Couponing Is For More Than Food
I’ve been incorporating the use of coupons more regularly into my grocery shopping for the past two months. I’ve tried using coupons before and I’ve never really gotten the hang of it. I seemed to buy things I wouldn’t normally buy, or I’d forget my coupons, or I’d just get completely overwhelmed by trying and give up. Besides, the majority of food I buy is fresh foods - dairy, produce, and meats, and coupons don’t apply to those. So is the effort of finding and clipping coupons really worth it?
What I realized this go round is that I’ve been thinking about coupons too narrowly. When I think about groceries, I think about food, so when I think about grocery coupons, I think about food. Sure, there are lots of coupons in the Sunday paper for food that I wouldn’t normally buy (and don’t buy just because I have a coupon). But what I’ve had the most success with this time around is using coupons for non-food items.
Every week in our Sunday paper, I’ve found coupons for diapers, household cleaning products, toiletries, personal care items, and other products that I buy in my grocery shopping trips, but aren’t classified as food. Because I’m not particularly brand loyal to most of these things, I can combine coupons with sales on particular items, and get things for less than I would pay for their generic equivalent. And if I am brand loyal to a particular thing, the coupons help even more, because sometimes I can’t wait for a sale. If I have a coupon, at least I am getting some level of discount. I’ve calculated the unit price I would pay for particular items (for example, 15 cents per ounce for shampoo or conditioner) and when I find a brand on sale that I have a coupon for which brings the unit price below my threshold, I can take advantage of that.
I know that playing what others have termed The Drugstore Game, one can get items of this type free or almost free from CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. I do not have a Rite-Aid here, but I have tried CVS and Walgreens. I have a lot more success with Walgreens, and I did get a tube of toothpaste this week which I actually was paid $1 to buy through the mix of coupons, sales, and online rebates. But my successes in this arena are few and far between, so using coupons more generously has helped me more to pay low amounts for items versus trying to get everything free or at a profit.
So for me, looking beyond food has helped me take better advantage of coupons and show some real tangible savings from the experience. Maybe soon I’ll actually subscribe to the Sunday paper instead of picking one up when I shop. Maybe. That seems like too much of a commitment. 
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September 3rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
don’t be too quick to discount good food coupons — one day i came home with free bread, cheese, strawberries, cream cheese and peanut butter. some of the coupons were sent directly to me by kroger, one was a rebate coupon and one was in a magazine. i’ve also gotten coupons (not free, but good value) for healthy pasta, bacon, spaghetti sauce, cereal, salad dressing, condiments, organic frozen vegetables, etc.
i bring it up because once i got serious about couponing, i started paying more attention to them all over the place. and the more i use them, the more i find good coupons that work for my family. so don’t give up on the healthy coupons just yet!
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
When someone questions me about whether I really save when I coupon, my answer is always this:
“Absolutely.”
As an example, I tell them to go look under my bathroom sink. So they go and look to see about 20 bottles of shampoo, 15 boxes of tampons, various other hair stylers and facial/skin products, lotions, and yes, even soap. They say, “So? I have that stuff, too.”
I just smile and fold my hands carefully (doing my best not to let that smile turn into a smirk), and answer, “Yes, well, all of those things under my sink? Walgreens paid me to take them off their shelves.” Then, I pause to let that sink in, and finally, after a beat, ask, “How much did you pay for /your/ shampoo and soap?”
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Since I don’t subscribe to any magazines or the newspaper and buy only basics for food and household supplies, I can never find coupons. I wish I could find them for all the fresh fruit and vegetables I buy as well as eggs, cheese etc…
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I don’t subscribe to papers or magazines either. I work in a library so I can read whatever I like free. I do buy a sunday paper though–often I get 2 copies. Often I can pay for my newspaper just by using one or two coupons. There are usually between 1 and 3 or 4 coupon inserts in each paper. Sometimes I’ve saved $50 to $100 per newspaper by the time I’m done with the coupons I want to use. I can shop at the nicest grocery store in town because they double coupons and because they are the nicest store in town–duh. Fresher, safer, pleasant shopping.
I use grocery game and it is easier that way for me to do this. I don’t cut coupons anymore unless I’m using them, I just save the inserts and grocery game tells me which ones to look in for the coupon I need.
Takes me about 15 minutes to get ready to go shop this way. Even so–I don’t do coupons every single week–but most weeks.
I have ’stashes’ of non food that I got free or very cheap. Shampoo, hair color, feminine products, soap, razors, deoderant etc. I also do buy some foods–but admittedly I pass on many of them too. I think you need to think –this does not have to be all or nothing. Use what is useful to you–as you figured out– and sometimes do more than other times–no biggy.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hey Jaime! I recently wrote a post about how I approach the couponing game, Couponing 101. It really doesn’t take much effort to get (as you pointed out) non-food items for free or close to it. Sales are often hit or miss so I’ve started stocking up when things are free. Not only has it cut my monthly budget, but I can avoid entire aisles (and pesky impulse purchase) when I go grocery shopping.
I tried Walgreens for the first time this month. The whole rebate thing is a little confusing, but I managed to make almost $15.00 buying a bunch of things that I’ll eventually use including shampoo, soap, and toothpaste (ok, I’ll admit the wrinkle cream and air freshener probably wasn’t necessary). Since there is a CVS right up the street from me, I’ll stick mainly to that and only hit up the Walgreens next time a deal like that comes around…
September 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
My kids call me the coupon lady sometimes…I try to use coupons at fast food joints, at the grocery store, at the drugstore and even at the science museum. I agree that some of the biggest bang for the buck can come from combining coupons with sales and rebates. And I love to find a deal on things we need for the family anyway!
September 7th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Generics and store brands are usually less money than name brands discounted with a coupon. I no longer waste time looking for coupons. One exception - If a web site gives a discount for a coupon code, I will search for it using Google.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
@ DD - since I “purchased” name brand toothpaste for free this week, and just got two bottles of name brand shampoo/conditioner for $0.49 (total) today by pairing coupons and sales, I have to disagree.
I used to think that was true, though. It takes more work than it is worth for most people, but I’ve found with coupon and sales pairings, I can get name bands less than generic some of the time.
September 7th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I love using coupons for all sorts of things - food and non-food. For things like shampoo and toothpaste, we’re pretty brand loyal, so I don’t save us much there as I could. Sometimes, though, I will combine coupons and sales, buy the toothpaste or whatever it is that’s on sale, and then just donate it to the local shelter/food shelf. We’re moving in a few weeks and I’ve been searching for a coupon or some sort of discount code for a moving truck (the “change of address” packet from the post office has just such a thing). It makes my day when I can get a good deal on something by using a coupon or, even better, combining a coupon with a sale. Last night, I got a bag of Chex Mix for forty cents! Our store had them on sale for $1 each, then I had a sixty-cents off coupon. Woo hoo!
September 17th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Great post!
Now here’s a hint about the newspaper subscriptions: When you contact the newspaper to subscribe, ask about “new customer specials.” You might get a coupon for such a deal at a local business expo or the county fair.