Do you use coupons when shopping at the grocery store?

United States
September 14, 2007 12:24pm CST
I'm just wondering how many people out there use coupons at the grocery store. I have been clipping and using coupons at the grocery for about 20 years. I also research who gives double or triple coupons. Most times when I go to the store I end up saving quite a bit. It also gives me a chance to use new products at a reduced rate. There is a strategy to shopping like just about everything else you want to be successful in.
3 people like this
21 responses
@moneyandgc (3428)
• United States
14 Sep 07
I love to cut out coupons but I very rarely use them! I either find something at the store that is a better price than with a coupon, forget my coupon, or lose my coupons! If it is a really really good deal, I try to be more careful. Generally though, I don't end up using coupons.
• United States
16 Sep 07
I never use all the coupons I cut, I always have the ones where the products are too new to be on the shelves. and by the time the product does appear in the store the coupon has expired, but hey everything can't be perfect can it?
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Sep 07
yeah, alot of times when a buy a energy drink they a coupon for buy one get one free. I also see random items in the paper
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
14 Sep 07
I love to use coupons whenever I can for grocery shopping and other things. Unfortunately I just don't get very many good grocery coupons which bums me out. I'd love to be one of those people who can use coupons to my advantage and get things for next to nothing. I have a friend that does that and I'm always so envious. But she uses all kinds of stuff I don't and she has a big family.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Sep 07
Yes, I live right near Detroit so I do get the big city paper but most of the coupons are things I don't use.
2 people like this
• United States
14 Sep 07
do you live near a big city? I live about 40 miles form Dallas so it's easy to pick up a Dallas paper along with the local one the good coupons are always in the city papers.
2 people like this
@ArienKing (4647)
• India
14 Sep 07
I do prefer using coupons when shopping but not at the grocery store, i use only one related to clothings or other accessories as i can get anything within the coupon amount or paying only a little for a good price using them, and save my money a lot.
• United States
14 Sep 07
Where are able to get coupons for clothing? I'm curious.
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
14 Sep 07
We use coupons if we happen to find them, but there are not usually a lot of coupons for things we actually buy. Sometimes we have a coupon for yoghurt or cereal, and we use those, but most other coupons we find are for foods we don't eat. We do try to shop sales, though. And to buy things on the grocery store's 10% off day.
2 people like this
• United States
16 Sep 07
I would like to say that some of my now favorite foods I discovered by using a coupon for a new product or one I had never tried before which eventually became one of the things I like about shopping with the coupons the opportunity to try new things.
1 person likes this
@wiccania (3360)
• United States
14 Sep 07
I use them. I also participate in a coupon train so I can get more for products I'm going to use and send the ones I'm not going to use to someone who will. My only problem with coupons is when they either don't scan them in or try to say that there are "conditions" that aren't listed on the coupon. For example, I got some Iams cat food recently. My cats like it but I usually get them Friskies because of the expense. With a $5 off coupon, the Iams is less than the Friskies so I bought the Iams. I got home and realized that while the clerk TOOK my $5 off coupon, she didn't ENTER it. That irritated me. I also had a $1 off Nesquik coupon. It said "any package" the manager kept saying that I had to get he bigger size for the coupon. Well, my son only likes strawberry, and they only carry 1 size of the strawberry. The clerk did an override or whatever and entered it, but it still irritated me. I was standing there reading the coupon "$1 off ANY SIZE Nesquik powder" and he's disagreeing with me.
2 people like this
• United States
16 Sep 07
I understand what you mean. I have in the past gone back to the store when they have forgotten to enter a coupon especially if it's a large amount like $5.00, I mean $5.00 is worth going back for. Generally I try to keep an eye on what's going on at checkout though because everyone makes mistakes.
1 person likes this
@bizmom (515)
• United States
14 Sep 07
OMG YES!!! First of all let me say HI im New here - trying to figure it out ( whats this about the earnings stuff??) I Have to use coupons or we would never eat lol lol BUT i have to say we have a store here called Sav-a-lot and we dont need coupons we spend anywheres from $70 to over $150 weak time we shop which is every two weeks ( we have one pre teen and one teen that never stop eatting! lol ) but.. its way cheaper than say Wegaman's or Tops ( in my area atleast) BUT when i do cruise those stores i use my coupons and save anywhere from $15 to $30 each time!! once i saved $50!! u would have thought i wont the lottery!! :) X
2 people like this
• United States
14 Sep 07
I don't know where you're from but when I lived in new Orleans I shopped at save-a lot too. they don't have them here. But I still use my coupons. I know I'm always so proud of myself too!!!
1 person likes this
@missybal (4490)
• United States
15 Sep 07
I clip them out all the time but I tend not to use them all that often. A lot of times the things they give coupons for is name brand and even with using the coupon it's still more expensive for the genaric brand so I end up getting food club most of the time. I do shop sales though and every once in a while I have a coupon and get to use it on the sale price and then it really pays.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
I agree
• United States
14 Sep 07
I use coupons too. I love getting deals. I save a lot when I use coupons usually. The last time I went to the grocery store I used coupons and bought some of the buy one get one free items. I think I saved about $50 so I was all excited.
2 people like this
• United States
14 Sep 07
I understand. Do you do like i do, I treat it as earned money.
1 person likes this
@Lifeless (2635)
• India
17 Sep 07
I definately redeem the coupons if they are worth it, otherwise I better don't use them at all... Infact most of the coupons that I get are useless, and I haven't been able to reward myself with something of late... Once in a blue moon do I get a coupon that's gonna benefit me...
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Sep 07
Oh well, good luck
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
15 Sep 07
I use coupons most of the time when I go grocery shopping. I have a little one in pull ups right now, too, so I use coupons for those and his toddler snacks as well. I print out a bunch of coupons online, and clip them from the newspaper. There are several things that I can get for nearly free when I use coupons and watch for sales. It makes me feel good, since I have recently become a work at home mom. I don't bring in nearly as much income as I used to, but I still feel like I am bringing in money by using coupons and cutting our grocery bill.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
You are a penny save is a penny earned.
@meholl (510)
• United States
15 Sep 07
I used to not use coupons, but now days, with the price of gas being so high, I have to save money someway. So now I use coupons, and I hope that I can cover the cost of gas. We have 2 vehicles that are just gas guzzlers and old. Time to get newer vehicles
1 person likes this
@meholl (510)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Ya, I need all the luck I can get on getting the vehicles we want. It seems that since gas prices went up so high, that the vehicles we need just aren't around. Anyways, the good news is that we saved $5 on cereal this week because of coupons, and have a few more to use still
• United States
16 Sep 07
True necessity will often change the statements that start with " I never....................
• United States
16 Sep 07
P.S. Good luck on getting newer cars!!!!
@kitty1234 (1476)
• United States
14 Sep 07
I have never gotten into the habit of using coupons! But I know they save people money, but if I do cut them I forget them when I go to the store. I wish I really knew how to shop wisely, lol, I am an impulse buyer! If I see it its in my carriage, sometimes I just put away the list and shop by eye. Which of course runs me more money!
• United States
14 Sep 07
The key is developing the habit.In the beginning you may have to remind yourself that you need to bring your coupons with you. There are ways to do this such as leaving yourself notes in strategic places , like on the front of the refridgerater. Also what I do is on Sundays when the coupons come in the paper I put them aside. Then sometime during the week I will cut out all the ones I know I'll use, split them into categories, like frozen foods, dairy, staples, cleaning products, etc...........then I put them all in a pouch and I put them in my purse then theres no way to forget them.
1 person likes this
@alamode (3071)
• United States
14 Sep 07
I used coupons all the time when we were raising our kids because a couple of them were picky eaters... they only wanted THAT kind!LOL! With just myself and Hun now, I don't use them as much... we are becoming enormously spoiled and terribly self-indulgent!
• United States
16 Sep 07
LOl, let's hope that your children made note of the fact that coupons are a money saving tool when they have their own children.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Sep 07
We can only hope that out offspring and further generations are wiser than we were I know it is one of my greatest wishes!!!
1 person likes this
@alamode (3071)
• United States
17 Sep 07
My children's children are child-bearing age now... but they're holding off for some reason!!! I'm really looking forward to 'Great-gramma' status!LOL! They all want to be 'established' before they have kids... why didn't I think of that???
1 person likes this
@ssf12ster (488)
• India
15 Sep 07
usually i only give discount coupons for a dinner in a year.that is the only way i do.i dont use them and moreover you lose them.so i dont buy them.the cidea is good for people who wish to save
• United States
16 Sep 07
if you get into the habit it is a good thing to use coupons. Like I said before one of the good things is they give you an opportunity to try things you wouldn't normally buy because of expense
@usmcsgtwife (4997)
• United States
14 Sep 07
yes I love coupons the most I have ever saved with coupons was 21.00
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
to be honest I don't know the exact amount of what I've saved with coupons but i do know that dbl and triple coupons along with the discount card savings sometimes add up to more that $50.00
• United States
14 Sep 07
i clip coupons and request coupons in the mail and i put them aside in my little coupon book and put it with my shopping list so that when i go shopping i can use them ... Well unforutnantly most of the time i leave my shopping list behind thus leaving behind the coupons and i always seem to tend to do that on the days were ill find good deals and the items i have coupons for will be on sale so id be saving extra if i had used my coupons... lol
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
Well sometimes things like that happen but you can't dwell on it just increase your efforts to make using the coupons and remembering them a habit.
• United States
14 Sep 07
I try to use coupons when I can but a little price comparison usualy makes them all useless. The coupons are usualy for the brand name products and if there is ever a generic then I will buy that. I need all the savings I can get.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
Well to each his own but don't you ever just see one too many commercials for something and say when I find a coupon for that I'm trying it. Because even though in general and in theory generics are the same in reality sometimes they are far form the real thing.
@arcidy (5005)
• United States
1 Oct 07
I dont think I have ever used a coupon when I go grocery shopping. Thats because I dont get coupons for what I want to buy I usally get coupons for useless stuff. For instance a few weeks ago I got a coupon for cat food. Of course I dont have a cat so theres no need for it but if I got coupons for something I like then off course I would use them.
• United States
2 Oct 07
well you have to make it a habit to go through the coupons each week something you use will turn up.
@elemental69 (1561)
• Ireland
15 Sep 07
I always use coupons. I have a large family and I need to use them. They range from bread to diapers to cheese. Sometimes I even find coupons for free items that I use on a regular basis. I can save anywhere between 20 and 40 on my weekly shop, and it helps a lot.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Sep 07
I agree the positive far outweigh the negative when it comes to using coupons!!
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
6 Oct 07
Funny I saw this discussion. I just finished clipping coupons out of last Sunday's paper. I use coupons when I remember. One grocery store by me doubles coupons. That is always nice.
• United States
6 Oct 07
I usaually find a day in the week when I cut out all my coupons and organize them. At kroger u get dbl up to 50 cents and triple up to 39 you can save sopem money that way.