Poll: Do You Use Coupons?

When it comes to cost cutting it depends on the person. What works well for one person can be a disaster for another. One person may cut out a daily latte while another finds that dropping the land line phone and cable TV that they rarely ever use is an easier way to make room in their budget. It depends on the lifestyle. I read in one discussion on couponing where a self employeed mother looked at the cost savings vs time and figured that it would make more sense for her to simply put in one more hour a week consulting. She'd make more money than the two hours a week it would take to coupon.

If a person does want to try it I would go to Money Saving Mom.com. She has a good tutorial on how to maximize your savings and links to printable coupons and matching store specials to check out. I save on average 30% on food and general household expenses using coupons so for me it pays for the couple of hours I spend on the weekend.

Have you ever noticed when shopping at dollar stores, low-end grocery stores, etc. the people who appear they could truly benefit, use food stamps, etc. in using coupons never use either coupons or the store card providing additional marked-downs or senior citizen discounts on certain days?

Coupons truly save whenever there is a Buy 1-Get 1 Free:
Ex: Item regular costs $1.50; Two items on sale @ $2.00 and the store permits a single purchase ringing up @ $1.00. Use a 50 cent coupon and one pays only $.50 for one original item valued @ $1.50. Even better, use the coupon on day the store allows double value on coupons up to $.60 providing "Free Item"!

i find that coupons are only REALLY good if its a product you normally buy that there is no way to make yourself or can't find a good store brand substitute, like feminine products or such. mostly it is more a waste of my time going thru the coupon flier because anymore most of it is junk advertising....

I get coupons from news inserts, online at coupon sites
e.g. couponmom.com, manufacturer's websites, and at co-op stores. I like the coupons from co-op stores! I also ask friends for specific coupons from their news inserts. I am a specific shopper and therefore many times coupons are not easily available for products I buy.
Donna

I tend to hang on to coupons, forget about them, and find them after they've expired :P So they're usually just clutter. But, once in a while I remember to take them to the store.

However, I do try to buy items I regularly use when they're on sale. If I need something and it's not on sale, I'll buy just one or two of the item. If it's on sale, I'll buy several to maximize the savings. Sometimes I'll save as much as 10% off the total grocery bill!

groupon.com is the new coupon