Even though I'm an avid couponer, I don't always have time to plan my shopping trips to get the best deals and cut out my coupons (although I'll still have a grocery list). And sometimes, I'm just plain tired of dealing with coupons. However, my family still has a grocery budget that I need to meet. What can I do?
- Eat from your pantry - If you're an avid couponer, you probably have a stockpile of items on hand. Plan your meals around the items you already have, and you won't need to purchase much at the grocery store that week for meals.
- Only purchase items for use that week - Many of the items where I use a coupon are for my stockpile, because they are at rock-bottom prices with a sale and a coupon. If you're getting burned out on couponing, take a week (or a couple of weeks off from adding to your stockpile).
- Purchase store brand items - Without a coupon, store brand items are usually cheaper than the name brand items. Most of the time, the store brand items taste similar to the national brand...especially if it's an item that will be used in a recipe with other ingredients.
- Check your grocery store's sale flyer - You can take a cursory glance through your sale flyer to see if any staple items are on sale that you don't normally have coupons for anyway, like flour, sugar, eggs, meat, etc. You can still stock-up on those items if they are your target price without coupons.
- Use eCoupons - If you don't have time to mess with clipping coupons, you can always just load eCoupons onto your store loyalty card. There are several eCoupon programs - Cellfire, Shortcuts, P&G eSaver, and Upromise (click here for more information about Upromise and how to add the eCoupons). The disadvantage with the ecoupons is that they don't double, and you can only use them once (so if you have multiple identical items, you would only get a coupon for one of the items). But, they are easy to use.
- Use Printable Coupons - You're still using coupons, but you won't have to mess with organizing your coupons if you print out your coupons right before you head to the grocery store. Only print those coupons that you will use on that shopping trip, and you will save time on filing your coupons. Some printable coupon sources include: Coupons.com and Red Plum.
What about you? Do you always use coupons or are there times that you slack off a bit? How do you save money if you're not using coupons? For more frugal ideas, please visit Life as Mom.
Photo by zbyszek80
Jaime Jackson says
I SO needed to hear this tonight. Sometimes I do get burned out on couponing, but feel I will "miss" a great deal if I don't. The reality is, deals come and they go and sometimes its okay to let them GO! The likelihood is that the deal will always cycle around again.
Corrie @ "Cents"able Momma says
I'm glad it helped! The idea to write it was inspired by my own busyness now that the school year has started. This week I only spent about $20 on groceries, but I didn't use a single coupon :-).
Diann @ The Thrifty Groove says
Good tips. I do major couon shopping as well but, sometimes you just need a break or other things get in the way. But, we still have budgets to meet!
.-= Diann @ The Thrifty Groove´s last blog ..Fun Easy Halloween treats for your kids =-.
Jennifer says
Very good tips! I also have my cheap store. The store around me that has the cheapest every day prices. When I don't have time, or don't feel like messing with matching up coupons to sales, I go there.
Corrie @ "Cents"able Momma says
Great tip! I think Aldi doesn't even accept coupons, so they would be a great place to shop for the essentials. Thanks for sharing :-).
Aubrey says
The two extra links about Upromise don't work (at least on my computer). They are in the sentence, "(click here for more information about Upromise and how to add the eCoupons)." Could you please update these? I'm interested in getting more info about that. Thanks!
Corrie @ "Cents"able Momma says
Sorry about that...I think I have them fixed now, if you want to try them again.
Jes says
Oh, these are such good ideas! I've really struggled with some of these so it was a really good time to read this post! Thanks! 😉
Elizabeth says
Corrie, this is a great post! As a mom, sometimes I just don't have time to deal with coupons and I love the helpful tips. I especially like the one about e-coupons. I haven't tried that yet ... it's still on my "to do" list!
I love your blog and enjoy following along!
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..Printable $1/1 Coupon For Coffee-Mate =-.
Pam says
I don't generally use coupons as they can be really time consuming. Instead, I shop at the least expensive grocery stores and buy what's on sale. I make meals according to whatever ingredients I can find at a good price.