So this seems to be the latest craze these days. I LOVE LOVE the idea of couponing. Being a stay at home Mom I realize it is a fantastic was to save money. I cut coupons ALL the time. Ask Chad. They are all over our refrigerator, folded in the large compartment of my wallet, in the side pocket of my purse, and in the first and second drawers to the left of the stove. Any time the clipper magazine comes in the mail I lay it beside the couch with a pair of scissors for me to look through and cut out coupons at my next available break to sit down. I have even stopped at the gas station on Sunday to buy a paper to cut coupons. Seriously, I swear my mouth waters at coupons....but here is the thing...I NEVER use them. NEVER. Seriously.
I guess I just don't get how people save so much money. Kerri and I have discussed this countless times. There are a million coupons to cut, but there may be only 1 thing that I actually need and/or buy out of the coupons that are EVER being offered. So here is my question...are you supposed to buy an item just because you have a coupon for it? I can't wrap my head around doing this because it seems like I am wasting money on something I don't even need. Am I just buying it because I will get it for 50 cents less than normal? If so, I feel as if it's a mind game. If you buy an item just because you have a coupon for it then I feel like the manufacturer/store is winning this mind game they are playing with coupons. I'm not saying that is the case, I'm just saying that is how I feel.
Also, I am furious with expiration dates. They are ridiculous. Yes, I need Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, but I don't need it right now...I will need it in about 5-6 weeks. But wait, the coupon expires in 4 weeks. I keep it just in case I happen to clean the toilets a lot within the next month. Then it becomes a useless coupon that I have to clean out of my wallet at a later date. The thing is, I know I'm not going to use it but I keep it anyways because I love the idea of couponing.
I had the bright idea the other day that I might be a better coupon lady if I actually had a coupon holder. So I went on a search for a holder. I had been told the Dollar Tree had some in the kitchen section... after 25 minutes of searching...nothing. I know they were selling them in the Target dollar bins a few months ago but they were all scooped up and by the time I decided I wanted to buy one, they were gone...I mean come on, it was a dollar...was I too cheap to spend a DOLLAR?! Apparently.
I really, really, really want to use coupons. Any advice would be great. Is it what I think it is? Do you just buy it because you have a coupon for it? Surely not!
I'm not joking.
8 years ago
2 comments:
Kim- I would recommend checking out some of the amazing websites that are out there. There really is a lot to learn about coupons. The main point is to get the MOST for your money. Like at Publix: their computer automatically doubles any coupons up to 50 cents. So you're really going to save a dollar. Plus you can combine coupons- if you had two of those 5o cent ones, you'd really save two dollars! And Publix does buy one get one free all the time and many times there are coupons for these items. So you can use coupons on the "buy one" and on the "free" item...and they double...etc. and you end up getting stuff for pennies! Also, Publix accepts competitor coupons. If you have a Winn Dixie coupon, or Piggly Wiggly, or any of those, you can use it at Publix- it's like handing them cash. Some of the websites I was talking about will list the week's sales and also matching coupons. A lot of coupons I get are online and you can print them out. These websites will have a link you click on, and then you just print out the coupon. They do all the work for you! I will say it takes some time. And you will end up throwing away coupons that expire on you. But they are worth keeping until they expire because you never know what the stores will put on sale. I do not think you should buy things just because you have a coupon...IF you do not ever use them. Obviously that is not a deal, if you are never going to use something. BUT I do think you should stock up on things you know you WILL need if they are on sale and you have coupons, because you know they will get used eventually, and you need to purchase them when they are at their lowest price. Anyway I could go on forever. Check out Money saving mom, Fiddledeedee, Grocery game (this one is not free, but many people like it)...and these even have links to many many other coupon sites. You will be overwhelmed at all the info out there. But you will be so proud of yourself! And not to mention Chad will be proud of you too! Good luck and I hope Carter is getting better!
They key to couponing is to use a coupon when the item is on sale so that you get the best deal. And if it is something you will use in the future, like toilet bowl cleaner, buy it even though you don't need it right now. You will use it in the future and if you could pay 50 cents today instead of $2.50 when you actually need it, isn't that worth it? The key to stocking up on items you will use and aren't perishable is having somewhere to store them. We converted our under the stairs closet into a pantry. And I don't clip all the coupons. That takes too much time. I have a binder with clear sheet protectors in it. Each Sunday I take out the coupon sections, write the date on them and put them in a sheet protector that also has the date on the front. Then when an item is on sale, I go cut out the coupon. I use the grocery game because she tells me what is one sale where and when the coupon was in the paper. it is worth the money i pay every other month for this service. i simply don't have the time to compile lists like that myself. And I save much more than it costs me. I have found you just have to be organized. Good luck!
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