Coupons

I do clip coupons and I use them, but in the grand scheme of things, I really don’t use them that much.  I use store coupons in the their ads all the time but when it comes to the regular coupons in the Sunday circular I am pretty selective about which ones I clip.  I am no “extreme coupon-er” by any means. 

The coupons I use the most are for non-food items I normally buy.  Shampoo, deodorant, cat food and cat litter, dish soap, body wash, etc.  That is where I find the most savings with coupons. 

When it comes to food I probably use less than six in any given month and quite often I don’t use any.  I make so many things from scratch and find a lot of store brand items that work quite nicely and save me a ton over national brands even with a coupon.  

Since I started canning again I have cut down considerably on the canned fruit purchases.  Same with jam, jelly and syrup.  I no longer buy yogurt either, because I make my own and it is soooo much better than store bought! 

I love to pair coupons with sales items and markdowns.  That is where I get the greatest savings in using coupons. 

In reality I probably only use half the coupons I actually clip.   I leave the a lot of them in the store next to an item for someone else to use.  I love doing that and I love when someone else does it and I can use the coupon.  What remains, ends up in the recycle bin. 

The three online coupon resources I go to are Smart Source, Coupons.com and Red Plum. 

Do you use a lot of coupons?  What are some of the tricks you use to save money with coupons?

You might also enjoy revisiting 10 Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill.