[Seirith]

I don't know if I am the only one who feels this way but it seems to me like coupons have been getting worse over the years and that now there are less coupons for things DH and I actually use! I actually find myself doing most of my shopping without coupons.

I look at the pictures of people stockpiles and see all sorts of things they may have gotten free/cheap and see things we don't need or use and its frustrating.

We don't drink coffee so no need for creamer
no kids so no need for diapers, wipes etc
We don't drink soda in the house, only fizzy water which there is no coupons for or off brand zero calorie drink
I don't wear make up
get my toilet paper and paper towels free from using Staples Rewards
Rarely eat noodle bowls that I always see coupons for.


Or I see things like 20 bottles of mustard/catchup etc which we might use one bottle every 6 months.

Then when there is a coupon for something we do use a lot it is like .50/5! for a 2.00 each item!

Does anyone feel this way or is it just me?

[momabrown3]

I can't shop without using at least 20-50 coupons.I drink coffee,have 3 teens,no baby's.Lord I need all the coupons I can get.

[Seirith]

I wish I could shop with 20-50 coupons!!

[roygbiv]

I have learned to try brands that have coupons - sometimes I find something that works just as well.

--- Sent from my iPhone

[Lovage2]

I definitely feel this way. Lately it seems that most of what I want I can get cheaper in the store brands than I can with the name brands and coupons. Lucky for me I have a Wegmans and the store brand tastes as good (or sometimes better) than the name brand items.
We also try to incorporate as many organic products into our diet as we can afford and sadly there are rarely coupons for organic products that aren't snack foods or specialty items. 2 years ago I could regularly find coupons for organic eggs and dairy products not to mention all the Muir Glen deals. Now I'm lucky if I find even a $.50 off 2 type coupon.

I also think that my neighbor hit the nail on the head with her view of some of the stockpiles out there. "If you have more of something than you can reasonably use before it expires it's not a stockpile, it's a hoarding issue."

I just wish I could find coupons for items we use regularly. It would be a huge help if I could get the kinds of deals now that I was finding a couple of years ago.

[waterburyk9]

I feel your pain, I am lucky enough that some of the people I work with bring in their sunday inserts, if i bought them all I believe that I would be mad that i wasted the money on the papers.

I have found that everyone now wants to to like them on facebook for coupons as well- I don't do facebook so I miss out on those items.

[Seirith]

I am glad there are others out there that feel my pain!

I do have Facebook but I hate having to like something just to get a coupon because then my wall fills up with spam from companies and I miss the things my friends and family post!

I do actually buy a lot of store brands and shop at Aldi's and Wegmans a lot.

[time_is_on_my_bad_side]

Originally Posted by Seirith

I am glad there are others out there that feel my pain!

I do have Facebook but I hate having to like something just to get a coupon because then my wall fills up with spam from companies and I miss the things my friends and family post!

Just unlike them right after you print!

[judeshoney]

I found for things that I use a lot of, emailing the company to ask for coupons helps. Over the course of a week, I wrote to 50 companies - all of which we use regularly (at least once a month or more). Out of the 50 companies, 22 of them sent coupons.

Sometimes I complimented the product, sometimes I just out and out asked for coupons. Each email just took a couple minutes of my time and I got some coupons that I wouldn't have received otherwise.

Plus, the home mailers typically have longer expiration dates and are better values. I wrote Contadina in March and the coupons they sent are .50/1 and don't expire until December. Gwaltney sent me a coupons for $2/1 bacon. Kroger had a sale on the bacon for $2.50/package. So .50 for a package of bacon - score!!!

Here's a list of the companies that sent coupons and what they sent:


Ball Park $1/1
Boston Market Frozen Dinners 2-$1/1
Bush's Grillin' Beans 2-$0.30/1
Contadina 4-$0.50/1
Crisco 2-$0.55/1
Driscoll's berries 2-$1/1
Eckrich 2-$0.55/1
Florida's Natural 2-$0.50/1
Fresh Express 2-$0.55/1
Gwaltney bacon 2-$2/1
Hungry Jack 2-$0.55/1
Jif 2-$0.35/1
King's Hawaiian 1-FREE and 1-$0/40/1
Kotex $1/1 and $1.50/1
Martin's 3-$0.55/1
McCormick 2-$0.75/1, any and 1-$0.75/1 Dry Seasoning mix
Mt. Olive $1/1
Ocean Spray 1-FREE cranberry sauce
On-Cor 1-$1.00/1
Ore-Ida 2-$0.75/1
Unilever (I actually wrote asking for Popsicle coupons and they said no, but sent two sets of these instead)

• $0.60/1 ICBINB,
• $1/2 Breyer's Ice Cream
• $1/2 Lipton Tea Bags, Honey To Go, Pitcher Sticks or Iced Tea Mix
• $1/2 Hellman's
• $1/2 Tresemme
• $1/2 Ragu
• $1/1 Axe Shower Gel or Detailer
• $1/1 Degree deodorant
• $1/1 Dove beauty bar or body wash
• $0.50/2 Q-Tips
• $0.50/1 Suave hair care
• $1/1 Vaseline Intensive Care lotion

Tai-pei meals 2-$1/1
Texas Pete

• 2-$0.40/1 Hot Sauce
• 2-$0.40/1 Buffalo Wing sauce
• 2-$0.40/1 Honey Mustard
• 1-$0.50/1 Green Mountain Gringo Salsa

Except for the extra Unilever and Texas Pete coupons, I've been using all the coupons I receive when the items go on sale (earlier if I'm really out of a product). It only took a little more than an hour of my time and I just waited for the coupons to roll in.

Try it! You may find more companies send coupons than you think!!!

[BBT.Girls]

Originally Posted by Seirith

I am glad there are others out there that feel my pain!

I do have Facebook but I hate having to like something just to get a coupon because then my wall fills up with spam from companies and I miss the things my friends and family post!

I do actually buy a lot of store brands and shop at Aldi's and Wegmans a lot.

I set up a Facebook account with my coupon email address. That way, all coupon related posts go there. Its much easier to find things!

I do feel your frustration. Mainly, it's just my husband and I and we try to buy just what we can use within 3 months. I buy toiletry items for my daughter and her two young girls, since I have more disposable income and can buy when things are on sale for them.

I also look for deals that I can donate to the local women's shelter and our city's food bank. Another agency is always in desperate need of diapers. Our commitment is to donate one huge box to them each month.

When we first started using coupons last summer, we went crazy. C R A Z Y !! Who needs 60 boxes of Planters Nut-rition bars? It WAS a good deal, but really, 60 boxes? We still have several boxes left, tho expired. But DH eats anything :-)

[siriradha]

There's an awful lot of stuff we just don't buy anymore, but I find fantastic deals about once a week on something that we should stockpile. The latest for our house was Oscar Mayer lunchmeat and Progresso soup.

Sometimes I think it's just too bad I can't barter toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo for food!

[IndyJuJu]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I used to have one of those huge stockpiles until illness forced me to start doing research on what goes into our food and what organic really is. I gave away around 80% of our food stockpile because there was NO WAY I wanted that stuff in my house or in our bodies.

It makes couponing harder, but not impossible. I still do buy some of the things that if it were just me, would never be purchased but DH and the kids do still eat some things that I don't approve of because of what I discovered in my research. They just have to listen to me preach to get it. The changes that I've made just in utilizing our land and ability to keep animals has made a big difference in both the grocery bill and our health. I no longer get sick from eating chicken & corn when we grow it ourselves and can control it (we grow non-GMO and non-Bt corn). Our lifestyle isn't for everyone by any means. Unfortunately we have become a country that has disconnected itself from where our food actually comes from and what's in it when it's made. It's just the way things are now days but my family and extended family now do it a bit different and it works. Couponing is a companion to what we do instead of ruling what we eat and use.

Someone mentioned contacting companies and asking them for coupons which is the best way I know of to get coupons for products that you will actually use. Most companies will send them to you at least once a year or every 6 months if you ask. I always compliment them, sing their praises and let them know we will buy with or without the coupon but in today's world, it's nice to get a break every now and then. They usually respond quite quickly with whether or not they are sending you anything.

The contact info for some TRUE organic companies that will send you coupons if you ask for them is on my wishlist page so feel free to use those links for yourself too! Those are just a few of my favorites that are still "mom and pop" companies that have been rated highly by a few grassroots organic/food watch dog organizations so they really want your business. They are true organic companies in every sense of the word and what organic should be.

For the companies that you use most often, just shoot them an email or call them to ask. The worst thing that will happen is they will say no but most of them won't and you'll start getting a break on the things you buy anyway. Something is better than nothing!

It can be so frustrating, but it's not impossible! Keep at it and you'll discover what works and what doesn't pretty quick and the frustration will fade over time.

[aprilchem]

I totally understand as well - I've started all from-scratch cooking for my family, which means I bake all my own bread products, make my own pasta, sauces, jams, peanut butter, and just about everything else you can think of. We don't use boxed or jarred foods anymore, don't drink anything but milk or water, get all our meat from farmers, and 90% of what's in my fridge at any given time is fruit/veggies from local farms. So not many coupons to be used, but it's cheaper in the long-run, I think.