Coupons or Not?

Coupons or Not?

I have a question for the good readers of this blog. Basically, do you use coupons or not? To what extent?

I stopped the hardcore couponing because the price of the Des Moines Register went from $2.00 for their Sunday edition to $3.75. In the meanwhile, the coupon selection has decreased. I was not impressed so I quit paying for the Sunday paper at home. I will buy a Sunday newspaper when I am at Rob’s house because the Star Tribune is still $2.00 for their Sunday edition. They also have almost double the coupons that the Register has in their newspaper.

With a change in our eating habits, I have found that coupons are no longer easy to find for products we use. A lot of coupons are for junk and unhealthy foods or cleaning products that we no longer use since we started making our own. We buy more in bulk and more fresh vegetables and fruits. Not a lot of coupons available for that.

Even before we started the change in our lifestyle, I was getting tired of the hassle of coupons. I would save money and I would score some great deals, but manufacturers were getting smarter and trickier with their coupons. Certain sizes and certain varieties of those brands were only the ones being discounted. Then I would go to our local department store to not find that size or variety on their shelves even though I could have sworn they were carrying it the week before. Funny how that happens…

Then the amounts listed on the coupons were getting ridiculous! Only twenty cents off a bottle of ketchup or thirty cents off a tube of crescent rolls – seriously? Even if I wanted to, we do not have stores around here that double or triple coupons so what is the point of the low value coupons? I know, I know…a good frugal person would be happy to save the money no matter what, but I would like to think my time is worth something too for cutting and organizing the coupons!

So I scaled back my couponing. By quite a bit. I still buy a paper from time to time when I can find a good one with a decent price. I will print off coupons from online if I use the product and the discount is worth using. I will also print off store coupons if the price is right and I can stack them which is not often. I only have K-mart and Dollar General so stacking coupon opportunities are slim for the items I buy.

If I can get to a Target, I get positively giddy. Heck, Target is high-class in my book!

I will state here for the record that I find a difference in using coupons versus store discount codes that I get in the mail or can print off. I use store codes all the time if I can get them. Give me 20% off anytime!

I am curious as to what you do with coupons or if you do anything at all. Are you an extreme couponer or a casual if the mood strikes you couponer? Do you find the hassle not worth it?

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

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3 thoughts on “Coupons or Not?

  1. not worth it- if I happen to see one of something I actually buy usually found on the product itself,encouraging a return customer. I can often get a free local shopper paper that has grocery store flyersof some stores have their ad online. Mostly I plan many of my meals around the real sales and what neeeds to used from my current inventory, also stocking up when really good sales roll around.

  2. I can't even remember the last time I used a coupon. There just aren't any for the things I buy and I refuse to purchase the junk offered with coupons. Also, I found that the national brands, even with a coupon, were more expensive than the store brand or another unknown brand. I practice the "pantry principle" and stock up when things are on sale.

  3. I still love to coupon but the inserts in the Quad-City Times are pathetic so my dad sends me his from the Des Moines Register and the Omaha World Herald. It's amazing what a difference there is between the papers! Stacking the coupons at Hy-Vee, Fareway, and Target is where I save the most money.

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