Hello, Readers. As many of you know, I don’t often use coupons and I don’t usually recommend them because people often pay more in the end using coupons than simply buying a less expensive product. You may find, however that coupons have a place in your money saving plans and if you can make it work for you, go for it!
Here is a message from Debra from Wichita, Kansas describing her savings using coupons:
Hi Tawra,
At long last, I have a copy of your book in my hands. It is without a doubt the most sensible, usable book on the frugal lifestyle that I have ever read, and believe me when I say I have read them ALL!
We may disagree a bit on the use of coupons, I save $200-300 a month using them. I spend less than $200 a month to feed my family of three, and we drink 3-4 gallons of milk a week (a major expense). I live in Wichita also, and am a big fan of the Homeland stores "Double Dollar Coupons"! I get so many things FREE each week, I give generously from my stockpile to friends, family, and the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse.
Here is a list of what I purchased for $7.42 ($3.12 of that was sales tax!) this week:
18 ct. Large Eggs
1 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits 8 ct. package
2 Land O Lakes spread 16 oz.
1 Pint of Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Totino’s Pizza Rolls 15 ct.
2 Betty Crocker Family Size Fudge Brownie Mix
2 Aquafresh toothpaste 4.6 oz.
1 Box of Kroger Oyster Crackers
1 Bag of Fun Size Butterfinger candy bars 12 oz.
1 Bag of Fun Size Nestle Crunch bars 12 oz.
1 Sucrets Original Sore Throat Lozenges 18 ct.
3 Ozarka Spring Water 3-liter jugs
1 Post Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal Cinnamon Clusters
2 Bisquik baking mix 40 oz. boxes
2 Bisquik Shake ‘n Pour Pancake Mix 5.1 oz. size
3 boxes of Edward’s pie slices
3 boxes of Mrs. Smith’s pie slices
6 cans of Old El Paso Refried Beans – assorted flavors
3 Charmin Basic Toilet Paper, 4-packs of double rolls
1 Kotex Maxi Pads 20 ct.
1 Kotex Long Lightdays liners 40 ct.
3 Hungry Jack Easy Mashed Potatoes – 4 serving size
1 bag Purina Natural Blends dog food 3.5 lb.
1 Iams Tarter Control dog treats 6 ct.
1 package of Gillette Custom Plus razors 5 ct.
1 Rhodes 60 second Microwave Cinnamon Rolls
Total saved with coupons $69.95
Total saved with store card(s) $25.72
Total savings $95.67
They actually PAID me to take that pie home, and the Nestle fun size candy bars (43¢ a bag after coupons) will be stashed away for "movie nights" with DVD’s borrowed from the library. The $200 or less that I spend at the store each month includes all of our pet food, household and health and beauty products, bottled water (I usually refill our gallon jugs at Dillon’s for 39¢ each), and we drink Orange Juice every morning (I buy the Kroger frozen concentrate if I don’t have good coupons for something else. It costs $1.00 for 12 oz. and it makes 48 oz. of juice. I figure that is 12½ cents per 6 oz. glass, and cheaper than fresh fruit) We do buy some fresh fruit, usually bananas and whatever else is on sale in a given week.
I use coupons for meat, also. The recent coupons for 55¢ off Honeysuckle ground turkey can be used for the 1 lb. "chubs" when Dillon’s (Wichita Kroger Affiliate) runs them 10/$10, making them FREE, or on the 19.6 oz. packages of 93% lean ground turkey in the fresh meat case when these are "buy one, get one free" (they do this about every 8 weeks or so) for 65¢ each. I have a freezer well stocked with ground turkey. It works great in chili, taco meat, "Hamburger Helper" (I get a lot of this FREE, too!), or meatloaf.
Enough about me, this is supposed to be praise for your book. It is GREAT!!!! Thank you so much for writing it. I will recommend it to all of my friends. Maybe I will make your acquaintance some day in the aisles of Dillon’s or Homeland. I will be the woman with a big binder full of coupons!
Sincerely,
Debra S "The Coupon Lady"
I LOVE the idea of saving all this money – but, honestly, I only use 3 of the items on your whole grocery list. I buy mostly fresh foods, and I never use packaged bread, cake, cookies, frozen snacks, etc. I see the savings, but we just don’t eat like that…..