The other day, my brother asked me how much I save doing coupons. I heard his underlying question, "Is couponing really worth it?" That's the first question most people ask when they find out I'm a couponer. They see those coupons for 30 cents and wonder what difference it makes. Thirty cents just doesn't seem significant when you look at your entire grocery budget. But 5 30-cent coupons equal $1.50. And if you do that every week, you'll save $6 each month. It starts to add up. But, of course $6 isn't all that much either. So what's the secret? Why do people like me go to the effort and have so much enthusiasm for coupon shopping? The real power is in combining coupons with sales.
To verify just how much I do save, I looked at my 2 latest receipts. On one, I spent $19.54 and saved $25.66 (57%). The other totaled $26.24 with a savings of $60.26 (70%). And those weren't even "big" sales. On one of those receipts I notice that the frozen corn I bought for $.67 (using a coupon for $1 off 3) is regularly $2.69. So, the coupon only saved me $.33, but combining that with the sale, I saved $2.02. Considering the 6 bags that I bought, I saved over $12. Now, that is a significant amount.
As shopping the sales with coupons becomes habit, your budget will shrink and the savings will mount. (And, if you're really dedicated to coupon shopping, every $.30 will count.)
As shopping the sales with coupons becomes habit, your budget will shrink and the savings will mount. (And, if you're really dedicated to coupon shopping, every $.30 will count.)
5 comments:
I {heart} couponing and am excited to read up on your deals!!
TOTALLY AGREE! 30 cents can totally make a difference. I got those same veggies at Albertsons on Tuesday and doubled up my coupons and got them for $.33 each. I am hoping they have double things again in the paper Sunday! My question for you though is, do you really think your budget has shrunk or has your food storage expanded? I feel like I still spend the same amount on groceries but we have WAY more food than we had a year and a half ago when I started. Sometimes I think we have too much actually. But it's hard for me to hold myself back from great deals!
Good points. I think that our budget has stayed pretty steady even though our family has grown. Our food storage has really benefitted like you said. I also notice that we eat more fresh fruits and veggies because the money I save elsewhere. I'm starting to figure out better what to buy. I have thrown out a lot of things that I overbought when they expired. So, now I'm learning to gauge how much we'll use and what we won't use no matter how good of a deal it is!
Oh, and good job on doubling the veggie coupon. I was sad when I missed that one. If I would've been patient I would have done that too. Birds Eye steamers are so yummy. I got free pringles with my doubles. Gotta balance out the veggies. ;)
Actually the reason that I was asking how much you save on groceries was because the guy I sit next to at work was wondering. I told him you thought that the grocery guru was a joke and that you save more than him - so he obviously wanted to know how much you are able to save. You don't have to worry, I understand the value of a dollar (or even $0.30). I think it was in Richard Paul Evans Book, "The Five Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth" where Larry H. Miller (if my memory serves me correctly) said in essence that if you watch your pennies then your dollars will take care of themselves.
Post a Comment