For those of us who live in the South East, today begins a very important week: Super Double Coupon Week at Harris Teeter stores. If you are unfamiliar with Harris Teeter's coupon policy, Harris Teeter grocery stores will double coupons up to $.98 but on Super Double Coupon week they will double coupons up to $2. This usually results in a frenzy to get the best deals before they are gone. I know, I've been there. You can get some items for very little money or sometimes even free. For example if an item costs $4 and you have a $1.50 off coupon, you can purchase that item for $1. If the item happens to be on sale that week it is even better. Imagine the same $4 item is on sale for $3 that week. After you double your coupon, you will get it for free. I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of free. So why with all these savings available, am I not scouring sales papers in an effort to get free groceries?
In my efforts to be more frugal, I started couponing about a year and a half ago. And continued for several months. In that time I came to several conclusions.
1. Couponing saves a lot of money
Couponing is not for everyone, but many people find that it's a great way to feed their families for a reasonable price. In fact, I recommend trying it for a while and seeing if it is for you. The true savings is not in the coupon itself (often only a few cents off the price), but in pairing that coupon with sales and specials (such as double or triple coupon deals). You could search the local advertisements yourself, or you could find one of numerous sites that match them for you. For those in the South East I recommend Southern Savers, but there are other sites for different regions. These sites often have excellent tutorials on how to get started.
2. Most of the food coupons are for processed food and cleaning products
If you didn't already know, I am on a quest to loose weight and keep it off (30 lbs so far). I put a lot of research into the best way to accomplish this and one thing I've learned is to avoid processed foods whenever possible. Most contain high fructose corn syrup and/or large amounts of salt. They also often contain harmful chemicals. I have decided to eat few if any of these foods and therefore many of my coupons are rendered obsolete. As for cleaning products, they can indeed be useful, but I am trying to reduce the amount of chemicals in my home. Most cleaning products are full of harmful chemicals. Plus you can save nearly as much money by making your own.
3. Couponing takes time
There are several methods of couponing. Some cut out all the coupons and file them in a coupon filer or a binder. Other's file the coupon flyers, use their favorite website to match the coupons for them and then cut out only the ones they plan on using. I have tried both methods and they both take a significant amount of time. Whether or not you can spend the time on this is up to your own schedule and priorities.
Couponing is a great tool for saving money. But for myself, the scarcity of coupons for healthy products, added with the significant amount of time involved led me to stop. I may eventually go back, but for right now, I find other ways to save. But that doesn't mean I won't check out coupons.com on occasion. It is Super Double Coupon week after all.
Do you use coupons?
