We have a Target, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid and two grocery stores within 2 miles of our house, and a 3rd grocery store near my work and my husband's work. So in the course of a week, I shop at at least 4 stores, chasing the bargain wherever they can be matched with coupons for things I need. I'm not a great couponer, but it does save me money.
We order mostly dry goods (grains, pasta, beans, rice, baking necessities, etc.) from a natural food co-op that delivers to our house (other co-op members also pick their orders up at our house) every 4 weeks. Seasonally, I shop at our local farmer's markets (trying to garden, too!). For other items, I try Aldi first, then either to Giant Eagle (where I can double coupons up to .99) or Krogers. Most coupons are for prepackaged items which I try to avoid, so coupons don't tend to be very useful. I wish we had a Whole Foods near by, as I hear they have a decent bulk section.
Most of the coupons I use are for toiletries, paper products and cleaning supplies. But also manage to find them for bread, eggs, milk, butter and even produce. There was an episode of Extreme Couponing a couple of years ago that featured a woman who eats a whole foods/vegan diet and managed to save a ton of money using coupons. It's not for everyone, and I'm not great at it as I mentioned, but it is not just for processed/packaged foods either.
My coupon selection is likely limited, as I get what my mother-in-law doesn't use or what my mom saves & sends me in the mail. Since items tend to be on sale around the time coupons appear in the paper, they are not as useful once I have received them at a later date. One item at a time, I have been trying to make personal care (lotion bars) & cleaning (all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent) items from the Wellness Mama website, as it ultimately seems cheaper (unless you get a super-duper-on-sale-plus-coupon-deal...which some folks are experts at finding) & healthier. It has been fun experimenting.
I do most of my grocery shopping at Target. Sometimes I use coupons, but not often enough to make much difference. What has been tremendous for us is switching from cash to a Target debit Red Card. I avoided that for a long time because of a fear of debit cards being compromised (as has since happened with the Target cards). Finally I opened a free checking account, not linked to any of our other accounts, that I only use for red card purchases. I never have more than $300 in it. As you probably know, when you use the Target card 5% is deducted from the total of every purchase. I take that amount and put it aside in an envelope to add to our emergency fund. That adds up really fast.
We have a Target, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid and two grocery stores within 2 miles of our house, and a 3rd grocery store near my work and my husband's work. So in the course of a week, I shop at at least 4 stores, chasing the bargain wherever they can be matched with coupons for things I need. I'm not a great couponer, but it does save me money.
ReplyDeleteWe order mostly dry goods (grains, pasta, beans, rice, baking necessities, etc.) from a natural food co-op that delivers to our house (other co-op members also pick their orders up at our house) every 4 weeks. Seasonally, I shop at our local farmer's markets (trying to garden, too!). For other items, I try Aldi first, then either to Giant Eagle (where I can double coupons up to .99) or Krogers. Most coupons are for prepackaged items which I try to avoid, so coupons don't tend to be very useful. I wish we had a Whole Foods near by, as I hear they have a decent bulk section.
ReplyDeleteMost of the coupons I use are for toiletries, paper products and cleaning supplies. But also manage to find them for bread, eggs, milk, butter and even produce. There was an episode of Extreme Couponing a couple of years ago that featured a woman who eats a whole foods/vegan diet and managed to save a ton of money using coupons. It's not for everyone, and I'm not great at it as I mentioned, but it is not just for processed/packaged foods either.
DeleteMy coupon selection is likely limited, as I get what my mother-in-law doesn't use or what my mom saves & sends me in the mail. Since items tend to be on sale around the time coupons appear in the paper, they are not as useful once I have received them at a later date. One item at a time, I have been trying to make personal care (lotion bars) & cleaning (all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent) items from the Wellness Mama website, as it ultimately seems cheaper (unless you get a super-duper-on-sale-plus-coupon-deal...which some folks are experts at finding) & healthier. It has been fun experimenting.
DeleteI'll have to check out that website. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteI do most of my grocery shopping at Target. Sometimes I use coupons, but not often enough to make much difference. What has been tremendous for us is switching from cash to a Target debit Red Card. I avoided that for a long time because of a fear of debit cards being compromised (as has since happened with the Target cards). Finally I opened a free checking account, not linked to any of our other accounts, that I only use for red card purchases. I never have more than $300 in it. As you probably know, when you use the Target card 5% is deducted from the total of every purchase. I take that amount and put it aside in an envelope to add to our emergency fund. That adds up really fast.
ReplyDelete