 16:09:58 GMT -5
Posts: 12,858
Today's Mood: Gen X ... so I'm sarcastic and annoyed
Location: Central California
Favorite Drink: Diet Mountain Dew
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on May 15, 2011 16:53:14 GMT -5
We shop at Trader Joes, a lot. So we use our coupons for unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze at Trader Joes, and we use our coupon for Alvarado Street sprouted, organic flax seed breat at Trader Joes, too. I've also used coupons for Hansen's sodas there, and some of their vegetarian frozen items, too ~ this way, I'm combining their already-low prices with coupons, saving more money.
Confession: I don't use coupons as much as I could, but I do make an effort to use them when I can. I especially keep an eye open for coupons for products that we really use a lot, and then I endeavor to combine coupons and sale prices when I can!
So ... if anyone sees coupons for Scoop Away, Kitten Chow, Almond Breeze -- please clip 'em and send them my way!
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