Do You Use Coupons to Save Money?
@Kouponkaren (5487)
United States
June 9, 2021 12:25pm CST
Back 20 years ago or so, I was a pro at using coupons to save money for my family of five. I lived in Connecticut at the time. I was known as, " The Coupon Lady" in my town and even taught classes at churches, schools and social service agencies. It was so much fun.
Once my kids got older, I had to work full time and didn't have quite as much time to cut coupons and match them to sales, but I still saved a lot of money every week on our groceries. I got groceries for free all the time.
Now, it's just me and my husband and our dog. My husband is terrible about saving money on groceries. He doesn't care, and just buys what he wants to eat, no matter how much it costs. He says he works hard and should be able to buy what he wants. Ugh, that's terrible when one of us is trying to save money.
I still use coupons when I grocery shop. I still love to save money. I get most of my coupons either online, from Kroger, or from the Sunday newspapers. We each go shopping on our own. I buy groceries for making meals and for household items, and he just buys what he wants.
Do you use coupons to save money on groceries or other things you have to pay for?
14 people like this
15 responses
@spiderdust (14741)
• San Jose, California
9 Jun 21
I found them to be more successful in helping me save money when I lived in a different area than I do now. I think Bay Area California is a difficult area for couponing.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14741)
• San Jose, California
10 Jun 21
@Kouponkaren We have no double coupon stores, and we get very, very few coupon inserts in the paper. I have occasionally gotten coupons online, but it hasn't been easy making things work.
1 person likes this
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
10 Jun 21
@spiderdust At 1 point, we had triple coupons and other stores were accepting them from rival stores. It was crazy amazing and I got so much free and donated a lot of stuff to a local soup kitchen.
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
I am from Connecticut, currently living in Georgia so I have no idea how coupons work out in California, but I will take your word for it! 
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (48442)
• Canada
9 Jun 21
Couponing was never a big thing over here in Canada.
I get samples a couple of times a year from a site that offers a variety of different products to try.
They always come with a sample and at least 1 free coupon.
Other then that, I shop at a chain grocery store which has a loyalty points card.
The cashier scans your card after she rings up the total and you acquire points for what you bought, you can redeem those points the next time that you shop there for increments of $10 off of your grocery bill.
I like it much better then coupons.
2 people like this
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
That is a pretty good way to save money too. Good for you.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169966)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Welcome to myLot, you have made a lot of posts in a short amount of time. The more the merrier! I prefer to get money off with apps and so forth. I misplace coupons.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169966)
• United States
9 Jun 21
@Kouponkaren Was it Gather or Sidekick? They both went belly up, but were good sites.
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Thank you for the welcome. I used to belong to another site like this many years ago, and have missed the chance to connect with people from all over the world. So I am making up for lost time I guess!
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (57674)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
9 Jun 21
You sound like someone who was featured on the television show extreme cuponing.
Anyway, no. While we do look for savings, we don't buy things we won't eat because it's on sale.
2 people like this
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Ah ha, well I was NEVER that crazy. A lot of the people on there took advantage of the companies that give out coupons. It says right on the coupons that they can't be sold, bought, traded, etc. and they were doing all of that. Plus many of them were hoarders. a pair of sisters stockpiled a whole bunch of diapers and neither one of them had children! I liked the ones who donated to charity. That was great.
@sallypup (57884)
• Centralia, Washington
9 Jun 21
@Kouponkaren I used to buy toothpaste at the Dollar Tree then during the Pandemic quit shopping there. I bought a more expensive toothpaste at Safeway and hubby reported that he liked that product tons more than what I bought at the Dollar Tree. He said it really got the gunk out better. So I figure it is worth the money. I also am inclined to buy expensive raspberries rather than say, canned pie filling.
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Gotcha. Although did you know that if you call the 1-800 number on many products, they will send you coupons for those products if you tell them you like their product. So you could maybe do that with the company that makes the flour? I also use coupons for items like toothpaste, soap, etc. and call those companies fr coupons too.
@NJChicaa (116003)
• United States
9 Jun 21
I don't use coupons. Back when we got the paper at first I would go through the inserts each week and almost never found anything. I don't eat processed food. I don't feed my cats cheap food. I think the only thing I ever used was a coupon for paper towels. I eventually gave up.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
9 Jun 21
I do when it is an obvious choice but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.
1 person likes this
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Well, at least you are still saving money!
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (76476)
• Germany
10 Jun 21
@Kouponkaren Yes, sales are also good. Thank you. Have a nice Thursday.
@Kouponkaren (5487)
• United States
9 Jun 21
Sales are good too. I like to combine coupons with sales for a double whammy! Sorry you don't have coupons. They are fun.
@meowch (2220)
• United States
9 Jun 21
I don’t use coupons. I buy things and food that are on sale already.
@Rashnag (30598)
• Surat, India
10 Jun 21
Good to know. Not really dear. Have a good day. However it's good to save money
@frenki (1693)
• Serbia
10 Jun 21
We dont have cupons here, atleast not like you do. I like to save a lot, so I was always "jelaous" how you can save so much on cupons, and I always imagined how I would also do it all time :D
I also watched show about it few times, and as I saw people can take so many things free its as they could make their own store! Then I thought it would be also graat to give all that extra things to people who need it.
All in all, i think those cupons are great, and its shame we dont have it here :/
@porwest (78761)
• United States
9 Jun 21
I have never personally found them to be useful to me. So long as I know my prices, and know a good deal, and know what store has the best price and what's on sale, that works best for me. Especially considering I hardly use any brand name products at all, and even brand name items with the coupon and on sale were still more expensive than the generic variety right next to it.
