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Subscribe to RSSCall us recessionistas, frugalistas or just plain cheap: The weak economy has forced American shoppers to look hard for good deals.
But perhaps we are tiring of all the effort that goes into penny-pinching. Coupon use, which surged in 2009, appears to have flattened out, according to the coupon processing company Inmar.
Inmar tracks the use of traditional coupons clipped out of newspaper inserts or printed off the Internet and redeemed for consumer goods such as diapers and milk. The figures do not include hotel or restaurant coupons or discount vouchers of the type popularized by Groupon.
Use of coupons grew just 1 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared with a whopping 33 percent increase in the same quarter of 2009, according to the latest Inmar figures provided to Life Inc.
Coupon clipping faded during the early 2000s but enjoyed a huge resurgence in 2009. Americans redeemed 3.3 billion coupons for consumer goods that year, a 27 percent increase over the 2.6 billion redeemed in 2008.
That may partly have been because there were more coupons available. Inmar says 367 billion coupons were distributed in 2009, the most in at least 20 years.
This year, companies aren’t as coupon-happy, with the number of coupons available down 6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier.
When it comes to coupon use, consumers seem more interested in deals on bread and cheese rather than paper goods or sandwich bags. Coupon usage for food items grew 11 percent in the second quarter, while non-food items fell by 17 percent.
Thanks to MediaPost, which first reported the story.
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Coupon-clipping is a waste of everyone's time.
The cost in time and efffort is not offset by any great benefit.
Products should be properly priced to begin with. Coupons just make it clear that the items are normally overpriced. Same with "store cards" that offer discounts. More nonsense.
If you want to use tissues that make your nose red or smell like freesia or have cream in them - check it out your self without coupons. If you want to eat bologna that tastes like sawdust or chemicals - just buy the cheap stuff and forget the coupons.
Coupons are outdated - 1950's - advertising techniques put in place for housewives who had nothing else to do with their time, and who wanted their hubbies to know they were working hard at home for the family bottom line. Time to move on and get rid of the entire process.
That sounds about right for coupons and shopping in general. Just about all the coupons that come with the Sunday paper are for new items with some gimmick I don't need. Even with a coupon, regular ketchup is cheaper than the purple kind with a special tip to do "art" with.
I still use the coupon book! It is good to eat out half price.
http://www.couponseek.net/coupons/restaurant_coupons/restaurant_coupons.php
So...you're saying that the products should be properly priced. I agree, but obviously they're not and the system isn't going to change in this century or then next. I agree that you shouldn't purchase something you don't really want/need just because there's a coupon for it, but if there is something that I want that I can get for less money simply by handing over a small piece of paper, that would make sense. Having grown up on using coupons because my family was poor, I've never seen a "craze" of using them--they've always been a part of my life. A few years ago, I did an experiment: every time I saved money using a coupon, club card, etc., I put the money saved in an envelope & didn't touch it. I ended up with about $1,000 in cash. I guess Dorfy can't use an extra $1,000. And I don't understand why people talk about "all this time" used for cutting coupons---those inserts aren't "War and Peace." What a bunch of whiners.
This is bullsh*t. Coupon marketing is a great way to target a niche segment of the marketplace while offering an incentive to choose one brand over another and help unload stockpiled product collecting dust in warehouses. If the consumer isn't to be trusted to differentiate between using a coupon for something he does or doesn't need, then what can he be trusted to choose? All of the ranting in this posting has no basis in fact, and if it were nothing more than a useless waste of time to give housewives something to do, then why would corporations within America continue to rely on it for over fifty years, through good times and bad?
Coupons aren't going anywhere, and if you don't use them, you're just cheating yourself out of a good deal.
i think someone is jealous at all the money couponers save. I look at it like this. I an not stand to depend on the gov't for anything. I appreciate the fact that i do stcokpile for my family incase i or my husband can not work for whatever reason. We will always have enough supplies for at least a years worth of living. now imagine how much money i save the gov't by not wanting a handout. This country leaders and people alike, are so reactive and not proactive. Now If I coupon and live in an arear hardly ever affected by extreme weather, and another part of the country is, guess what I can do now with my stockpile??? I can take care packages to the people that are in need and help that way instead of just sitting at home and sending money which most likely won't get sent to the people in need. Guess what else I can do with my stockpile? I can donate items to shelters and victim centers becuase right now, just like evryone else they are hurting for funding. They are then allowed to keep their doors open and spend their money in much needed areas like counseling and job seeking and safe havens and not food and supplies...And by the way...I do use coupons on stuff I don't need especially if it will get me free stuff...If I can buy 20 boxes of dog food and I have no dog, and I have a coupon that will end up netting me .50 to spend on something else, guess what I just did? I am getting food for my local dog shelter, and I am able to spend more money in that grocery store...it's a win win win for everyone...me my community and the grocery store (by the way, grocery stores get paid face value plus 8-12 cents for each coupon!!!) So in essence I need every coupon I can get my hands on to spend on everything I think I can save on. I feel sorry for people who knock couponers just becuase you're too lazy to cut/print coupons, you're too proud to carry around your binder, to spend less on name brand items, and proudly helping out your community.
The comments are obviously from people who can't be bothered to save money. With regular coupon use, we average savings of 50% off our grocery bill every week. That combines store coupons and manufacturer's coupons as well as the doubling of coupons by the stores. In fact, I won't buy the Sunday paper if it doesn't have coupon sections which, along with the paper itself, are ALWAYS recycled.
No wonder people have so much debt and nothing to show for it!
i save a ton also......it is some work, but when you account for something on sale then add a coupon that sometimes is doubled. you can get a great deal on stuff.
i save a ton by buying coupons on frequently used items on ebay! Someone else clips them and for $2 I can save $15 depending upon what we are buying. Recently I bought 12 coupons for FREE laundry detergent for $18. come on, after four they are all FREE to me
Hmmm...haven't bought a paper in years...that's saved HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. Get my news online, buy sale items I LIKE~nothing I don't want, don't watch TV (don't own one). Sooooo~don't see any reason, in MY CASE, to buy a newspaper, clip coupons, buy a TV, pay higher power bill because of TV. I do get the circulars in the mail to find out what is on sale THAT I LIKE...no worries.
This is just MY CASE. If you need to clip 'em, clip'em. If you don't, then don't. No argument. End of discussion. Blondie
Loki0124 - you indicate that you are estimating your savings by what the store prints on your receipt.
Most, if not all, grocery stores offer loyalty cards, and then adjust the price of various and sundry items up, to create some instant "discounts" for cardholders.
That line item on your receipt isn't any real indication of savings, it's more like "people who don't let us track and monetize every item they buy pay X, but you only paid X-y!"
It's disingenuous of them at best, and dishonest at worst.
45% on an arbitrary price that the store has set. My girlfriend uses coupons and saves a ton of cash with just a little work. I am always amazed at the amount of things she gets and how little she spends.
Last week at the grocery, I used less than 10 coupons and saved $10.00. And they were things that I use and with the coupon, less expensive than the store brand. It is worth it. I don't do it all the time but when I can..its all good !!!
I do use coupons. Combined with store sales, I spent $63.72 on two weeks worth of groceries for my family of 3, and saved $168.12. That's nothing to sneer at. I bought chicken breast, produce, bread, no junk, all good healthy, food. I eat organic, mostly. Using coupons.
I think people just don't understand couponing and think it must mean you're poor, so they look down their nose at it. I had a coupon for nearly everything in my cart.
I am part of a group that trades coupons, so I clip even the ones I don't want and trade them with others for things that I do want and will spend money on. I don't think it's a waste of time. If someone handed you $168 every two weeks for a couple hours of your time, would you turn your nose up at it? I sure wouldn't! I will clip my coupons while I watch TV, or listen to music or chat with friends.
I create a list, meal plan and buy according to that list. I try to make it in conjunction with my supermarket's sales to deepen the savings.
My friends think I am silly, crazy, bored, do not have a life when I get excited to see the Sunday's paper and wait to clip out coupons. Okay, there are some stuff that I do not need and it does get ridiculous when there are an entire section of coupons I have to throw away because of it. But I do have to say, that I have seen my grocery bill decrease and it helps me to be consistent on which grocery stores to shop at where I can save a lot. There have been several times in which I was able to get stuff free without paying at all, so thank you manufacturers. I will continue to cut and save and then when I want to splurge on paying retail price I will, but for now, discounts for me!
Well, how did they come up with that, we are tried of penny pinching.
Let's look back before the recession........if Americans weren't cheap penny pinching junk buyers - WALMART would and could not exist. But then on the other hand if the rich weren't lining their pockets off of our sweat and were a little fair about wages then maybe we wouldn't have to shop at cheap chinese product carrying stores.
NY says minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in one of the highest cost and taxed states in the union $7.25. Who can live on that even while shopping at Walmart.
WANT US TO SPEND MONEY - give us some to spend!
I didn't say I wanted it for free......but a fair wage for a fair days work, not look I run the place and ya I screwed up and almost put us out of business but with my golden parachute and retirement plan it's only 230 million, barely enough to get by!
Remeber when the garbage collectors in NYC went on strike......people soon learned the value of these people. No matter how many CEOs there are without the workers, you aren't going to make anything or sell anything. Most peoples wages don't allow them to get medical coverage at the rpices charged even when a company helps pay. You wonder why they want health care universal for all america......it's people are the greatest part of the infrastructure, and ill and sick people can't contribute as well.
I'm lucky and have 6 grocery stores within 5 miles. With the use of coupons and only using them with the stuff that's on sale I have cut my grocery bill by over 50%! Yes, I am an anal accountant and have cut my shopping bill over 6K per year. Had a nice trip to Ireland with the savings. The wife says I nuts but she sure did like the vacation.
I hear you! I first learned to use them when my fiance and I got engaged. He's from UK and we wanted to travel there. In order to do that, we had to figure out where we could save a lot of $$. I started clipping coupons and combining them with the sales in the weekly ads and making meal plans. Now I would never go back to regular retail shopping. And we've been to the UK, twice. Using cash. :-)
ElCheapo - you saved $6,000.00 a year with coupons? That's about what family spends on food each for the year, about 115 a week, most times less, sometimes more. Yes we use coupons also, but don't buy what we wouldn't have or don't like to save a buck, but I'm sure if things get tighter, we will because eating something you don't like is better then not eating!
Thank you for writing an article that people can identify with. Also for not throwing an opinion any one way about the coupon data. I should be clipping more coupons!
I save money by NOT buying the items that are typically couponed.. like Cake mix, processed foods. Now if they couponed Milk, Eggs, flour I am right there... I can whip up a homemade dinner far cheaper (and way healthier) than the items that are often offered with coupons...
Yes, some people cant be bothered with saving money, like those too lazy to actually cook.
Um, I use coupons for eggs, milk and flour all the time. Milk is the only one I will buy without a coupon and that is only because we go through so much and just can't get enough coupons. I also use coupons for rice, pasta, sugar, tea, condiments, yogurt, cheese, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, spices, and even produce!
I teach Math so I am more than capable of figuring out the cost per unit and comparing. I even keep a short price list of my staples. A good sale combined with a coupon will beat a store brand every single time.
Yes I do use coupon's, and do save a lot. Why pay for a store brand or plain wrap when I can get a major manufacture product for less. Also when they give coupon's for new products it makes it worth it to try, I might even add that product to the stuff that I use on a regular basis. I use coupon's, rebates, and sale items to make my grocery expense go further and for less. When we go to the 'big city' that's four hours away, I really go on a grocery shopping bananaza. It even pays for the trip when I calculate the savings, plus I only go to the big city when I have a dr's appt so it kills two birds with one stone.
If you live alone, or there are only two people living in a household, it is very hard to try to use coupons that call for a purchase of two items to get cents off the third item. Who has the room to store all those items? If they go stale, what have you actually saved?
I don't buy items that will spoil, but I do have a storage cabinet for special deals. I stored enough TP to last a year, and detergent too. It's worth it when I can spend $12.00 for a years worth of laundry detergent. :-)
I don't average 50% off my grocery bill, but I definitely save money by using coupons, without having to buy stuff I don't want. If a coupon makes a name-brand product cost less than a generic one, I use it. Otherwise I just buy the generic. Last week I spent $200 at the grocery store and saved $30 with coupons.
Most of the coupons I see in the Sunday paper are either for $1.00 off 2 or 3, or they're coupons for processed (corn sugar ladden) garbage that I won't feed my family.
If the coupons being put out were for something worth buying, I'd be using them but I've not found a coupon worth cutting in the last month.
I'm lucky to have 5 grocery stores within 4 miles, so I look for the best deals from all these stores.I use coupons for items that I need and will buy store brand items if I can get items for less. I Have found that a lot of coupons I used in the past are no longer distributed because companies are mostly passing coupons for new items that are not neccessities. Also, most of the time I only will go to a restaurant if I have a coupon for buy one meal get one for free. I use internet coupon sites such as Coupons.com for additional savings.
It really gets on my nerves when people use the whole "I don't use coupons b/c it's all on that processed food crap and people who use them just aren't real cooks" excuse. I think it's an easy out..a cop out. Couponing has allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom of 3 children. Some may not see that as work, but if you put enough time and energy into it, and take time to learn the process, you begin to understand that even certain stores even allow overages or "money-makers." That's right, spending just a little time each day and gaining knowledge on how it's properly done, everyone could learn how to get milk, eggs, bread and other things that don't typically offer coupons for FREE! Common sense would only tell you that even if you have to put a few extra things in your buggy that you aren't going to eat to allow you to get the things that you ARE going to use and eat for free or nearly free, then why not put them in?! Starting last December, I was able to drop a $700 + grocery bill a month (with 3 in diapers) to no more than $300-$350. For a one income family, that is like earning $400 extra a month. Not only that, but I have since formed a non-profit organization called "Clipping for a Cause," which covers 8 states. We get coupons donated to our organization and clip and shop for items that are free or nearly free that are then taken to the local food banks. There are so many people in need right now and while couponing has become a way of life for us in our household, it has also allowed me to pay it forward to help others. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon!
Heather,
AMEN sister. Coupon clipping is like a second job...it just pays ways above minimum wage and you don't have to leave the house to go to work. $400 a month in savings can be applied towards other bills, put into savings, or used to pay down other debt. I love your commitment to couponing.
Unless the coupon is for a product that you normally would buy, then it is useless. Buying something just because it's on sale, is a bad idea.
It is interesting to note, that I've observed the people who complain about being broke does not clip coupons - while people like me and a few coworkers, who have a little extra money to spend, clip coupons b/c we know the value of a dollar.
Right on! I also notice that it's not usually junky or old cars taking advantage of our grocery chains fuel perks either...part of the reason I can afford to drive an F150 is I've NEVER paid full price for a tank of gas. I always have at least 60 cents off a gallon and the savings is good for up to 30 gallons so I always take 2 5 gallon containers and fill one up, and the other may only have 1 - 2 gallons but so what?
I shop using coupons all the time, both the ones in the newspaper and some that I print from various websites. When I find the ones that are for $1.00 or more off multiples of something I purchase them when they go on sale. Although there are only 2 of us living in my home, my daughter is away at college. All the extras that I know I cannot use, I package up and send to her. She then puts them in the dorm "kitchen" for anyone to use that might be running a bit short in cash that week. This is a good way to help out and does not add any additional burden to my own shopping bill.
In our area, I often find them for pasta, rice, canned veggies, sugar, popcorn, etc and these are the ones that I use the most of. Any that I know I am not going to use we then post at work for someone else to use and if they expire before being taken we then toss the paper back into the recycling bins.
If everyone were to think about it, there is probably someone that would love to use your coupons or could greatly benefit from the "extras" you are not going to use on those biscuits or lunch meat before they expire. Shop on sale, keep what you need and then donate the extra to a student, single parent, neighbor that has been laid off or ill, elderly person....the list is endless.
Where I work we bring our coupons in and place them in a basket in the break room for anyone who wishes to use them. I have also noticed them at the senior center in town.
I also bring in my extra fruit and veggies from my garden. We have too much sometimes, so I leave a note asking anyone at work to take what they like. The zucchinis are very popular for soups. I also deiver the big ones to the local halfway house for battered women. I hope some of you have little kitchen gardens for your family. Tomatoes, zucchini, kiwi, chives, mushrooms, strawberries, and peppers all grow really well in pots in sunny windows indoors too -
I learned long before the economic crash clipping coupons has real value. I can match ads and coupons in under an hour and shop for 2 weeks worth of goods in 2 hours, with an average savings of $150.00 each trip. I stockpile some goods and donate some free items to help other families. We live on a single income of 1500.00 a month for two adults and 2 children and receive NO government help, coupons are what allows this. Its all a matter of where you shop, what you buy and taking time to really decide what you need. I cook from scratch most items (no hamburger helper in this house) and eat fruit instead of junk. Not all coupons are for junk food which is a common mistake people make when not using them.
I don't go shopping without checking online for coupons first. I work, am a single mom, cook at home, don't buy sugar laden garbage, and I save plenty of money with coupons. When there's a certain product that I use for a reason (i.e. - a brand of hair color, a cosmetic, cat food product, etc.), I always check for coupons. I even get coupons off of eBay in multiples for products I use regularly, and then stock up on them while I have a hefty coupon. I have a set of shelves just for my "stock-up" bargains. I once donated a ton of bath soap to a halfway house, after having purchased all of it for less than a quarter per multi-bar bundle. I love the savings I get from coupons.
I am a single dad with three kids and I can say that couponing has not only cut my grocery bill by as much as 50%, it also allows me to buy higher quality items at or below the price of generic/store brand. The secret to couponing is to only buy the things you need or use, purchase new things when they provide a savings of 50% or greater, stay with store brands unless the name brand is can be couponed down to equal or less of cost, and purchase your staples in quantities that you will use before the product will expire. If you stick to these rules, your time to clip will be outweighed by how much you save. For example, I clipped and organized my grocery store trip in an hour and ten minutes. I walked out of the store with $94 in product for less than $36. I can deal with that.
Coupons are a must with an infant toddler! Especially our local Grocery store chain prints them on our receipts so they are specific to what I need and buy! I don't mess with coupons that have less than a 50 cent value though (honestly)...
I'm all for people not using coupons -- more for the rest of us and the values might go up!
also, when being a couponer remember to take rebates into consideration. I have found that many products offer after purchase rebates that you can claim even if you use coupons to make the purchase. I have purchased tissue paper, pens, razors, and cleaning items for 75% off regular price and then earned triple of the actual cost back in rebate. What I find awesome is when I can use coupons to make a purchase and actually make money on the sale by getting register rewards, etc.
Some here imply that if someone does not clip coupons they are fiscally irresponsible???? Do you know how much cost coupons add to the product pricing? 30% off something overpriced by 30% is no savings. It means you are being ripped off every time you buy something without a coupon.
I agree with a few posting here - I buy a lot of fresh items - not -pre-packaged with high fructose corn syrup, red dye and all kinds of "-ates" that make things fluffier, firmer, whiter, have a shelf life of 2 years, or heaven knows what. Foods like fresh veggies, meats and fruits are better for you, and cost less based on their food value. So I save there.
I am VERY responsible with my money. I have NO DEBT, we own two cars , a house, some other property and investments. In our house we save. Yes - old-fashioned as it seems. We save money and buy our cars cash. That saves $ thousands, not $385$/year cutting out squares of newspaper. We paid off our house early - that saved thousands. We own our cars at least 10 years, and don't replace appliances unless they break. We pay no credit card interest - and shopping is not a hobby.
I think people should insist on no more coupons, and more honest product pricing in general. It's sad that some think the price is a good deal if bought with a coupon. How you spend your money is your own business. But don't imply that I am careless with mine or "too lazy to clip coupons" until you know a lot more about me!
I used to think that clipping coupons was not worth the effort. I am a busy working mom with very little extra time. I read a book on coupon clipping, and I am now saving 90-110 dollars off of my typical grocery bill. It takes time and organizational skills. I don't buy processed foods, and you do have to work to buy things on sale and with a coupon to get the most bang for your buck. I stick up on items that are on sale and with a coupon and then don't buy them in the weeks that they are not on sale. Some of the savings just comes from being smart about when you buy, and not evne the coupons. Every few weeks, your store will have Chicken Breast on sale, buy several weeks worth and freeze it. You'll get it for half price or less that way. Honestly I was very skeptical, but after trying the system for a month, I really did save almost 400.00 and didn't change what I buy at all. If I don't typically use the item, I don't buy it. If someone wanted to hand you an extra 400.00 a month, would you turn them down?