Is Couponing Really Worth It?

Almost a year ago now, I began my journey into the coupon world. My theory was we buy almost everything from Sam's Club and make almost everything from scratch, how could we reduce our food budget more than that? I felt the coupons were "never for the items we used" and "always for over-processed junk no one should eat." Plus, since Sam's doesn't take coupons, what was the point in that anyway?

Well, when I actually gave couponing a chance, I realized that there were items that were way less than what we had been paying for them and that some were free and others I was actually paid to buy. That's when I started to get hooked. (Couponing can become quite addictive, just be aware of that.)

Now, when I shop, I get deodorant and other items for free and I get paid to buy noodles and other food. Yes, it does take time. It's not something you can do in 5 minutes and save $1000's. My time spent varies greatly from week to week. Some weeks all I do is buy a newspaper and I don't even get the coupons clipped until the next week. Other weeks, I spend 3 nights cleaning out my binder, organizing, searching the internet, and clipping new coupons. Think of it like a volunteer job. It's wonderful when you can do it, but if you can't, you can't. I miss freebies and other opportunities, but I would not have known about them anyway, so it's ok. When you have the time to do it, fantastic! Take advantage of it and go full out.

Just to give you an idea of what you're in for...
shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, shaving cream - under $1 if not free
deodorant, toothbrushes - free
noodles - $0.15 to -$0.30 (yes, they pay you $0.30/box)
rice - $0.50/lb
olive oil - $0.12/oz
milk - $2-$3/gal for regular whole milk most weeks, if you use your savings to buy it it's free (soy, almond, and specialty milk is usually MUCH cheaper, if you drink it.)

Yes, there are coupons for meat, produce, fresh bread, milk, yeast, spices, and other items everyone uses too.

So is it worth it? Yes. Since our income is drastically reduced and I'm not working a full-time job, it's definitely worth it. You know how grocery stores print your "savings" at the bottom of your receipt? My goal is to have that number always higher than the amount I spent. It's usually at least 30% higher.