ok, so this is a given for us coupon girls, but i wanted to share 2 stories from today for those of you who DON'T price compare.
first, i needed a cupcake tin. i went to kohls. they had a wilton one that was nice for $23.99. i scanned it and it was not on sale. i have a standing policy not to buy anything at kohls that's not on sale, so we left and went to target. target had the EXACT SAME PAN for $8.99. it was on sale, but the REGULAR price is $9.99. holy crap. a $14 price difference on the same item? that's more than double. ridiculous.
i also needed pancake syrup today. i looked at my regular grocery store today and it was $5.25 for the hungry jack syrup i buy. i could have sworn i buy it cheaper at target, so i waited until later. checked at target - $2.65.
i also check all the ads that come to my house - 3 grocery stores and 2 produce-type places - and make sure i'm buying staples when they're on sale. a pound of grapes can vary $2 per pound from store to store.
anyway, just sharing b/c this was eye opening for me today. :)
Also, same product in the same store. I am constantly finding the ginormous box of cheerios the same price or cheeper than the medium size box.
I TRY to price compare, but sometimes I just don't have the time. I was doing most of my food shopping at Walmart, but I can't stand the crowd and the poor selection of late. I need a new game plan. I think I will go to Walmart *maybe* once a month to stock on some household cleaners, etc that are just way cheeper than the grocery.
sometimes i do. Like I know certain things are cheaper at my commissary than walmart but I think its a hassle to have cash on hand to tip the bagger so I usually pay more.
But other things like non food items Dh has a barcode scanner on his phone and we use that a lot to price match whenver.
I generally only buy things without price comparing if I HAVE to have them and don't have time. But then I always cringe about it, thinking I could get it cheaper elsewhere.
That is a huge price difference!!! And a SHOCK that it wouldnt be on sale at Kohls. Seriously-shocking.
I generally find Kohls prices on housewares/toys to be much higher than elsewhere at normal price. I just figured they did that to make their constant "big sale" look better than it actually is.
Don't get me wrong- love Kohls and have found some amazing deals- just in general.
I don't. And I should make time to do it, but I just don't. I can't stockpile here, and I need all the work done for me because I just don't *get* it.
Joe's really great about check the per unit price, where they have the cost per ounce on the price tag, but for me, I just want to get in and out of the store and I consider it a financial win if I don't come home with more impulse buys than real items that were on my list.
I don't find that we have the big price differences here that you have in the US. Not as much competition. We have walmart but no real competetor right now (but Target is on its way!).
I'll spend a lot of money for the privilage of not having to do the work to save money, lol.
We don't really buy a lot, that said.
Most of our groceries are from the outside ring of the store and I don't find that we have a lot of choice in that stuff.
I will carefully price compare for big purchases (if i can do it online).
i dont at all. i havent been inside a target in probably 4 years. for me, the effort of shopping around is just not worth it. i do shop at traders though, and i'll buy their brand stuff over A&P - but those are the only two stores i go to. for things like muffin pans, i go to BB&B, and usually have 20% off coupons.
i do a LOT of shopping online, and in that case i'll compare prices and find free shipping - i find good deals that way - but if it means actually doing the legwork of going to the stores, i cant. i dont have the time or patience, and i dont have the right kind of kids either - lol.
that said, i also do not buy a lot at all. i am really minimalist, bigtime.
I always price check. I don't go to more than one store for my shopping except for the very few name brand things we buy (we get those at Walmart). Occasionally I'll see things I buy cheaper at the other store in town but the quality there is so bad, I still won't buy it there. I refuse to spend 40 cents a pound for green bananas that will go bad in just a few hours.
I have cetain things I "know" like milk, eggs, some fruit/veggies, capri suns, etc. that I will only buy if they fall within my "range" of acceptable. And I will price compare on line (I hate paying shipping at all) for some stuff. I also price compare between items for the lowest "unit value" of something right next to it on the shelf, but, I don't have time to go on the ground store to store comparing.
Kyle does not price compare at ALL and that bugs me. I try to make educated decisions but sometimes feel like saving two dollars on milk here and there is destroyed by some of the other choices we make.
I don't. And I should make time to do it, but I just don't. I can't stockpile here, and I need all the work done for me because I just don't *get* it.
Joe's really great about check the per unit price, where they have the cost per ounce on the price tag, but for me, I just want to get in and out of the store and I consider it a financial win if I don't come home with more impulse buys than real items that were on my list.
this is so me. It is so far beyond me and I wish I got it because I would love to save money. The running joke is I clip coupons, I just forget about them once I do.
The only deals I get are the ones April and the rest of the couponers post on FB.
I use coupons so I am always comparing prices and trying to get the best deal (whether online or in-store). I honestly cannot pay full-price for things anymore...it is actually horrible because it leads to a ton of anxiety when I HAVE to. for example, when i broke my leg, i couldn't coupon and it about killed me to go in the store and buy groceries without using coupons or looking for "deals". Today is the first day I have actually started going to the store with coupons and I am so excited to be back to it!
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
ready for my soapbox?
I totally want to learn how to do this better when I have a house and room to have a stockpile.
BUT...
the hoarding bothers me. Some guy last time had enough deodorant for the next 83 years. He got most of it for free or got overage back. I'm not saying DON'T buy it if it is free, but box it up for the homeless shelter once you hit a one year supply, kwim?
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
ready for my soapbox?
I totally want to learn how to do this better when I have a house and room to have a stockpile.
BUT...
the hoarding bothers me. Some guy last time had enough deodorant for the next 83 years. He got most of it for free or got overage back. I'm not saying DON'T buy it if it is free, but box it up for the homeless shelter once you hit a one year supply, kwim?
Stepping off soapbox.
oh, jenn, ita.
when i was doing couponing like crazy (NJ is MUCH more coupon friendly then CO unfortunately), i bought what we could use, stockpiled non-perishable items like toilet paper, but kept amounts reasonable. then i donated the rest. 10 sticks of deodorant? sure! that would last me a year or 2. 100 sticks of deodorant? no way.
it drove me crazy to see people buying PALLETS of items. really? is that necessary? idk. it's an obsession and that's about it for those people.
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
ready for my soapbox?
I totally want to learn how to do this better when I have a house and room to have a stockpile.
BUT...
the hoarding bothers me. Some guy last time had enough deodorant for the next 83 years. He got most of it for free or got overage back. I'm not saying DON'T buy it if it is free, but box it up for the homeless shelter once you hit a one year supply, kwim?
Stepping off soapbox.
oh, jenn, ita.
when i was doing couponing like crazy (NJ is MUCH more coupon friendly then CO unfortunately), i bought what we could use, stockpiled non-perishable items like toilet paper, but kept amounts reasonable. then i donated the rest. 10 sticks of deodorant? sure! that would last me a year or 2. 100 sticks of deodorant? no way.
it drove me crazy to see people buying PALLETS of items. really? is that necessary? idk. it's an obsession and that's about it for those people.
she did say that she donates a lot. i saw this on the today show or something - i was at the gym on the treadmill and reading the captions. 1400 rolls of TP seems like a lot. i forgot how many kids she has - i think 4?
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
Today at target the cashier called me a "coupon queen" - I don't think it was a compliment ;)
seriously, this show makes us look crazy! but, I do have to admit that target has an awesome deal on TP right now, which I could easily see doing numerous times. buy two 18 roll packs for $9.99 get back a $5.00 gift card. I have $8.00 in coupons plus you can roll the gift card - so, for $6.98 out of pocket, and then get another gift card back. awesome deal. (but, i think i'll draw the line at 1400...lol)
did you guys hear about that new show - forgot what channel - called "extreme couponing" (or something?) - so funny. the woman has something like 1400 rolls of TP stashed under beds in her house - BUT, she gets 95%of hr groceries for free. i think she said she's making $300 an hour back, basically, so by this logic, she considered it a job with an income. very cool.
ready for my soapbox?
I totally want to learn how to do this better when I have a house and room to have a stockpile.
BUT...
the hoarding bothers me. Some guy last time had enough deodorant for the next 83 years. He got most of it for free or got overage back. I'm not saying DON'T buy it if it is free, but box it up for the homeless shelter once you hit a one year supply, kwim?
Stepping off soapbox.
oh, jenn, ita.
when i was doing couponing like crazy (NJ is MUCH more coupon friendly then CO unfortunately), i bought what we could use, stockpiled non-perishable items like toilet paper, but kept amounts reasonable. then i donated the rest. 10 sticks of deodorant? sure! that would last me a year or 2. 100 sticks of deodorant? no way.
it drove me crazy to see people buying PALLETS of items. really? is that necessary? idk. it's an obsession and that's about it for those people.
Totally agree!! or when there is a money-maker on something, and I don't use it, i always give it away. I have given so much food and toiletries away this past year, it is crazy. Andrew is living with a couple guys and I have been able to help them out so much and I would never have been able to without using coupons.
