[Kimmergal]

Ok - I've been doing this 6 months. I finally have the coupons to do Sleepy's scenarios. But I also don't get alot of the stuff cause I will never use it and I have enough goofy stuff hanging around this house as it is. I only coupon for Walgreens and Target. CVS never has the stuff when I've gone in for the deals. So from Friday to early Sunday morning I'm checking and researching everyone's ideas. All week I make notes on threads and ideas people post. I clip the coupons I'm going to use. And then I make my own scenarios. And I try to finish all my shopping Sunday hitting as many Wags as I can. But if it's a good week and it's stuff I use I am out until every last coupon for it is used up. I bet I am "couponing" 4 hours a day or MORE! LOL That's just crazy! But I get such a rush saving money and getting free items. What's worse is that it's just me and my husband! Why do I need 923947538 cans of Spam or cereal? HA! Food shelves love me tho. How much time do you spend couponing?

[Susuz]

It varies according to the deals, which coupons I have and my health!
Sometimes I take a break, and sometimes I go every other day or so. This week I spent 4 hours total so far, and plan another trip tomorrow. I am like you though, if I can get it for free someone can use it, family, charity, food bank, my DD's school. AND you can get addicted to the rush, but for me I am still able to control it!

[standage]

I spend between 20 and 30 or more hours per week currently. I have to cut that down because I'm beginning to get burned out. Mostly this month at WAGS with such great deals it has been hard. I spend a lot of time separating papers, cutting coupons and researching ads - it really has become an obsession! I will be glad to slow down a little next week at wags for sure.

I hear you on the you and your husband. It is just my husband and I and a 10yr old girl. We really dont eat that much! And I am getting ready to get another freezer for home! But I do have 1/2 a beef coming. So I need it to save money on beef for the years to come. Hopefully!

[Time4mom2]

Way more than I care to admit ~ Good thing I don't work outside the home

However, I don't really have a medium or large stockpile, cause I don't have the room for one.
I LOVE the rush too, so I just give some of it away to my elderly neighbor, mom & dad, kid's friends & donate it!

[Kristallovesmomof5]

Ok after doing this more than a year I have learned to cheat. I buy or trad most of my q's and surf afc while I get my evening shows in with the family. I only go to town once or twice a month as we live an hour from town. When I do go to town and do shopping it at least an 8 hour day. 15 min a week filing. I have a huge binder. I love afc and they help me save time.

[kobbermannfarms]

I think I spend between 6-10 hours a week or more depending on the sales and what I need or am looking for. This week i would say probably 25-30 hrs because i found a lot of clearance things i was looking for, i was interested in a lot at wags, etc. I normally get about 10-12 papers and my 4 year old and I sort them and clip. 'i also spend lots of time working on my trains, as i am on several and like to do lots of raoks with the qs i don't need.

[Kristallovesmomof5]

Oh on another note there is 7 of us and I Stockpile as much as I can for fear it wont be onsale agian before I will run out. Can you imagin how much liquid landry soap I have to stock to have a years worth. LOL injoy all and great thread OP

[Iheartafc]

It's my third week into couponing and within the past 4 days I have spent a total of 8 hours between 2 Wags. We have 4 Walgreens in my area. 2 are amazing, but the other 2 are terrible. I try and figure out the scenarios before I go in, but I don't have majority of the coupons for the scenarios listed by Sleepy. When I finally figure out the transaction with the lowest OOP, then I try and duplicate it. I am grateful the cashiers are friendly. Though, after my experience with the Theraflu and Zantac savings, I am getting addicted. I think the only reason I am able to control it now is because I have no more coupons. (LOL)!

[tripletsnthree6]

This all depends on what deals are happening where and when. I have had days of 8-10 hours shopping. I have also gone 2 weeks without going to the store so it really has to do with what's happening where and if I'm up for the run.

[kobbermannfarms]

Originally Posted by Kristallovesmomof5

Oh on another note there is 7 of us and I Stockpile as much as I can for fear it wont be onsale agian before I will run out. Can you imagin how much liquid landry soap I have to stock to have a years worth. LOL injoy all and great thread OP

I don't have to imagine.... i can just open my furnace room and see the 50 bottles i have in there Now where to put all the snuggle ive been getting for FREE?????

[Alexdur85]

I probably do a couple hours a day if that includes surfing AFC. However, most of it I can do at work anyway since I really have to wait for people to call me.

I've probably spent 2 hours this past week at the store though. I know what I want, I get in and I get out. Tonight I'm going to stop by Walmart to check some items to see if they are the price I've seen on here.

[Susuz]

Originally Posted by kobbermannfarms

I don't have to imagine.... i can just open my furnace room and see the 50 bottles i have in there Now where to put all the snuggle ive been getting for FREE?????

What's under the bed? or lined up in the bottom of my closet, or in my garage, or in the mudroom.....

[mindycat76]

Wow!! I only actively coupon about 1-2 hours a week on the weekend. If you count the time surfing AFC for deals, then that adds another 2-3 hours a week. My excuse is that I work full time and honestly can't devote as much time to it as you all. And, lately since I've been pregnant, I've just lived off my stockpile a couple of weeks and not gone shopping at all. I haven't done a full blown Winn Dixie run in three weeks.

Well, my hat's off to all of you. keep up the good work and thanks for keeping such a wonderful site wonderful!

[janetlr1974]

I don't want to admit how many hrs, clipping, organizing, checking the database. Sometimes my brain is on overload. Last weekend I spent all day Sunday on AFC and another site and I have to admit that before bed. I had a headache and was nauseated. LOL. WAy too much to take in. My son has ADHD and sometimes I think I've inherited it also. LOL.

[redwor]

I work full time and take two classes, so my couponing time is whenever I can fit it into my schedule. I mostly shop at CVS on my lunch break. Saturdays I get the Sunday paper and Sundays I head out to CVS to get the deals. Every morning when I get up I check AFC and at night I check it again. My coupons are a mess. DH says I have to get the dining room cleared off (coupons and stockpile) before Thanksgiving.

[Chesney]

Originally Posted by Susuz

It varies according to the deals, which coupons I have and my health!
Sometimes I take a break, and sometimes I go every other day or so. This week I spent 4 hours total so far, and plan another trip tomorrow. I am like you though, if I can get it for free someone can use it, family, charity, food bank, my DD's school. AND you can get addicted to the rush, but for me I am still able to control it!

[couponmama62]

I spend probably more than I care to admit Now if we're talking about AFC too. OMG I live on here!!
Usually no more than a day clipping and separating into groups and filing.While I'm doing my housework and everything else. I usually get 10 papers a week, stockpiling for a family of 4. If it's a really good week with papers I buy extra or go online and order what I need extra of.
As far as shopping, depends what's on sale and how much of it I need or just want. I usually go to wag's 4 maybe 5 times a week. Grocery store one trip to each one, they don't limit me to how much I can get at one time. Bloom during triples, they limit me to 4 of their BOGO's so I have to make multiple trips there. I try to take my binder out once a month to a lot of different stores, to check for clearance or markdowns I can get free or cheap. If it's free (anything) then I get it ...I'm big on FREE!!

[freegroceries4me]

I am on AFC 1 to 2 hours per night. I clip coupons for about an hour Sunday night - keep the ones I will use and send the rest to my SIL. I go to CVS on Saturday night (takes me about 30 minutes to do my transactions and get out). I go to WAGS on Sunday. That could be 30 minutes if there aren't that many deals or it could mean 4 WAGS and 4 hours including drive time. I go to Tom Thumb or Kroger on Saturday morning for a fifteen minute trip and I might hit Target, WAGS, Tom Thumb or Kroger again mid week for a fifteen minute trip. I am VERY good about doing my deal and getting out of the store without buying anything extra. I don't find as many deals that way, but I still find some on items near the ones I am doing deals on. I really think that one of the downfalls of couponing is that the more time you are in the store, the more likely you are to impulse buy. If I could get better at finding good fillers at WAGS, I could cut a typical WAGS trip down, too.

I started doing this to save money, but now it is more of a hobby or a game. How much can I get for free or super cheap? I bought 8 Zantac last week with RRs and we don't really get heartburn that much! I made money on all of them to use toward other items I do use and I have given two of them away to others who give me their coupons. I have found that the savings really kick in when you are getting multiple inserts - but I don't want to buy a bunch of papers. That cuts into my savings and I feel wasteful throwing the rest of the paper in the recycle so I give away items out of my stockpile to get inserts from family. Everyone likes to hear about the free deals, but they don't want to do them. I don't blame them- look how much time it takes!

[rachellynn]

I surf AFC way too much. I don't think that counts as couponing . It's just enjoyment. But I do spend maybe 2-3 hours a week clipping, filing, trading etc. Then whatever shopping I do. But I would do that anyways, now I'm just saving money doing it.

[miralys]

I have been couponing since January, and hardcore since April. I visit three stores, Publix, Walgreens and CVS. I used to do "clearance matching" at other stores, but found that to be non-productive. I guess I spend maybe two to three hours on an average week. I focus on things I know my family needs and any free or money makers the shelter can use. Every few months I declare a moratorium on the deals, eating from the pantry and just clipping and filing my coupons. It helps my sanity and clears space for more deals

[LACECOUPONS]

depends upon the sales,this week way to much time with kroger mega sale,cvs and wags

[TJ_2008]

If you ask hubby... waaaaaaaaay too much (though he enjoys our savings )

[Henna]

I've gotten more selective about what I go for since I have a decent stockpile now. I spend maybe a couple hours on Sunday and a few minutes printing and organizing most weekdays, and shop maybe 3-4 times per week. To some people it's nothing and to some it's way too much. LOL.

[kobbermannfarms]

I big thing that newbies need to understand about couponing is that you are going to get out of it what you put in.

If you spend a lot of time researching, clipping and going the extra mile to hit all the stores and do multiple transactions, you are going to find the most deals and save the most.

If you spend minimal time, you are NOT going to have the success that some do, you may seem like you are not saving enough to make it worth it, and will probably quit.

If you want or need to save that money spend the time and dedicate yourself. You will learn a lot and save a ton!!!!

[Moggy]

I have never kept track. I have to squeeze my trips in between my work day, sometimes I run out at lunch. Sometimes I stop on the way in, in the morning. Sometimes I stop after work. Sometimes I do all three! Filing is a never ending job for me, sometimes I will sit for 2-3 hours working on it and some weeks I just let it pile up. In other words, I have absolutley no clue.