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 Do you use coupons???
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Bridge
True Blue Farmgirl

814 Posts

Bridgette
Southern Indiana
USA
814 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  09:47:01 AM  Show Profile
Do you all use coupons???

I do a lot, last month I saved $128 with coupons and rebates.

I use a coupon service and get only the coupons I know that we use and then I stock up.

For a peek at my pantry I have about 30 hamburger helpers (75cents plus I got a ticket for 60 cents of of 15 gal of fuel), 20 bags of kitty food (70cents a bag), 10- 2 liters soda (50 cents or less), etc.... I also keep big buckets of staples like soybeans, flour & sugar.

I make many things from scratch but it is nice to have convenience items for those rushed moments. Plus it saves me $$ I could make a casserole from scratch, but if I get a Helper for 75 and just add burger, open a can of veggies. I have a meal for around $2.00 for both of us and usually my lunch the next day. It would be hard to match that from scratch.

I have been doing the coupon thing for quite a while, the things I have learned are:
• Only buy items that you use
• Only buy as much as you will use before it expires. If you throw it out you have wasted the $ no matter how much you saved.
• If you can get frees buy them and donate to charity.
• Match your coupons to sale ads for even more savings

Create a plan...
I know we like certain deodorants’, etc. I know we use X amount of these per month (say 3). When I see a coupon, I will get say 24 coupons I know that will stock us up for 8 months. This usually will save at least $24; sometimes it is closer to $48 if I match an ad. These savings really add up quickly.

It is also really nice to know that you do not have to by “that” item for many months.


~~Bridge's Boutique~~

bramble
True Blue Farmgirl

2044 Posts



2044 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  09:57:17 AM  Show Profile
I use coupons when it is for something I use or have wanted to try. There are usually more affordable options without the coupon (even with), but I do not buy alot of premade products. I think stocking up is great if you have the space and the product has a good shelf life. We have been trying to eat as much local and fresh as possible and that has saved enormously. About once a month I go to Wegman's where I know there are specialty items that I won't make (like stuffed grape leaves or specialty goat cheese) and have a little splurge. It keeps our diet varied and I resist the impulse purchases that are boobytrapped all over the market!
Monthly savings with coupons: About $40-60.00, depending on the month.


with a happy heart
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl

4331 Posts

Janice
Louisville/Irvington Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  10:13:52 AM  Show Profile  Send Miss Bee Haven a Yahoo! Message
When my son was little(about 20 years ago), I had so many coupons, I organized them alphabetically in a little box! And there used to be many cash back rebates available then. I sent them off, recorded them in a notebook and put the money on my son's bank account. After several years of this, along with other added small amounts, he had $500.00 in his account. At that time, Certificates of Deposit were getting nearly 12% interest, so I invested his money in one. When it matured, I reinvested it, adding a little more each time. The last thing I did was to put all of his money into a managed investment account at the bank. Eventually, when he was old enough to take it over himself, he had $16,000. And it still surprises me that pennies and coupons added up to that.

"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  10:59:08 AM  Show Profile
Janice, you absolutely rock! What a sweet nest egg for your son!
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  11:06:57 AM  Show Profile
Oh, I forgot to comment about coupons! I used to use them a great deal, when I was younger and my kids lived at home. Now I save them for my daughter. She uses them and is very resourceful about getting a lot of miles out of them. She discards those for items she would never ordinarily buy, and tries to get double coupons and plan meals around those she can use.

Back when I was gardening hardy, I used to spend about $10-20 dollars every couple of weeks on items we couldn't produce ourselves. This was toilet paper, paper towels (although we mostly used sponges, rags, and cloth napkins), oils, flour, sugar, and an occasional treat. We had milk, butter, ice cream and cheese from our cow, I grew most of our veggies, fruits, and herbs and got the rest at the co-op, and we had some feeder pigs and calves we vealed out. We ate a lot of vegetarian meals, too. I saved coupons for those things we couldn't make or grow ourselves.

And YES I had to have paper towels for some things. I would never clean up dog barf with a cloth and then reuse it. Yick.
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tziporra
True Blue Farmgirl

234 Posts

Robin
Seattle WA
USA
234 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  12:10:24 PM  Show Profile
Because I use so little prepared foods I don't hunt coupons. I search for the things I use on sale and plan my shopping around the grocery stores with the good values. For instance, I do go through quite a bit of canned evaporated milk, which I buy in bulk on sale. And since I have a stand-alone freezer I'll buy meat on sale and pop it in there. But I haven't heard about the coupon service. Is there a fee?

Best,

Robin
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl

2421 Posts

Sue
West Plains, Mo.
USA
2421 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  12:13:35 PM  Show Profile
What coupon service do you use? I use coupons too but they are getting fewer in the paper?

Visit me at my blogs:
www.countrypleasures.blogspot.com
www.herbalfarmstead.blogspot.com
And my new food blog at: www.homesteadblogger.com/gardencafe

Edited by - junebug on Oct 18 2006 12:15:10 PM
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Bridge
True Blue Farmgirl

814 Posts

Bridgette
Southern Indiana
USA
814 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  12:31:10 PM  Show Profile
www.thecouponclippers.com
www.quickcouponservice.com

~~Bridge's Boutique~~
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl

11381 Posts

Jenny
middle of Utah
USA
11381 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  2:30:14 PM  Show Profile
I use coupons...always have..but only on things like cleaners, pet food and cereal. I hardly ever find them on the food items I buy. I won't buy some things unless I do have a coupon. I save about 40 to 75 dollars a month..depending on how hard I try. If I have the kids all with me shopping I notice I save less...stress I guess..haha. I try to go to our local grocery store on the day they do double coupons (Fridays) when I can to grocery shop. I only "big" shop every two weeks.

Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl

404 Posts

Alison
Winnipeg Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts

Posted - Oct 18 2006 :  4:38:30 PM  Show Profile
I use coupons when I can, but the supermarket I shop at has a "Club Card". You sign up and join the club (it's free), and when you swipe your card at the checkout, any "Club Card" specials are knocked off the price of your bill. They always have signs around the store about which items are on special that week, so I just watch for the signs, and stock up with what's on special that week. I usually save about 10-15% off my bill by shopping that way.

I've also learned to not become loyal to any one particular brand. To me, pasta is pasta, butter is butter and chickpeas are chickpeas. I always look for the one that's on sale. I almost *always* go with the store brand as opposed to the name brand too.

For any Canadian farmgirls, www.save.ca is a great website for coupons. Certain offers are only available in certain provinces, so you just pick your province, select the coupons you want and they mail them right to your home. It's great!

"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God"
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