Smart Spending: To Coupon or Not to Coupon

Grocery coupons have been around since 1894 when Asa Candler handed out handwritten tickets for a free Coca-Cola drink. Over 100 years later, in 2002, shoppers saved $3 billion by redeeming 3.8 billion coupons, according to the Promotion Marketing Association. People of every age and income use coupons and couponing can make a real difference for a family’s bottom line. The question is: Can it make a difference for you?

This month’s topic regarding cutting your grocery bill in half will touch on the advantages and disadvantages of couponing. From here, you can make a decision that is right for your family regarding the benefits of using coupons. For most of you, some level of couponing will make good sense. With that said, couponing is not for everyone and it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before investing your valuable time in the fine art of coupon shopping.

Not to Coupon: There are many reasons people turn away from couponing or decide not to try it at all. Here is a list of perceived disadvantages that keep some shoppers from wielding their scissors and cashing in on potential coupon savings.

• Couponing takes too much time.
• It is embarrassing to use coupons.
• Organizing coupons is too much trouble.
• There are no coupons for the products we use.
• Coupons are only issued for junky processed foods.
• There are no real savings with couponing.

When I first started couponing in 1999, I had many of the same concerns and was skeptical about the benefits of couponing. Thankfully, I took the leap and soon realized that couponing, when done wisely, can save a tremendous amount of money. Let’s look at some of the reasons why the perceived disadvantages are not always accurate.
To Coupon: Successful couponing certainly takes some time, but most of the work is done at home, not at the store with cranky kids while you struggle to decide what to buy (sound familiar?). Smart spenders look through the sales ads, make a weekly meal plan, create a grocery list and match the coupons to sales all from the comfort of their home. By the time they get to the store, most of the work is done. All they need to do is put the items in the cart, check them off on the grocery list and put the coupons to the side, ready to present to the cashier at checkout. I do most of my shopping prep after the kids go to sleep while I am watching a TV show or two each week. I also make time for couponing while they are in music class or other extra curricular activities. I can still chat with the other parents while cutting or filing coupons. Often I am not the only one clipping away! If you cut and file coupons while doing other activities, like watching TV or waiting for the kids in carpool, it won’t seem like you have had to find extra time to coupon.

Although it can be embarrassing to hold up the line behind you while the cashier scans a handful of coupons, it can also be motivating to many folks when they see the savings from all those coupons. I always let people in line behind me know that I have a number of coupons and if they are in a hurry, they may want to try another line. Most stay put, ask questions and want to know how I coupon. What it comes down to is that I know I am being the best steward of our income. It shouldn’t be embarrassing to know that I am helping my family live within my means. To me, it would be much more troublesome if I could not pay my bills because I was too uncomfortable to cut coupons.

Coupon organization is always a frustration for new and struggling couponers. If your coupons are not organized, you cannot take advantage of the great buys. Most couponers have used the standard small accordion filing system with the 10 or so tabbed sections. Unfortunately, you can never find your coupons and they are usually expired when you do finally come upon them…..2 hours after you have left the store (again, sound familiar?). I started using the binder method in late 1999 and have loved it ever since. I use a 3 ring zipper binder (started with a 1.5” binder and now use a 3” binder), tabbed dividers labeled by product type and coupon insert pages to file the coupons. I am able to see all my coupons and expiration dates and I can always find the coupon I am looking for. If you are ready for some serious organization and think you might like to make your own, you can see pictures of my organizer at my website (www.smartspendingresources.com).

One of the most popular reasons that people choose not to coupon is because they believe there are no coupons for the products they use. That may be true if they use only specialty products from manufacturer’s that never offer coupons. Some folks have allergies and other special dietary requirements that don’t allow them to use many name brand items found in the typical grocery store. I am willing to bet that most families use at least some products that offer coupons. Remember, coupons are not only issued for food, they are issued for the full array of grocery and drug store products. Do you use shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, soap, razors, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, pasta, rice, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, hummus, veggie soy burgers, shredded cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, taco shells, peanut butter, jelly, pickles, ketchup, salad dressing, olive oil, or cooking spray? Those are just a fraction of the products whose name brand manufacturers offer coupons. I regularly save 60% or more on those items using coupons coupled with sales.

Another misconception is that all coupons are only for junky, processed food. Certainly there are many coupons for unhealthy, high fat or high sugar foods. The good news is that there are also a number of coupons for healthier foods and non-food items that most of us use. I don’t clip the majority of coupons in the Sunday paper. I find multiples of coupons for the products I do use so I can stock up. For finding multiples, I use coupon clipping services including www.thecouponclippers.com and www.ebay.com. I also share with friends and neighbors and they share with me. Your goal, as a savvy shopper is to steer clear of the coupons you do not want to use and find multiples of those for the products you do use. A good example of finding coupons (and good deals) for healthier foods is the sale at my local Harris Teeter grocery store this week. They have a deal where you buy one box of Green Giant vegetables and you get 2 (yes, two!) boxes FREE. Each box is regularly priced at $1.99 so with the sale, each box is only 66 cents. Then, Green Giant is offering a deal that if I buy 5 boxes in one transaction, the register prints out a coupon (called a Catalina coupon) for $3 off my next transaction. Plus, my store doubles coupons with a face value of .99 or less. Here is how I worked the deal to buy healthy, delicious frozen Green Giant veggies for next to nothing:
9 boxes x .66 each = $5.94 before coupons

I used 3 manufacturer’s coupons from the Sunday paper and online coupon portals (such as coupons.com and bettycrocker.com) for 50 cents off two boxes (policy is one coupon per buy-one-get-two-free deal) = $3.00 off total

Then I used a Catalina coupon for $3 off my order from the previous veggies transaction = $3.00 off total

My total with tax was 2 cents for 9 boxes of vegetables!

Obviously, I took advantage of the promotion several times before I left the store and the $3 coupon printed out for each transaction. I just used it for the next order each time and paid 2 cents for every transaction of 9 boxes. Needless to say, we are well stocked on frozen veggies. There were plenty on the shelf at the store, so I didn’t even come close to clearing them out (which I try never to do). Although that deal is a little more complicated than many, it is a great example of this week’s best buy.

I often buy name brand whole wheat pasta, veggie burgers, hummus, and other healthy foods at 75% off or better using sales and coupons. I rarely even pay for shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant anymore. With coupons and sales, we usually are able to buy those items for nothing at all. It’s simply a matter of choosing not to use the coupons for the unhealthy food and making sure you have multiples of coupons for the healthier choices and non-food items so you can stock up.

The last perceived disadvantage is that some people think that there are no real savings by using coupons. The truth is that there are excellent savings on some items, but that you won’t be able to use a coupon for every item on your grocery list. The key is to stock up on the best deals for the items you use then use the savings to pay for meats, fresh produce and other items that don’t offer high savings. All those 50 cent coupons add up to big savings. We have paid off both our cars, have no debt other than the mortgage and will have the house paid off by the time the kids start high school, in six years. Knowing how much we save, I expect that I will coupon for the rest of my life.

So, the question remains - is couponing a good choice for you? It is if you can say yes to the following:

You use (or want to use) name brand food and non-food products from traditional grocery stores and pay less for them than the store brand costs.
You are willing to look at sales ads for good buys.
You are willing to clip and organize your coupons.
You are willing to make a meal plan to maximize sales and your overstock.
You want to stretch your income much farther, spend less and have more groceries to show for your efforts.

Disclaimer: I have been a serious couponer for 8 years and our family saves over $5000 per year by clipping those little pieces of paper. My budget is now $55 per week for food, paper products, cleaning supplies and pet food. Although my cost is only $55, I actually bring home over $150 worth of product most weeks by combining sales with coupons. I have a stocked pantry, fridge and freezer and most of it is because of coupons. I also have a life outside of couponing, so I have found a healthy balance between stretching our hard earned income and everything else.

I look at couponing as another household responsibility. Just as I need to do laundry, wash dishes, clean house and cook meals, I also need to coupon. My husband fully supports my efforts because he sees the impact couponing has had on our budget.

For those of you who feel that couponing and other smart spending techniques may benefit your household, look for next month’s article on where to shop to find the best buys. Remember – it’s your money, spend it wisely!