Many people see me in line with my large stack of coupons and ask if they really save me money. The answer is definitely "YES" because I save about 25% on my grocery bill when I shop with coupons. But if the question is "Would coupons save me some money?" then the answer is "it depends."
You can save money on groceries in several ways by using coupons:
1. Always use a coupon if it is for an item that you are going to buy anyway. This seems rather simple, but many people forget their coupons, are embarrassed about using them, think that they are a waste of time, or aren't quite sure how to go about it.
2. Use a coupon for an item you want to try out, but you aren't sure you would buy at regular price. This is easy to do when a new item appears on the shelf or in tv commercials. Pick up a Sunday paper and there will likely be a coupon for you to use. Companies love to get you hooked on their new products, so they will let you try it out at a reduced price.
3. Do not use a coupon on an item you would not normally buy just because you have a coupon. This is the one thing people have a hard time remembering. Yes, you might save on your grocery bill if you use a $1 off coupon on that $5 jar of pasta sauce. But if you would never buy that sauce and your family likes the $2 jar of sauce just as well, then you are not saving money. You just spent $4 to get a jar of sauce when you could have only spent $2. Fight the urge to "save money" just for the thrill of using the coupon.
4.Shop the sales. You will save even more on your grocery bill if you use your coupons along with the sales. Many time the coupons that appear in the Sunday paper will be on sale the same week or the following week.
5. Compare coupon savings at stores. Some stores will double or triple coupons every day up to a certain amount. These store also tend to run a special double or triple coupon offer a few times a year, so keep an eye on the sales flyers. Use your 99-cent coupons to stock up on cleaning supplies when the store is running a special event and doubling all coupons up to 99-cents. You can often get items for free or just pennies during these promotions.
6. Get as many coupons as you can. Coupons are easy to come by. Ask family, neighbors, etc. that do not use them to save you the circulars out of the paper. Check your apartment complex recycling bin. Order them online from a site like Coupon Clippers. I use that site frequently and I really save on my grocery bill.
7. Keep the coupons organized. Use whatever system you like. I use a small bill folder I got at my local office supply store. I go through it every two weeks and throw out expired coupons, make a note to use near-expiration coupons if I need the item and make sure that I have coupons out that match my grocery list.
Now, if you rarely buy name brands, don't get the Sunday paper, and really don't like to keep the coupons organized, etc., then you are not likely to save on your grocery bill with coupons. But almost everyone can save a little here or there. And every little bit of grocery savings helps...