As we start this new series “Starting Fresh in 2012 with Couponing”, I want to get very, VERY real with you all. People have seen the couponing TV show, or have heard how great couponing is. But, they have gotten an un-realistic view of the amount of time it takes to really save money.
Couponing Takes Time! With us starting from the very beginning of couponing, for newbies and veterans, that is something you have to realize and understand. Couponing is not easy. It takes time to organize, time to decide what you are going to purchase, and it just takes up part of your life.
The majority of us are Moms. We have things we do, kids to take care of and homes to keep clean. Some of us have part-time jobs. Some of us are single Moms. So, how do you find time to coupon? You’ve gotta make time. And that is what it comes down to. You are either in the position where you really need to coupon to make things work, or it isn’t that important. I’ve found that the most important things in our lives are the things we make time for. If you don’t feel like saving money, and working to do it is worth it, then couponing might not be for you. I don’t mean that to sound harsh…as it can sometimes come off that way in writing, but I’m trying to give you a realistic version of how couponing is. Yes, it is rewarding to grab great deals and save money for your family. But, in the end, the time sacrifice might just not be worth it to some of you.
Our Personal Experience
For our family, we were in dire need and couponing was something I HAD to make time for. Money was super tight and a part-time job wasn’t an option for us. And although it took me time, couponing helped us make ends meet and really made a difference in our budget. And on top of that, we built a 6-9 month food storage in only a few months!! So, yes, it took time, but in the end it really was worth it for our family. Couponing has helped us save so much money that it has helped us pay off debt too!
How Much Time Should I Plan on Spending with Couponing Each Week??
That is a GREAT question! If you really want to coupon the right way and build a stockpile/food storage for your family, you will probably be spending 5-10 hours a week couponing. (Some people take less…only 3-4 hours per week.) It takes me about 45 minutes to 1 hour to cut all of my coupon inserts and separate them into piles. Then, about 20 minutes to add them to my baseball card inserts. (Just an FYI, I get 5 copies of the Sunday paper. So I am cutting 5 copies of the paper in that amount of time. If you aren’t that fast, you will get there and I will show you how!)
Breakdown of Possible Coupon Time:
- 1 1/2 – 2 Hours of Cutting Coupons and Organizing (Once a month, pulling out expired coupons- an extra 20-30 minutes)
- Going through Grocery Matchups on Freebies2Deals.com or through the ads yourself (30 minutes- 1 Hour. Bloggers usually SAVE you time by doing the matchups for you!)
- Grocery Shopping 2-3 Hours a week… depending on how many stores you go to and how far along you are with your stockpile. (I find that some weeks I don’t even need to go shopping because my stockpile is already full of the items “on-sale”. So I leave those items for everyone else to grab instead.)
- Total time: 5- 10 Hours Per week. (If it is taking you more time than this to coupon each week, then you might have something keeping you from being efficient.. maybe a problem with organization, or something similar.)
Ok, So it Takes Time to Coupon, I Get It. But What is the Payoff?? Is it Worth it??
In my opinion, YES!! In one year of the Sunday paper, you can see about $8,000 worth of coupons. Now, I definitely don’t use all of them. And you won’t either. So, let’s say that you used only 1/3 of the coupons. That’s a savings of $2667 a year! Let’s be even more conservative and say you only use 1/4 of the coupons. That’s still a savings of $2000 a year for ONE COPY of the Sunday Paper!
And, to make the scenario even crazier, if you are getting multiple copies of the Sunday paper, you can multiply your savings by the number of copies you get. So, if you get 3 copies, you would easily save $6,000 a year on your grocery bill, have an awesome food storage for emergencies, and never have to waste your TIME, heading to the store to pay full price to pick up something you ran out of at home.
So, Let’s Compare your Coupon Savings to a Part-Time Job
Now, if you are spending 10 Hours per week on coupons, that is 520 hours per year. Divide that by your $6,000 Coupon Savings. If you considered couponing a part-time job, you would be making $11.54 per hour to coupon!!
If you only spend 8 Hours per week on coupons, that is 416 hours per year. Divide that by your $6,000 Coupon Savings. If you considered couponing a part-time job, you would be making $14.42 per hour to coupon!!
So you get my drift!! Over $14 per hour to coupon…. now you need to decide, is that something you can make time for??? And is that worth it to you?
Ways to Make it Less Time Consuming
Time can be wasted doing anything. So with couponing, being as efficient as possible is super important.
- Be Organized. That is next on our Starting Fresh in 2012 with Couponing Series and it it really does make all the difference in your time. You will find you don’t have any time to coupon, if you can never find the coupon you need. We will go over different methods and list everything you need to get started.
- Pull Out Expired Coupons Once a Month. Don’t waste your time pulling out expired coupons each week. You will find the majority of your coupons all expire around 1 month- especially the P&G coupons. So, by doing it once a month, you will have most of the expired coupons out of your binder when you are adding the new P&G coupons in.
- Be Organized at checkout. We will go over this in more depth too. Being able to check out quickly will save you a lot of time too!
- Find a store that keeps a good stock of the on-sale items each week. This can be super hard. But, if you live in a highly populated area of couponers, you will find things fly off the shelves. One of my personal secrets is that I travel further away to get to a few stores that don’t have very many couponers visiting that store. I might have to drive 10 more minutes, but I never have to deal with not getting those items I was hoping for with my coupons. (We will talk about this one more too!)
- ONLY use coupons when you can get the name brand item for less than the store brand! This will only happen when you can stack an awesome in-store sale with the coupon. If you use the coupon alone on regular priced items, you will find that the store brands are always cheaper. Otherwise, you will mistakingly get frustrated thinking that coupons don’t save you money. Stacking is KEY to saving money!
Couponing does take time. But, hopefully after all of the information I have given you above, you will realize that couponing really can make a huge difference and save your family a lot of money. And, in my opinion the time it takes to coupon each week is worth it. If you are taking more time than I listed, 5- 10 hours per week, then something is holding you up. I will be going over everything about Couponing from the very beginning over the next few weeks. So, try to figure out what it stopping you from being successful and I will give solutions in the coming weeks so you can finally make couponing work for you!
And for all the newbies, hopefully this post has helped you decide to jump into couponing. It really is the BEST thing I have ever done for my family. And the financial contributions I have been able to make to our budget because of couponing have had lasting effects!
Rebecca
Melea,
Thank you for taking the time to do this coupon refresher for us.
I appreciate it. 🙂
Amy
My question is, do you cut every coupon in the inserts? I get tied up with doing this and end up not using 3/4 of them and then get frustrated and go back to just cutting what i think I might use. Thanks.
Melea Johnson
No, definitely don’t cut every coupon. We will go over that more in the Organization post. So, Ill show you guys what I do. 🙂
Clairlyn
It depends on what you are going to with them. For me I cut every coupon because I send the ones that I don’t use and/or have expired to one of the many “Coups for Troops” organizations. Military overseas can use the expired coupons up to six months after they expire. Just google Coups for Troops and see which one would work best for because they all have different rules in how to send them.
To save on a lot of cutting I stack my coupon pages and cut the stack with a paper cutter.
Angie
So I’ve never have used a whole lot of coupons but I always see all these ladies that have a whole cart full of stuff and pay nothing literally I just don’t know where to start can you help?
Melea Johnson
Yep, just so everyone remembers… this is just the first post of our series. I will do posts on all of your questions and issues that most of us couponers have. So, just keep watching for the Starting Fresh Posts and you will be 100% ready to coupon and do awesome at it! We will probably have 2-3 posts per week!
Linda
Thanks for info. I was starting to get sick of couponing, but I think you inspired me to keep going at it. My problem is… I don’t seem to buy 90% of the items that the coupons are used for. I get 5 sunday papers, but only cut out 5-10 coupons. Is that strange to you?
MC
I find the same thing. I think it comes down to what products your family eats (because food is a MUCH bigger part of the budget than the toilet paper/toothpaste/shampoo coupons). Though there are coupons for healthy stuff occasionally (eggs, milk, mandarin oranges, salad mixes), it seems like the overwheming majority is for cake mixes, cookies, and pre-packaged foods. I’m really struggling with whether it’s worth the time to hunt for the few healthy options. For now I don’t clip coupons, just do the folder method, and then shop at the outlet grocery store and the fruit & vegetable stand for most stuff, then supplement with couponable items.
Becky
You would be surprised at how many healthy, good coupons you can find that your family will actually use when looking online. Company Facebook pages, Coupons.com, direct company website pages, etc. I have even emailed companies that I am having a hard time finding coupons for and tell them how much I enjoy their product and then request coupons. 90% of the time they are happy to mail me coupons, and more often than not the coupons end up being higher valued coupons than Sunday inserts. I still buy the Sunday paper– multiple subscriptions in fact– but most of the coupons I get are online coupons! Hope that helps! 😀
Angela
Thank you so much for doing this post. I am fairly new to couponing but I love it. I have 3 small children at home and a husband who works crazy hours so a part-time job is out of the question. I am anxious to save ( or earn, depending how you look at it) money any way I can!!
Sophia
Thank you for taking the time for the newbies and those contemplaing if couponing is going to save them $$ in the long run.
I am a newbie to couponing (been doing it since mid October 2111) and found it helps me and my family out a lot with our finances. I am able to pay credit card bills off faster and have a little extra to take the family out for family days/nights.
It takes me a little more maybe 1-2 hours longer then you stated to cut/organize my coupons match ups takes as long as you indicated above. You see I never knew I was couponing about 20 years ago I was doing to to get more for my money to feed my growing family. When they turned into teenagers I stopped using coupons. Wish I knew this back then what I know now about couponing I would have never stopped.
Thank you so much for all your assistance in getting me back into couponing. This is my new hobby. For me couponing is like a treasure hunt from cutting, organizing, match-ups and finding the products at the grocery store. You have to plan (map) your trips..where to start and end… I love it.
Sophia
@ Amy I cut every coupon because I am part of a coupon train where we swap coupons in the mail. Maybe your neck of the woods there is someone who is organizing this or you could find someone online that is doing the same thing and you could swap coupons with them. look for a blog on facebook Hawaii shopaholic she handles the coupon train I am a part of or go to her website http://www.hawaiishopaholics.com
All expried coupons are maild to coups for troups or I hand it over to the person who takes care of our local coupon swap meetings same concept as the coupon trian but in person.
Jamee R
Thank you for this post! I was clearing out my binder once a week and was getting frustrated! I think I will switch to the once a month method now. Great post and great reminders for all! Thank you!
Patty
AWESOME I really need this training, I have been couponing and I was doing OK with Foodstamps but now we are on out own and we have very little money, so I really need to work harder on it. I just learned the first trick of not cutting all coupons
Erica Nelson
Thanks for the update! I started couponing last year in Feb. Didn’t really see any savings until a few months after. I don’t mind it too much. But I wish I could save more each time I go to the grocery store. I need all the tips you can hand out. =) I save about $10 to $30 each shopping trip, so I guess that isn’t too bad. Right now I do the clipless method. So when I go to the grocery store I have to stick with the coupons I have on hand. Sometimes I miss out on a hot item because I have left my coupon at home, but I don’t want to lug around a big binder either. I guess I will just stick to what I feel comfortable with.
Tia
That’s about how much I save too. The most I have ever saved was $30 on one trip (I have never been able to duplicate it) but I average about $15-$20 per grocery trip which I agree with you its wonderful but how do people do it where they save more or is there an “average” of savings?
Kim
I found that as my stock pile grew, I spent less time on couponing because I didn’t need those items any longer. Also, you just get better and better at figuring out what works. There is definately a learning curve but we get faster and more efficient as we go. Don’t be afraid to change your system and try something different. I used to clip and file every coupon in my binder. Now I use the filing system and just clip what is on my list. Whatever works!
Heather
I have been trying to coupon for the last couple of months now. I usually do pretty well with non-food items. I can’t wait to read more of this series! Hopefully it will help me be able to cut the food bill in half as well. I get frustrated because it seems like most coupons are for things my family does not use ( I see a few of you feel the same way).
Also I have a hard time trying to figure out my RA and CVS deals/transactions. IE: buy this, this and this get this ECB/Ups back and use them on this this and this to save the most money. It takes me a while before I head off to the store. Wish I knew an easier way, I’m just thankful that the matchups are pretty much done for me!
Sarah
I have been vegan (no animal products, dairy, eggs, etc.) for a while now and don’t want to go back to just eating ‘whatever is on sale.’ Do you still think it would be beneficial for me to coupon or have I limited my money-saving chances by my diet choices?
Marcie
Even if you only use coupons on personal hygiene items like shampoo, razors, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, etc and not on your food choices, I think it is still totally worth it.
Lyndsey
Sarah, hooray for you being vegan! I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian. My parents have free-range chickens on their ranch so there’s no way I can give up free farm-fresh eggs! I’ve noticed it’s more difficult to coupon for healthful foods, but it’s not impossible. Check out Melea’s and others’ posts on Whole Foods (if there is one in your area), most accept store coupons and manufacturer coupons, so the savings do add up. Usually if I save a fair amount using coupons on non-food necessities, I can rationalize spending more on real foods. Gardening and canning are also cost efficient and you know exactly what is going into your food and therefore your body. Sorry I’m rambling, I get really passionate about eating well plus it’s 4am!
whitney Alves
Thanks for all you do… and thanks for the article very informative
Julie
“ONLY use coupons when you can get the name brand item for less than the store brand! This will only happen when you can stack an awesome in-store sale with the coupon. ”
You rock! That was exactly my comment and probem! Thank you!
Kathleen Benner
Very informative! Thank you 🙂 I have been couponing since last summer and lately I have been getting lazy and have been paying WAY too much at the grocery store!! Time to buckle down, do my research and get those deals!!! My stockpile has been looking very scarce lately!
Dani
Great post, and I am excited for the rest of this series. I’ve been following a few coupon blogs for a while but just started actually getting a paper and cutting a few months ago. I hadn’t realized how much time people spend on this. One thing that seemed a little strange though is the $8000/$2000 number. I have always considered myself pretty frugal, and for a family of three I am only spending about $4000 a year on groceries & personal care, and that is mostly without couponing and having a small stockpile. So could I really save 50%?! I wonder how my number compares to big-time couponers…is it too nosy to ask people what they spend monthly or annually, to be able to compare just trying to be frugal without coupons vs. couponing?
Megan
I have a family of 6 and we try to only spend 200-250 on groceries a month. With coupons it is possible!
Marta
I have a family of 4 and I only spend $200.00, on Groceries. With coupons I save a lot of money, and I need to buy a lot of healthy food for my Husband. He’s a very sick person , no preservatives, etc. etc….. But, with my coupons We survive….. and with your help too. Thanks
Megan
Thanks for writing this post! It really is an awesome reminder to keep at it! December was a rocky month but I am pretty sure it was because of Christmas and wanting to be with family more than coupons.
I have been able to get a pretty good stock pile with the little time that I have used coupons, but I have noticed that it has been getting harder to find items that I am looking for at stores. Definately the case at our Wal-Mart but other stores have been great.
Thank you for the time that you put into this. I have 4 kids all 5 years old and under so the time that you save me from doing the research myself I am grateful for!
DEBBIE
thank you so very much for this article—-i can hardly wait for your step by step direction. I’ve been trying to figure this coupon thing for a few months and just don’t get it. I am determined to understand couponing for the new year!!!!
Ashley
THANK YOU! I am a complete newbie and have been overwhelmed with information on trying to start this process that is NEEDED for my family! This seems very do-able and I appreciate your time sharing your info!
Meredith Harker
Great post! And so true. Couponing takes a lot of time, and for some it is not worth it. But I love it. Can’t wait to read your next post!
Cheryl
Thanks for the information! I am a newbie! I do have a question though: What do you do if the stores where you live do not douple or triple coupons?
Natalie
The only store in UT that I know of that offers double coupon days is Walmart and only on Tues. It’s hard to find deals that make things completely free or give you back money like you see on “Extreme Couponing,” but I have seen a couple.
Laurel
Thank you for the coupon info. I have been couponing (or trying to) for a little less than a year. I think my biggest problem is with organization. I am looking forward to more help with this. I see people with binders full of coupons. Is this a good way to keep track of your coupons?
Jillian
This post is so inspirational! It’s just my boyfriend and me, but he’s in his last year of college & I’m saving to go to law school (you can’t work while in school), so money’s tight. I do have a full-time job, but with saving for school, I find couponing has helped me save tons. This lets me know I’m on the right track & if I keep it up, I’ll be set 🙂
Marta
Thanks to you I save a lot of money, I can’t work since my husband is sick and we only receive Social Security and Food Stamps, But with the Coupons I save a lot of money. Every time I go to shop for food, even that We receive Food Stamps I save a lot. The cashiers, told me ” I need to start using coupons, because you always save a lot of money, a lot of people that receive food stamps don’t use coupons”……. And I don’t know why. Every time I go to shop for Household Stuff , like detergent, etc….. I wait until they are on sale, and then use my coupons. I’m subscribe to your newsletter, so I always receive the latest….. and It’s Great. I love this post. I’m a very organize person, and before heading to the stores I have all set up. I even know how much I will pay and how much I will save. Thanks for your hard work and God Bless You.
Vicky
Thank you, thank you, and thank you some more. It really is amazing how this can change your life financially. All your tips are really helpful and it means a lot that you’d be so willing to share.
Darlene
What a Blessing that we have someone who is willing to do a series on couponing beginning in 2012. I am a newbie but did do several deals before Christmas. I put together baskets for my daughters and neices of beauty products. Saved me alot and I enjoyed it. Couponing for me is like taking a nerve pill. I love to do it, but I sure have a lot to learn. Keep up the good work and may God Bless you for all your help.
Eileen
Thank you so much for answering all my questions. I get very frustrated when I go to the store and all the items are GONE. When is the best day and time to shop?