Kitchen

[Susan Louise]

On 9/20/2014 Sharke said:

On 9/20/2014 Susan Louise said:

Coupons, coupons, coupons...

I save on average between 30-75% on most items other than meats and produce. I also coupon at a level where last year DH and I donated about $12,000...just from couponing, and a total of $15,000 when we include all the other charities we donate to...

When it comes to couponing, either one is motivated or not. Being in the mid-west, I know many couponers who live 25+ miles from stores...living on farms and ranches. They plan their trips to the stores with coupons in hand. Nowadays there are coupons for nearly everything.

There are times I have been to the stores, standing in line at the checkout and folks just roll their eyes at me. I don't care!

There are also times I try and give coupons generously to folks in front of me checking out so they can save a few dollars on a product they have that I just happen to have a coupon for. What is strange is the ignorance about coupons.

Ignorance you say? Yes...

One lady I tried to hand a coupon to so she could save $2 on her bottle Tide detergent flat out refused the coupon saying 'I don't need that stupid thing!"...looking at me as if I was the scum of the earth...

So, I thought (my 'inside voice of coarse)...well, fine then! You go right ahead and WASTE $2 of YOUR money!

AND...add the fact that of coarse, I got no "thank you anyway"...

Some folks just make my head hurt...

probably on Food Stamps had somebody else paying her bills anyway. LOL I see it all the time. People on hand outs think they should be the first in the queue when waiting on prescriptions, etc. Like they're royalty. Just way your raised. You don't know any better.

Nope...don't think so. She was carrying a Coach handbag. She definitely came from the 'rich' side of town...just as ignorant and ungrateful though.

[sunshine45]

On 9/20/2014 NYC Susan said:

Am I the only one who doesn't think costs have gone up since June?

I shop at several different stores, and I would say prices have stayed the same, if not lower in some cases. I certainly haven't noticed an increase at all, and I definitely would because I am obsessive about comparing prices, checking receipts, etc.

i think they have pretty much stayed the same since then......actually at least since the beginning of the year. i have not noticed any major changes.

[doglover3]

forrestwolf, sorry you have been ill and am very glad to see you back. I look forward to your recipes. Yes, food has gone up a lot lately I think but what hasn't, terrible prices for so much stuff anymore.

I hope you are feeling better.

[Mominohio]

On 9/20/2014 Susan Louise said:

Coupons, coupons, coupons...

I save on average between 30-75% on most items other than meats and produce. I also coupon at a level where last year DH and I donated about $12,000...just from couponing, and a total of $15,000 when we include all the other charities we donate to...

When it comes to couponing, either one is motivated or not. Being in the mid-west, I know many couponers who live 25+ miles from stores...living on farms and ranches. They plan their trips to the stores with coupons in hand. Nowadays there are coupons for nearly everything.

There are times I have been to the stores, standing in line at the checkout and folks just roll their eyes at me. I don't care!

There are also times I try and give coupons generously to folks in front of me checking out so they can save a few dollars on a product they have that I just happen to have a coupon for. What is strange is the ignorance about coupons.

Ignorance you say? Yes...

One lady I tried to hand a coupon to so she could save $2 on her bottle Tide detergent flat out refused the coupon saying 'I don't need that stupid thing!"...looking at me as if I was the scum of the earth...

So, I thought (my 'inside voice of coarse)...well, fine then! You go right ahead and WASTE $2 of YOUR money!

AND...add the fact that of coarse, I got no "thank you anyway"...

Some folks just make my head hurt...

I do some couponing, but there really aren't coupons out there for the things I want. Most are for processed foods or things we never use. I do download the coupons onto my various "cards" from the different grocery stores, but even then, it is rare that the savings is anywhere close to what the product can be bought for when offered as a loss leader once or twice a year. We get ads that have coupons once a week, but usually there are only two or three products that we would buy, so I clip those. And I remember the day (decades ago) when coupons had a pretty long life. Most I run across now expire in a matter of weeks, and I like to use a coupon in conjunction with a sale, and often they don't overlap. Using the coupon alone (when the item is not on sale) rarely nets me the same price as the sale alone will later.

Don't know if anyone still prints coupons from online sources, but by the time you pay for paper and ink, you aren't saving. No stores around here double coupons anymore, and some have limits as to how many of the same coupon you can use. Most people I know in this area say that what you see on the extreme coupon shows just can't be done here, stores have implemented policies that prevent it from happening.

We decided to spend time gardening rather than chase coupons, and then we are getting fresh food that we can can or freeze, rather than as many pre packaged foods full of unhealthy preservatives.

Can you share some of the more successful ways you obtain coupons, especially how to look for those things that you actually will use?

[Madisson]

Hope you are feeling better, Forrestwolf! I was wondering why we hadn't seen any of your posts in awhile.

It must have felt good to finally be able to get out, take a drive, and do some shopping. $900 to restock the house is a lot of $$...more than I would spend to restock the house. You probably stocked up on meat also, which has gone way up. We are semi-vegetarians, except for an occasional BBQ when we have guests over. However, it is not inexpensive to be a vegetarian either.

Stay well.

[chips]

I missed you Forrestwolf. I know you have some serious health issues, emotional issues with your dad, and have been "gone" for some time now. Good to see you. You must have been in rehab for a time. The prices of food is unreal and I have to travel 20 miles to Walmart for pantry items. We buy eggs from a farmer and are trying to garden, but our summers and sun time in the woods in Michigan make this difficult. We did well with a trial of a little greenhouse. The lettuce and tomatoes did well in there. Our local grocery store, still 15 miles away, is very expensive and I shop their sales. We buy a 1/4 cow, chickens from a farmer and freeze. My freezer is stocked with summer produce and fruits for smoothies. My pantry is stocked. Fresh produce is what I shop for weekly. The price of hamburger is $3.99 a pound her and gas is 3.36. Whew! I will never get to retire.

[151949]

for 2 of us - and my DH is a BIG eater, plus I buy a lot of low fat and sugar free foods, which are expensive - I average between 100 and 150 a week. A big chunk of that expense is meats since i tey to buy the leanest cuts so I am serving filet of beef and pork, or buying the 90% lean ground meat.

[Free2be]

Stocking up from scratch would be costly no matter for one or more. What I won't do again is have any food on auto delivery. I was giving it away and still couldn't use it all. My kids loved it. Besides, it just isn't as good as I can buy locally or make myself.

I especially enjoy the ease of cooking or baking most anything with the variety of options on-hand. Love having a full freezer and pantry.

I'm guessing that anyone who was raised by a parent who lived through the Great Depression tends to keep a well-stocked larder. My mom had also worked in restaurants plus came from a very large family herself so I grew up having large barrels of flour and sugar on hand. Buying case goods came naturally. I miss those barrels!

[SharkE]

On 9/20/2014 Susan Louise said:

On 9/20/2014 Sharke said:

On 9/20/2014 Susan Louise said:

Coupons, coupons, coupons...

I save on average between 30-75% on most items other than meats and produce. I also coupon at a level where last year DH and I donated about $12,000...just from couponing, and a total of $15,000 when we include all the other charities we donate to...

When it comes to couponing, either one is motivated or not. Being in the mid-west, I know many couponers who live 25+ miles from stores...living on farms and ranches. They plan their trips to the stores with coupons in hand. Nowadays there are coupons for nearly everything.

There are times I have been to the stores, standing in line at the checkout and folks just roll their eyes at me. I don't care!

There are also times I try and give coupons generously to folks in front of me checking out so they can save a few dollars on a product they have that I just happen to have a coupon for. What is strange is the ignorance about coupons.

Ignorance you say? Yes...

One lady I tried to hand a coupon to so she could save $2 on her bottle Tide detergent flat out refused the coupon saying 'I don't need that stupid thing!"...looking at me as if I was the scum of the earth...

So, I thought (my 'inside voice of coarse)...well, fine then! You go right ahead and WASTE $2 of YOUR money!

AND...add the fact that of coarse, I got no "thank you anyway"...

Some folks just make my head hurt...

probably on Food Stamps had somebody else paying her bills anyway. LOL I see it all the time. People on hand outs think they should be the first in the queue when waiting on prescriptions, etc. Like they're royalty. Just way your raised. You don't know any better.

Nope...don't think so. She was carrying a Coach handbag. She definitely came from the 'rich' side of town...just as ignorant and ungrateful though.

P on her , then, hahahhaha If she had money she probably took it as a insult. One day she may have a change of heart. LOL Higher up you are, the farther the fall.

[Mint2]

On 9/21/2014 happy housewife said:

for 2 of us - and my DH is a BIG eater, plus I buy a lot of low fat and sugar free foods, which are expensive - I average between 100 and 150 a week. A big chunk of that expense is meats since i tey to buy the leanest cuts so I am serving filet of beef and pork, or buying the 90% lean ground meat.

I agree HH, eating healthy is very expensive and there are no coupons for lean meats, fruits and vegetables. I believe a lot of people would like to feed their kids a healthier diet, but the cost is just too much for a families budget.