Coupons and deals

[angelatc]

The only time I would factor in time, counting it as money, is if it really was a substitute for other time that was, or could have equated to money.

I used to argue that same point about whether it was "worth it" to list low cost items on eBay. If I'm doing nothing but watching TV, I'm making nothing. If I'm watching TV *and* selling $5.00 items, I'm making money. Obviously I'd be making more doing other things, but at 9:00 on Sunday nights, I didn't want to do much else.

[Tpoints]

Don't forget to factor in the time it took you to collect/sort those coupons.

I'm concerned most with your taste in television.

if you don't have a job or better use of your time, that's almost irrelevant.

[Tpoints]

Most were digital coupons that I loaded straight onto my Kroger card. Others came from the newspaper/sales papers. Most of the savings came from the in-store deals. The coupons did help a bit though.

It honestly only took about three hours of preparation.

As far as the television thing goes, I'm always looking to learn. Why not learn about saving money?

Exactly! Why not learn to save money if it doesn't cost too much to learn?

Just make sure you don't buy what you don't need, and use what you buy. Otherwise, wasted is still wasted, even if you "saved" money buying it.

Some people here will tell you that buying from this store or that wholesale club will save even more, and they may have a point, so do whatever fits your budget and time.

[amy31416]

Awesome! I was into it a few years ago. I think there were much better deals then.

The best deal I ever got was from Jewel Osco. They were giving $5.00 back if you bought 5 Proctor & Gamble products. They also had ivory soap on sale for .49 a bar. Ivory Soap is a P&G product. So, (rounding and excludung tax) I made $2.50 for every $2.50 I spent.

One of the things that annoys me the most about this area is that food is a lot more expensive here, with the exception of milk. Back in my hometown, grocery stores doubled coupons, you got gas points, there was a good variety and we actually got coupons in the mail--none of that here. Not even shopper cards to get discounts or special deals. I have to get a Meijer credit card in order to get a minor discount--that's ridiculous. And even the markdown section (discontinued/close to expiration) sections in the store suck.

Am I doing something wrong here? You'd think that food in the Midwest would be cheaper.

[oyarde]

One of the things that annoys me the most about this area is that food is a lot more expensive here, with the exception of milk. Back in my hometown, grocery stores doubled coupons, you got gas points, there was a good variety and we actually got coupons in the mail--none of that here. Not even shopper cards to get discounts or special deals. I have to get a Meijer credit card in order to get a minor discount--that's ridiculous. And even the markdown section (discontinued/close to expiration) sections in the store suck.

Am I doing something wrong here? You'd think that food in the Midwest would be cheaper.

Little bit South it is , I have never been able to figure it out , if I go a State North, everything costs more , but I know ,it is all the same companies and , logistics, trucking , warehousing , fuel , are halfway between me and that.....one of the reasons I like being situated where I am , groceries as cheap as it is going to get in the US , no tax on groceries, 1% property tax on primary residence.....

[oyarde]

One of the things that annoys me the most about this area is that food is a lot more expensive here, with the exception of milk. Back in my hometown, grocery stores doubled coupons, you got gas points, there was a good variety and we actually got coupons in the mail--none of that here. Not even shopper cards to get discounts or special deals. I have to get a Meijer credit card in order to get a minor discount--that's ridiculous. And even the markdown section (discontinued/close to expiration) sections in the store suck.

Am I doing something wrong here? You'd think that food in the Midwest would be cheaper.

Just thought of something, are the grocers up there Union ??

[amy31416]

Little bit South it is , I have never been able to figure it out , if I go a State North, everything costs more , but I know ,it is all the same companies and , logistics, trucking , warehousing , fuel , are halfway between me and that.....one of the reasons I like being situated where I am , groceries as cheap as it is going to get in the US , no tax on groceries, 1% property tax on primary residence.....

I just wish it were easier to find a good property around your parts. There's a reason there isn't an abundance of cheap land/houses.

[angelatc]

One of the things that annoys me the most about this area is that food is a lot more expensive here, with the exception of milk. Back in my hometown, grocery stores doubled coupons, you got gas points, there was a good variety and we actually got coupons in the mail--none of that here. Not even shopper cards to get discounts or special deals. I have to get a Meijer credit card in order to get a minor discount--that's ridiculous. And even the markdown section (discontinued/close to expiration) sections in the store suck.

Am I doing something wrong here? You'd think that food in the Midwest would be cheaper.

It's the rural part that's killing you. Where we are now we have a Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Kroger at the same intersection, and Walmart matches prices. At the new house, there's a small grocer. Prices are a lot higher.

Plus Michigan just seems to have a lot of independent grocers. More than anywhere else I've lived.

[opal]

I used to have a lot better luck with coupons than I do now. Our grocery choices are very limited where I live and we try to do a once a month *big* shop at the commissary on base - which really isn't that much cheaper anymore and has really narrowed the brand selection drastically.
I don't shop at china-mart .. our other choices for local-ish groceries are Publix (expensive) Winn Dixie ..meh.. the store is clean anyway and one called Pick-n-Save that has weird to me brands and attaches a sur charge on everything .. someone explained how that's legal to me once but I've since forgotten. It's still cheaper than the big chain stores but it's a small store with not much that I use.

Coupons are generaly for things I don't use.. packaged crap.. baby items and a whole lot of proctor and gamble items - which are forbidden in my house.
Produce and meats I don't find coupons for and that's the major part of my grocery bill.
I do get some coupons for frozen stuff and dairy but not nearly as many as I used to .. due to brand narrowing - they just dont' carry the brands I find coupons for anymore.

[tod evans]

The absolute best food deal you can get is to befriend a farmer.

Meat should always come wrapped only in white butcher paper written on with a sharpie, never wrapped in cellophane.

Veggies come in brown paper bags or reused wal-mart plastic usually with dirt still attached and an occasional bug.

Many farmers will sell home canned or frozen produce after you get to know them.

But yeah, coupons for all the plastic, disposable China crap most of us use.....