So for the past month or so I've been using coupons to see if we can cut down our costs at all while I am on Mat leave. I know a lot of people are skeptical about couponing. Most people think that it is a waste of time, that the only coupons out there are for junk food, that you end up spending more money then you used to and that you buy a lot of stuff you don't really need.
COUPONS ARE A WASTE OF TIME
$76.43 + $8.58 + $22.00 + $25.49= $132.59 in savings from coupons/rainchecks/mail in rebates just for the month of July. This does not count the savings that I got just from waiting for things to go on sale before I bought them. It only takes about five minutes to order coupons from each website I use ->
http://www.gocoupons.ca/
http://save.ca/
https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.ca/
You can also print coupons from:
www.livingwell.ca/
www.smartsource.ca/
It takes another five minutes to check the Smart Canucks forum to see the best deals of the week and which of my coupons I can use ->
http://smartcanucks.ca/
Yes, it does take some time to clip and organize the coupons. However, even if I spend an hour or two a week with coupons, the savings I'm bringing in more than make up for it.
COUPONS ARE ONLY FOR JUNK FOOD
Not true! Many of my coupons are for whole grain products from companies like Kelloggs, Catelli, McCain, etc. I'm having a much harder time finding coupons for things like Pepsi or chips then I am for juice or fruit.
COUPONS MAKE YOU SPEND MORE MONEY
Also not true. My usual grocery bill for the week came in around $160. My grocery bill now comes in under $100. And with that $100 I am slowly building up a stockpile of extra goods so that if something is not on sale I don't have to buy it. which in turn lets me save even more money!
COUPONS MAKE YOU BUY THINGS YOU DON'T NEED
Yes. This is in fact true. I don't need six cans of shaving gel for the month. However, one of my first buys (at Walmart) was for Skintimate Shaving Gel, which was on sale for $1.50. I had 2 x $5 off when you buy 3 coupons. $1.50 x 6 = $9.00 - $10.00 in coupons = +$1.00. So not only did I get six cans of shaving gel for FREE, Walmart also paid me a dollar to take them out of the store.
Walmart is the only store here in Ontario that allows overages. So if you have a coupon worth five dollars, and find something on clearance for a dollar, they will pay you IN CASH if you so choose, FOUR DOLLARS! Now imagine you had five of those coupons. You would make TWENTY DOLLARS!
So yes, you can be sucked into buying things you don't need. But if they are free and making me money to spend on things I do need then I am sure I can find someone I can give the things I don't need away to.
I am more than happy to help if anyone wants to give this a try. It is well worth the time and the effort.
COUPONS ARE A WASTE OF TIME
$76.43 + $8.58 + $22.00 + $25.49= $132.59 in savings from coupons/rainchecks/mail in rebates just for the month of July. This does not count the savings that I got just from waiting for things to go on sale before I bought them. It only takes about five minutes to order coupons from each website I use ->
http://www.gocoupons.ca/
http://save.ca/
https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.ca/
You can also print coupons from:
www.livingwell.ca/
www.smartsource.ca/
It takes another five minutes to check the Smart Canucks forum to see the best deals of the week and which of my coupons I can use ->
http://smartcanucks.ca/
Yes, it does take some time to clip and organize the coupons. However, even if I spend an hour or two a week with coupons, the savings I'm bringing in more than make up for it.
COUPONS ARE ONLY FOR JUNK FOOD
Not true! Many of my coupons are for whole grain products from companies like Kelloggs, Catelli, McCain, etc. I'm having a much harder time finding coupons for things like Pepsi or chips then I am for juice or fruit.
COUPONS MAKE YOU SPEND MORE MONEY
Also not true. My usual grocery bill for the week came in around $160. My grocery bill now comes in under $100. And with that $100 I am slowly building up a stockpile of extra goods so that if something is not on sale I don't have to buy it. which in turn lets me save even more money!
COUPONS MAKE YOU BUY THINGS YOU DON'T NEED
Yes. This is in fact true. I don't need six cans of shaving gel for the month. However, one of my first buys (at Walmart) was for Skintimate Shaving Gel, which was on sale for $1.50. I had 2 x $5 off when you buy 3 coupons. $1.50 x 6 = $9.00 - $10.00 in coupons = +$1.00. So not only did I get six cans of shaving gel for FREE, Walmart also paid me a dollar to take them out of the store.
Walmart is the only store here in Ontario that allows overages. So if you have a coupon worth five dollars, and find something on clearance for a dollar, they will pay you IN CASH if you so choose, FOUR DOLLARS! Now imagine you had five of those coupons. You would make TWENTY DOLLARS!
So yes, you can be sucked into buying things you don't need. But if they are free and making me money to spend on things I do need then I am sure I can find someone I can give the things I don't need away to.
I am more than happy to help if anyone wants to give this a try. It is well worth the time and the effort.
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