I feel like I'm spending more!

[JulieDB]

I used to coupon and got fed up and quit. But I do need to save money and that show on TV of course made me think I could save a ton. Which apparently I can't.

First I bought the coupon caddy. Yeah, I had one but it didn't work for me. Bad design. The one I bought recently wasn't much better and didn't have enough dividers in it. So I sent away for yet another one and more dividers. This one fits my needs and seems to work. But it cost me so much money I have just barely made that much money back with the coupons.

Then there are the coupons. Yeah, I am getting some but not enough that I can use. So I bought some from Ebay. I still couldn't use most of them but there were enough I could use that they paid for themselves and I made a little money.

And I was happy today to get two $2 coupons in the mail today for Hy Top products. Because most of their products cost less than that, I wound up buying things I will use but didn't need at the time. Plastic flatware and paper towels. The way the coupons read, it sounded like they would have given me the money on any combination of products, but I didn't want to have a problem with them so picked out the only two things I could find that cost more than that. There were also diapers (certainly don't need those) and maybe (not sure) trash bags, but I just bought those last week.

So here are my problems. I get coupons for things I don't use. I had decided I would use some of these to get things I can donate. But the store didn't have a lot of these items. We were at Winco (daughter wanted to go) and they do have limited brands and choices of foods. Will try again for a few items at the store here that puts out three doublers on Sunday. I have to go to that store anyway to donate my things. They have a donation bin.

Then I had coupons for some cereal. But... The cereal was expensive and since I was just donating it, I saw lots of other choices that were a lot cheaper so I didn't use most of those coupons. I did try to use one for Raisin Bran only to find that I didn't read it right. I needed to buy two boxes. Again I could have gotten other cereals for cheaper so... I apologized to the cashier and had her put the box back. I didn't buy it. So those cereal coupons are doing me no good.

Daughter was with me. She is really into this couponing and loves watching that show. She thinks we should do what they do. She doesn't understand. She wants me to stockpile things we don't eat or use! Today she insisted on getting deodorant. I just bought her one the other day and some body spray using coupons. She wants more body spray. You have to buy three. I told her I would buy it if she would use it. So far she has used the one I bought her. Fine. But we don't need deodorant. She herself has several and I bought a pack at Costco. I think there was a coupon for that. But maybe not. Anyway I am sure what I have will likely expire before I can use it all. Oh and we bought some for my husband the same week that she got the body spray. We also got him some mouthwash using a coupon. But... He doesn't even LIVE here! He is in the military, elsewhere and only comes back every few weeks for a few days to maybe a week. Yeah, hopefully he will eventually use them, but... He doesn't NEED any more!

I had coupons for pretzels. Daughter insisted I get them. She can't eat wheat and husband isn't here so I am the only one eating pretzels. I can only eat so many! And I probably wouldn't donate those because I tend to get things that have a further out expiration date on them to donate.

So all through the store she is pointing to coupons and demanding I use them. I should say that she will be 13 next month. So I think, old enough to understand the concept. She knows it is best to find the item on sale and combine it with a coupon. But she doesn't seem to know that enough is enough. She found one on Coke. You saved $1 if you bought the Coke but you also had to spend $4 on frozen food, deli items or...maybe something else, I can't remember. She chose some frozen food that she will eat. And in this case I did need the Coke. It was the small bottles and I like to use bottles when we are out and about because I can reseal them. But I also had two other coupons for 12 packs of Coke. One had the stipulation that I had to buy something else. Oh yeah. Crackers. We will donate those. And the other meant I had to buy 3-12 packs. Now I do guzzle the Diet Coke with Lime but really I have quite enough of it now. At least enough for 2 weeks and we have limited storage space!

Last night she found a coupon to save $1.50 on the 20 oz. Coke products, 2 bottles *if* we bought 2 Skittles or Starburst. But in our house we have a very large jar of candy that contains Starburst among other things. And she still has the big bags of Starburst and Skittles that my mom gave her for Easter. So we didn't need those things. But she insisted we get them because there was a coupon! A few weeks back she found a similar thing if you bought two Dove bars. We need Dove bars like we need a hole in the head! Both of us are fat and I have diabetes. We don't need these things. And yet... She feels we do.

I am supposed to include her in my shopping because she has trouble with math and in particular with money. So I am hoping at some point this will sink in.

Tonight I even put a jar of salsa in for donation because I have used so many salsa coupons it will be a long time before we need more. I also have a large bottle of ketchup in the fridge, another large one in the stockpile and a small one in the stockpile. Plus more ketchup coupons. Oh and we donated some ketchup a few weeks back as well.

So tonight I knew I was going to donate and wound up buying some cans of tuna, meat and ravioli that I had no coupons for because I got myself in a mood that I felt sorry for the people who needed food and I know these types of things are much in need at our food bank.

So I left the store with a ton of soda pop, two bags of food to donate, some magazines that I was going to buy anyway (one had a coupon) and a bunch of other stuff we don't really need! And I only saved $13 via coupons. That's not good!

I also realize I haven't bought any fresh meat in weeks! We seem to be adding to the stockpile and for the most part also living off the stock pile. I do have a lot of canned things and some things in the freezer. I have a lot of rice so have been trying to use that up. And a lot of slice turkey that I used coupons for. So daughter has been eating turkey wraps and I've been eating bean tacos! We didn't have a lot of choice this past week because it has been a bad time financially for a lot of reasons. But payday just came and now we can shop again. So for the most part I have been just buying things like a little bit of produce, bread and tortillas. Everything else has been a coupon item.

Anyway, I left the store today after paying $116 and wondering why I did it!? We have precious little we can eat. There is a box of single serve Corn Nuts (no coupon), magazines and cat treats which I intended to purchase. Then daughter found some stuff that she wanted. I know it will get eaten. She is out of school next week and I haven't really stocked up on food for her to eat at home. But still...

I did not intend to go to that store today. The only reason we went was because daughter wanted to go. And she wanted to go when she saw the Hy Top coupons because AFAIK that is the only store around here that sells that brand. I had wanted to go to another store on the way to where we were going to get my magazines, some cat treats and littler deodorizer which I didn't even get! I don't think they sell it at Winco and I forgot to look. The floor display of cat treats at a good price stopped me dead in my tracks and my brain went dead. Had I done what I had intended to do, I would have also gotten two more magazines that I have coupons for but that Winco didn't have. And I would have spent about $40. Gah!

I am hoping things will get better after I organize my stockpile better. Currently I have some of it on the wall on some shelves and some on a purchased shelving unit. I need to move the unit to accomodate the little chest freezer I hope to get for my birthday next week. *Crosses fingers* I am hoping that will make life a lot easier! Then once I get the until moved I can put things up there properly and use the wall shelves for other things like cat food and litter. I can also take some of the extra stuff I have off of my kitchen counter. We don't have a pantry and the little canned goods cupboard we do have only holds maybe 2 of each thing. Perhaps if my daughter can see all of the stockpile at once she can see that we don't need any more ketchup or salsa or whatever it is. And that just because we have a coupon for it doesn't mean we have to buy it!

I don't want to be like those people on the show. Daughter seems to think if we buy stuff we don't need, we will make money. Because they said so on the show! But... AFAIK, none of our stores give overage and I believe that is how/why they are doing it. That just won't work for us. I could be wrong but I think Walmart gives overage. We do have a Walmart here but it doesn't have a proper grocery. Just a few aisles. Tonight I had to rip some toothbrush coupons from her hand. She wanted to use them. I stopped her because... Toothbrushes are one of the things we are going to donate. We have dozens! Most came free from the dentist or with a toothpaste. Sure if I could have gotten the toothbrushes for free, I would have done that and donated them but these were for 75 cents off. So I would have had to pay something for them.

Does anyone else feel frustrated like I do? I am thinking in a few months things will settle down. Especially once I get the freezer. Then I won't have to keep making so many trips to the store and there will be less chances of picking up junk we don't need.

[froggychik78]

Oh Julie DB!!! I cried i was laughing so hard at your post! I have felt the same way but im kinda like a mix between you and your daughter. I do feel like im buying things I would not otherwise buy but I am making sure that I get more than half off of whatever it is, it's on sale, I have a coupon..all that. And I keep reminding myself that I dont have to create a stockpile overnight. I watch the show too and one gentleman said it took him 3 years to accumulate his stock pile. So I definately have to be the mom talking to the child inside of me! I'm a compulsive shopper anyway and I LOVE SAVING MONEY!! So im am in such danger of going way overboard. I went to the grocery store today (walmart actually because they match prices) and spent $135.00. I did save around $20 with coupons and even more with the price matching. But its hard to tell because I spent so much anyway! Im new at this also and im sure I'll get better. But heres one tip..look for printable coupons on items that you do use. Im kind of particular about soap, detergent and tons of other items because of food and skin allergies. So before I made a shopping trip I went online and tried to get a coupon for everything I knew I was going to buy. OK...enough...thanks so much for your honesty and candor! I enjoyed the post so much!

[froggychik78]

Oh yeah Julie! I know people who doante all expired coupons to a military family couponng service. The PX on the military base allows you to use coupons up to 6 months past the expiration date. This is a small contribution for our military and their families but its something for you and your daughter to consider. So maybe sho wont feel bad about not using a coupon like I do! AND since your husband is in the military maybe you guys can take advantage of that!

[pitbaby]

Oh Julie I go through the same thing here. My daughter is kind of into the coupon thing but more along the lines that she knows I am cheap and if she wants something she has to look through all the coupons to see if I have something or does an internet search for it. She is already used to me telling her if it isn't on sale or we absolutely need it I am not buying it. I am also limited on storage space at the moment, we are redoing the kitchen and I actually gave up half my kitchen space so I can have a pantry/laundry room. I have been slowly stockpiling things like personal items but I also have 2 kids all the time and another 2 on the weekends not to mention my kids friends in my house. I feel like I am spending more also. I usually spend about 500 a month on shopping and I am finding that I am still spending that amount, granted I am getting more between coupons, price match and sales but I am buying things I don't need or wouldn't normally buy.

I actually bought 3lbs of strawberries last week because I was able to get them for $1.67 a pound. I have strawberry plants in my garden that have strawberries on them! My DH actually asked why I got them when I have the plants right outside, needless to say he was happily eating them but he made a good point. I have a hard time finding coupons for the things we normally use and that has to do with preference, having 2 kids that are inflexible about food, 1 kid that hardly eats meat so I have to supplement that, DH has a restricted diet and I still find with all of this shopping and all of the stuff I am picking up I am still not covering all my bases. I am trying to get myself together for next weeks shopping trip and making sure I am actually buying what we need, getting a deal on it and I hope to have coupons for what I have to get. I am sure it will get better but at the same time I should of been on my game from the beginning. I have always used coupons when I had them and now that I have access to everything that I have access to I am kind of caught up in the whole I have a coupon thing.

Make no mistake I love it and I know I wont have to buy deodorant, feminine products, laundry soap, air fresheners or fabuloso again for a long time but I have no space and I am still not saving the way I intended. But like I said I am planning next weeks trip, planning on a different store that doubles and trying to make sure I am getting the best deal for the things we use instead of "Oh look I have a coupon lets get it" attitude. Now once the kitchen is done I will probably need an intervention on my shopping but I hope that by the time that rolls around I will have a handle on myself.

[ari'smom]

My dd is 14, and when I first started she was very excited about it too. Now the newness has worn off and I can barely drag her to go "couponing" with me. Unless she happens to be very very bored and in those cases she will do just about anything.

In terms of couponing and food, though, I have mostly given up hoping to get any substantial savings. I tried it for a while i.e. buying the food with the coupons on sale and all of that. But I found our diet really suffered for it. And in the end I wasn't really stretching our food dollars that far. I mean, my cupboards weren't exactly bare by the end of the month, but what was there wasn't always completely meal worthy either. So I've decided this month to go more of less back to my regular way of shopping, which was always stocking up when something was on sale, including meats. And if there are coupons on items that fit into the way I cook and we eat, then I will use them. Not the other way around.

I have had much more success with the non food items and am really happy to have the cleaning products and HBA items I do. Usually those are the things that I am forced to skimp on - because you can't eat them lol. So being able to get that stuff at a discount or sometimes free has been life changing for me. Okay, so maybe not a monumental long term change, but in a daily life kind of way. I mean, Soft Scrub? I have never bought Soft Scrub in my entire life lol. And my sink has never looked more sparkly.

[$Saving!]

The whole focus on couponing effectively is to buy things you use, not those that you don't.

I have tried new products when I got them free with coupons/sales or for pennies. That has expanded the line of items our household will use, which in turn gives me more potential deals to shop for in the future. The broader the variety of goods you will use, the more you can save, naturally.

But if you're spending more then perhaps you need to reconsider how you're using the coupons.

People sometimes have a tendency to buy something just because there is a good coupon out, even though they don't want the item or don't have a person or organization planned to donate it to.

Use the coupons and sales/coupons approach to save your budget money, not expand it

And there is no shame in throwing coupons out that have expired unless you know someone who can use them such as our overseas military and you can mail them off or give them to someone who does.

[Katane]

Are you sitting down the with sales ads and your coupons to make a list before you go to the store? If you and you're daughter sit down together at home, go over the ad and which coupons you have you could have the discussions about what you are going to buy and what you're going to pass on at home in a less pressured environment.
You wouldn't be stuck in the grocery aisle trying to explain why you're not getting this or that this week. My best advice, make a list and stick to it! Those unplanned purchases and impulse buys can really mess up your shopping trips.

[Justmeinflorida]

I know I'm a newb but this helped me a ton...plz read this it might help
Building Your Stock Pile

Because I'm so frugal ( or thought I was ) I only bought things that were BOGO or Store Brand, so if there was say a lot of chicken on BOGO my family would have to eat different chicken dished for a month ( I used to shop once a month...exaggerating ). Now that I found that you can stack q's and piggyback q's on sale I'm saving a ton more. There are things that I'm buying now that I never bought before but only because I thought we couldn't afford it. I'm buying more name brand and trying new things and I'm actually enjoying it. My family's happier because we can get things we couldn't get before but I sure don't buy things that I KNOW we don't need or can use within the next 2 months. I still have to feed my family NOW, so just cause it's a good deal doesn't mean I should buy it....that deal will come again and if I need it then I'll get it then.

Also if you're looking for specific q's look in the COUPON DATABASE I'm sure someone has q's that you can use. You can pay then with Paypal, q's for q's, Forever Stamps...etc.

[CW&M Mom]

The whole focus on couponing effectively is to buy things you use, not those that you don't.

I have tried new products when I got them free with coupons/sales or for pennies. That has expanded the line of items our household will use, which in turn gives me more potential deals to shop for in the future. The broader the variety of goods you will use, the more you can save, naturally.

But if you're spending more then perhaps you need to reconsider how you're using the coupons.

People sometimes have a tendency to buy something just because there is a good coupon out, even though they don't want the item or don't have a person or organization planned to donate it to.

Use the coupons and sales/coupons approach to save your budget money, not expand it

And there is no shame in throwing coupons out that have expired unless you know someone who can use them such as our overseas military and you can mail them off or give them to someone who does.

The only time I purchase stuff that I don't need/use is if it gives me overage (which is basically at Walmart).

but to the OP if you feel in over your head, then I wouldn't even do that. Get what you need, and be done. As you get better it will come easier. Also if you know you have some hot coupons but you just don't really need that product then put them on here to trade. Great way to get the coupons you do want.

[gctattoo]

Forgive me if I'm impolite or brash, I'm having a very bad day. These are my suggestions:

#1. Accordion file folder for a few bucks at WM, Staples, etc. You don't need to carry every single coupon around with you in some fancy, expensive organizer.

#2. Don't buy things you don't want or don't need. Your daughter needs to use her own money to do her own couponing. And if she's not old enough yet, then too bad until then. You are the one in control of the household money, not her.

#3. Why are you getting coupons you don't need? Forget Ebay. Become a trader on here and start trading for specific coupons you actually DO want.

#4. Forget shopping just for donating. I'll probably get a lot of flack for that one. But seriously, you are wasting your time and money by donating that way. If you find a good deal on something you actually use, maybe get a couple extra and then donate them. Or choose a specific period of time (and money!) in which you will actively pursue the deals for items to donate. Such as the USPS Stamp Out Hunger food drive that's held the second Saturday in May each year. Donating constantly doesn't make you a good person any more than only donating once a year makes you a bad one. It's better to do it because you want to. And if it's causing this much grief for you, your heart just isn't in it.