Posted: November 20th, 2009 under grocery store, printable coupons
I know that a lot of you out there hate to use coupons. You may have had a bad couponing experience, or perhaps you simply think it looks too hard. The truth is, couponing is an art. What? Did I really just say that? Yes, I sure did. Here’s why: couponing, much like any other talent or hobby, takes practice. It requires learning certain skills or tricks of the trade to be successful. It can be frustrating or enjoyable or both, depending on the store, the sale, or the situation.
But here’s another truth: if you are willing to invest the time to learn this art, you will save more money than you ever thought possible. Couponing is more than just taking a couple of coupons to the store and using them on products without checking the sale circular or shelf prices. Couponing (a verb that my spell check is not too keen on) is the act of stockpiling coupons, studying circulars and/or coupon matchups, and pairing those coupons with sales. The result of said couponing is cheap or even free products at the store. Really. My grocery budget since I began couponing has decreased from $110/week to $50/week. That’s a savings of $3,120/year.
I probably spend 1-2 hours each week on Couponing. I browse the coupon matchups for area grocery stores, make my list, cut my coupons, and head out to the store. I usually go shopping on Friday as that is the first day of the new circular at my stores. I say stores because I may not go to the same store each week- I go where the best coupon matchups are. When I go shopping I will take a current circular around the store with me- this is good backup in case the shelf prices haven’t been changed yet to reflect the new week’s sales and prices. This helps to ensure that you are purchasing the correct size/quantity/etc to qualify for the sale.
Today I went to my neighborhood grocery store. I didn’t have a huge list, just some essentials and a few items to pick up, you guessed it, with coupons. Keep in mind that many times couponers will purchase multiple quantities of the same product. This is because we buy several Sunday papers (I buy 5) and can then stockpile items as they go on sale. Your ability to stockpile will depend on how much storage space you have at home.
Well, I ran into quite a few snags with my coupons today. Some were my fault, some were not. But I realized that if even a seasoned couponer such as myself can run into trouble (and trust me, we all do), I should share what went wrong. That way you will know what to be on the lookout for at the store, which will hopefully lessen your coupon anxiety.
Issue #1: Double check the size and type of product on the coupon with the item in the store, not just the picture on the circular.
The culprit: Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Pies
My store has Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Pies on sale this week 2/$5. That’s a great deal on a frozen dessert- especially with the holidays right around the bend. Personally, I love picking these up when they go on sale and keeping them for impromptu visits from friends and family. Having them on hand makes for a simple and tasty treat while entertaining.I saw that the store circular mentioned these pies being on sale- assorted varieties 27-27.56 ounces. I was excited- I knew that I had $1/1 coupons for Mrs. Smith’s pies!
Mistake: When I got to the store I didn’t take the time to check the size and kind of pie stipulated on the coupon.
My coupons were for 32 oz + pies in the Deep Dish variety.
My on-the-ball cashier caught the coupon wording and handed them back to me. My fault, and I thanked her for pointing it out to me.
I bought 3 pies, so my first mistake cost me $3.
Issue #2: Know your store’s policy on coupon doubling. Some stores will double coupons even if they say “do not double.” Others will not. Do not assume, or it could cost you.
The culprit: Mentos Gum
If you saw my grocery trip write up last week, you know that I got a TON of free Mentos gum. So I didn’t really need more gum, but I figured if I could get more for free, we can always use it.Last week the store I went to doubled my coupons for this gum, even though they said “do not double.”
This week’s store had the gum on sale for $.99. I had $.55/1 coupons.
Mistake: Don’t assume that just because one store will double “do not doubles” that another store will as well.
I was bagging my groceries, so I honestly don’t know if the cashier caught the “do not double” and voided the function or if the computer did it automatically. In retrospect, I should have purchased 1 to try out the coupon instead of all 5.
I purchased 5 gum packs at $.99/each and used 5 $.55/1 coupons. This mistake cost me $2.20.
Issue #3: Pay attention to the cashier when he/she is scanning in your coupons. Make sure that all coupons are accounted for and don’t stick together or get skipped.
The culprit: Breakstone’s Sour Cream
Breakstone’s Sour Cream is on sale this week for $.99/each. That’s a great price for a larger container of sour cream- and sour cream stays good for a couple of months in the refrigerator (note: do NOT freeze sour cream- YUCK! When it defrosts, the consistency is way off and pretty much impossible to use).I had $1/2 coupons so I decided to just use 1 and purchase two sour creams. That would make the sour cream just $.49/each. Great price!
Mistake: Don’t assume that your coupons have been scanned. Check your receipt while still in the store.
With Lily Bean getting restless, I didn’t check my receipt until getting to my car. Once I had all of the groceries loaded up and Lily Bean belted in, I checked out the receipt. I searched it about 4 times- absolutely NO mention of the sour cream coupon that I handed over. Did it get stuck to another coupon? Did it fall on the ground? Who knows, but in any case, I didn’t get credit for it.
I purchased 2 sour creams and used 1 $1/2 coupon. This mistake cost me $1.
Now, you may think that I’m just being silly. What’s a few dollars here and there anyway? But when you consider that my budget is $50, and today’s mistakes cost me $6.20- that is 12% of my budget. Wasting that much money each week would mean wasting $322.40/year.
As you learn the tricks of the couponing trade, keep these tips in mind. They will help you to save even more money and will make you a more coupon savvy consumer. Mistakes like these will happen, no matter how long you have been couponing. Learn from them, but most importantly, don’t allow them to scare you away from using coupons! Remember: there will always be another sale. Always.
And just so you don’t think my trip today was a total failure, I was able to score some great deals in the end.
The winner: College Inn Broth
On sale this week for just 2/$1, College Inn Broth was begging for a coupon matchup.
There is a coupon out there in a couple of inserts for $1/3. Using this coupon on three cans of broth breaks down like this:
Buy 3 cans @ $.50/each= $1.50
Use 1 $1/3 coupon= -$1
Total cost: $.50 for all 3 cans, or $.17/can.
Now that’s a stock-up-ortunity!
So what are your thoughts? Do you like couponing? Do you hate it? Are the savings worth it to you? Do you have any coupon success or horror stories?
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