Do you "cut and save coupons" and use them when you shop?

[Angela Shelley]

Simple question with short answers.

Do you "cut and save coupons" and use them when you shop for groceries?

Thanks. :-)

[here_is_to_hope]

1. I saved around 150.00 last month using

coupons and two-fers.
Very helpful!

[Angela Shelley]

21. That´s exciting!

You are most likely a highly organized person.

[here_is_to_hope]

39. Yeah right! I get the fliers every week and compare

those coupons with my shopping list, hopefully they coincide...
It isnt hard to save a little money, my five year old and I sit and cut coupons sometimes, play money you know!:hi:

[Captain Angry]

2. I never see coupons in my paper.

I've gone online to find them at the grocery store's website, but they seem to plug the discounts into the loyalty cards.

Where do you find coupons to clip?

[Donnachaidh]

3. in my area they are added into Sundays and Thurdays papers

As inserts. And they are also found in magazines.

[Captain Angry]

4. Our inserts are just from the major groceries talking about what's on the card.

The lack of coupons is a key reason I stopped subscribing to the local paper.

[Donnachaidh]

8. you don't get the little shiny inserts put out by the food companies?

Hell, I'd stop buying the paper for that reason too!

[Donnachaidh]

5. I stopped when the stores stopped offering Double Coupon days

And we started getting away from pre-packaged crap food.

If they started up the double coupons I might consider buying paper products and the like at the supermarkets. Hell - anyone old enough to remember triple coupon days? My neighbor was such a coupon wiz she usually would get a full basket and only have to pay out something like a few bucks.

Can't do that now. :shrug:

[azmouse]

13. I remember Double and Triple coupon days.

Now the stores want you to use their buyer cards to get discounts and I refuse to do that. Albertson's doesn't use the cards any more so they get most of my business.

I too have gotten away from pre-packaged foods and do more from scratch for a small fraction of the cost.

[Adsos Letter]

6. We do it religiously...

even though it isn't a necessity for our survival (knocks on wood)...it is just common sense. Why pay more for something than you should?

Seems like basic capitalist econ 101 to me...without the moral issue of exploiting someone to get a deal.

[azmouse]

7. I don't use coupons because I don't find them for products I use.

Often the store brands are as good as major brands and are a lot cheaper. I also stock up on non-perishables when there is a sale. And many items like TP, shampoo or detergents can be bought at Target for $$$ less than grocery stores.

[Mnemosyne]

9. Hey Angela! Where's the choice for those of us that

don't/cannot buy the name brand items the coupons are for? :hi:

[Angela Shelley]

14. Hi vickiss, check the poll again, now you can vote.

... and thanks for the insight. :-)

[Mnemosyne]

17. Thanks bunches!

:)

[TomInTib]

10. My grocery doesn't accept coupons.

Just as well, since I would forget and leave them on the table anyway.

[China_cat]

11. We don't usually use the items that there are coupons for

besides shopping places like Costco that doesn't take coupons and Sav-a-lot which is like generic paradise.

[Speck Tater]

12. They don't make coupons for the things I buy.

I buy staples in bulk; 25 or 50-lb bags of such things as rice, beans, flour, etc. I grow my own veggies.

[sweetpotato]

15. I don't do coupons because they never have coupons for the things I buy

and the things I buy are priced cheaper than the coupon things. They just don't meet my needs, however, I do use internet coupons when they are available for the things I purchase.

Also - where does one clip coupons from when one no longer gets a newspaper or magazines?

[alfredo]

16. When they give coupons for brown rice or broccoli I will use them.

Most of the coupons are for heavily refined food like substances.

[Angela Shelley]

24. You do realize that even with a coupon,

many people still wouldn´t choose the broccoli. :-)

It´s just not sexy enough.

[alfredo]

31. The sexy comes in with the preparation.

[Angela Shelley]

43. That´s a new perspective, thanks!

[alfredo]

49. Watch "Like Water for Chocolate" "Eat Drink Man Woman"

"Babbet's Feast" to see the the passion in food.

[semillama]

36. True enough.

I look at coupons every now and then, but 99% of the time it's for crap we never buy in the first place, or for products that we buy a more environmentally friendly version of.

[alfredo]

37. That's it. If it needs advertisement coupons and health claims,

you don't really need it.

[Up2Late]

18. coupons are for suckers

The only time I use them is when they are ON something I'm already buying or given out at the store shelf, all the others just add more garbage to the landfills. Most of the garbage that I throw away each week are coupons and glossy ads that get delivered to me, if I used or bought 1% of what is advertised in them, I'd be surprised.

[Angela Shelley]

19. According to this poll ... they work!

[Up2Late]

34. What's your demographic in this poll?

This is not a scientific poll.

What is the percentages of Men and Women taking this poll? I bet if you asked that question, you would find 80% of Men almost never use coupons and probably 60% of women do.

How many people with an income under $30,000 Dollars per year? How many Over $80,000?

Without that sort of data, you are just guessing about the results.

[here_is_to_hope]

42. Man here, do all the shopping and cooking...

Under 38k a year...

I dont think they are useless but I will give you the point about the paper waste.
Useless would be spending that 150.00 a month I save on pot....
(did I type that outloud?)
They are a bit of a hassle sometimes when they dont scan correctly but otherwise, its a nice game for me and the 5 year old future smart shopper I am raising...

[ellie]

20. I used to,

stopped, then started again. Food prices are freaking me out and we don't even eat junk! I have no idea how people with children are doing it.

[TreasonousBastard]

22. Well, I get the paper because I like to get the paper and...

coupons are a small bonus. On a good week, I can get enough coupons to pay for Newsday and the Times.

I'll quickly run through the coupon inserts and might find two or three that I might use when the items go on sale in the next week or two. Coffee is the biggest saver, ice cream and other dairy is close behind, but. alas, no meat, flour, or veggie coupons. Vast amounts of cosmetics and hair care products in there for those who use them.

I drop off the trash at the town dump down the road, and they have recycling bins there for the papers, junk mail, old phonebooks, cans, bottles, plastics... Landfill waste is no excuse to complain about these things around here.

[KittyWampus]

23. other- I shop in bulk and generally go for whole foods. Coupons too often are buy three items

and save 25 cents.

Also, it's still cheaper to buy generic cereal than name brand with coupon

[Angela Shelley]

25. Alot of times, the generic brand is the same product

as the brand name product, just with a different label.

[Lobster Martini]

26. Yeah, I cut them...gives me something to do during "Breakfast with the Beatles" (n/t)

[TexasProgresive]

27. No - maybe - if they are for products that we use

Generally they seem to be for new products or stuff that we would never use.

[Mugu]

28. Do I use coupons?

You bet.

Regards, Mugu

[Richard Steele]

29. Yes, but it's harder than it used to be.

Seems like most coupons these days are for things I don't use.

I used to see coupons for staple foods; these days, it seems that
the majority of coupons are for "new" items that are being introduced.

New items I neither need nor want.

[taught_me_patience]

30. yes

I spend 4 hours every weekend cutting out coupons so that I can save $2.50 on groceries for that week. Then, when I go to the grocery store, I break out my huge bag of coupons and sort through them for 10 minutes while poeple in line behind wait. I'm sure they're not pissed at all. Then, I break out my checkbook and write a check, instead of simply swiping a check card because "all cards are evil".

[Dulcinea]

32. Absolutely.

I clip the Sunday coupons every week. I shop for a family of four, & every discount helps! Also, my local Kroger gives a gas discount with every $100 we spend. That helps, too.

[Number9Dream]

33. We still use coupons, but not as much

So many of the coupons now are for large quantities. Ex: Save $1 on four boxes, etc.
It's just my wife and I and the quantities are ridiculous , but between the coupons and our Giant supermarket card, we can often save significant money.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

35. I cut, save and use coupons for things I usually purchase.

Very few of the coupons I use now-a-days are for food products, though. It seems as if most of the ones I use are for household items such as toilet paper and toothpaste.

[tachyon]

38. No, I buy store brands that are the same thing and cheaper than 'name' brands with coupon.

My partner's mom uses them...and also she will drive 10 miles to save 15 cents on some damn item. It makes us super-crazy! :crazy:

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

40. You might think I'm crazy. . .

I leave coupons that I don't use by their respective products. I know it is a little (a lot?) compulsive, but I've seen people use them. I don't think the store workers remove them. If I can't use them, someone else can. I've picked up a couple of coupons that other people have left behind as well.

[Angela Shelley]

44. I don´t think you are crazy,

but the compulsiveness is funny.

That´s a good collective idea. :-)

[Dulcinea]

46. I do that all the time!

If I don't need it, maybe someone else will.

I guess that makes me compulsive too! I hate waste. :)

[Ikonoklast]

50. I do the same thing

It may be for something that we just don't need or use, but I figure someone else can have the coupon and use it.

[better tomorrow]

41. 7up.com for buy one get one.....

[Angela Shelley]

45. What is 7UP without artificial stuff?

Have you tried it?

[Breeze54]

47. When my kids were small, I used them weekly but I got away from it

due to earning more money and not having the time to cut them all out and watch all the sales
in all the stores. There just wasn't enough time in the day to do all that, as a single parent
but I'm starting to try them again. I need to cut some corners and that's a great way to do it!

[pitohui]

48. not usually

in my stores to use the coupons actually generally means spending MORE because virtually all coupons are for "name" brands and the store/generics are way cheaper

also i'm a good short order cook and i almost always do much better buying only fresh/frozen food and you almost never get a coupon for that

this said, on rare occasions -- check the wine bottle hangers -- i've got coupons for such things as entire frozen turkeys for free or for $12 off, or for $10 off a beef purchase, and $8 off a cheese purchase, and so on -- it's been awhile tho, i think everyone caught onto the wine bottle hangers tho

the last time i got one, a lady actually grabbed me in the store and said "hurry, there's one more free turkey coupon on the wine, go now," and I ran over and snagged it just in time -- thanks, unknown lady!!!!