I had the shakes today at the supermarket

[skyyblonde]

My DH picked up a bag of Perdue already cooked Bourbon chicken that was $8.99...Of course my reaction was "but i do not have a coupon for this" (not to mention it was not on sale, either.

Well, guess what i did.....I broke down (after much whinning and diplomatic discussion from him) and bought it. It actually felt a bit freeing, knowing that i was able to buy something without a coupon, that was quite expensive (for me, anyway)

Have you did this or do you stick to your list or only buy items that are on sale or you have a coupon for it?

JoAnn

[Cynthiabutterfly]

I spent $40 on nothing but junk food- chips, pizza, sodas and other stuff we rarely have coupons for. It lasted 1 day. $40 for 1 day's worth of food made me sicker than eating all that junk!

I think doing that gave both DH and I a little perspective, since I've been couponing for about 3 years now. So I agree that it is good to do that once in a while.

[Andra]

I don't take DH with me to the store for this reason. If he wants something he knows he has to wait for a coupon or a good sale. That said, there have been weeks when we didn't "need" anything so I "splurged" without hurting my budget. As long as you don't go overboard all the time and it doesn't hurt you financially in the long run, it's fine.

[Mothernature]

Have you did this or do you stick to your list or only buy items that are on sale or you have a coupon for it?

JoAnn

Our Shaw's and Stop N Shop has clearance, sales, and close out merchandise quite frequently. Some of the items I've found:

-Studio line hair spray $.75/bottle
- 3 pack of Schick Intuitive razor refills $1
-New Axe body wash $.75/bottle
-Dented cans of Purina cat food $.25/can
-Stayfree pads $1.25/pack
-Minute Maid cartons of juice $1/carton
-Propel $.50 and $.30/bottle
-Organic hair conditioner $2 (normally $8)
- Tribal organic hummus $1/tub

I did not have one coupon for any of these items (I had some coupons for the hummus); I still purchased them.

I do not have a coupon binder and have no interest in one. For me to put the effort here to find and wait for the coupons to arrive makes no sense. The merchandise would be gone by that time.

[jedda]

I've posted about this before, so some of this is old news to you guys...

My DH is a very particular person. He likes one brand of cereal, one brand of soy milk, one brand of TP, one brand of all of his HBA items, etc. He has a very limited list of snack items that he likes. He does not like changes. We call it his "special brand of craziness" but it is really related to his OCD. There are things that I have to buy, even if it is full price, without coupons. I don't complain. He works hard to put money in the checking account, and I work hard to make that money go as far as possible. I do my best to trade for coupons for the things that he needs, and I stock up like mad when I get a hot sale. I take comfort in the fact that if I have to spend $4.99 on a box of Grapenuts because my 14-box stash ran out before the next sale, or $10 on the fancy brand of lunchmeat that he likes, it is okay because I get most of my other groceries for about 70% off. (My son and I aren't picky or brand-specific.)


My son totally understands that if it isn't on the list for Dad, and it isn't on sale, we probably aren't going to buy it this week. We might get it next week, or the week after that. Most things go on sale eventually. I try to plan our meals around what is in the freezer and what is in the stockpile. I set aside a small amount of $ for unexpected deals (Publix manager's specials, anyone?) and if I see something that my son is really dying to try out, we will pick it up.



I save as much as I can, where I can, in order to offset the times when I can't save much at all. It all balances out.

[oscamaya]

I buy things that aren't on my list every once in a while. It can get stressful if you limit yourself to only sale/coupon items all the time. Because you use coupons you have that extra cash to pay full price for something every once in a while.

[Jiji]

For my dh, I will do this. Not very often, mind you, but as Jedda said, he's the one that makes the money that I buy groceries with each week.

My dh is incredible at eating whatever I buy and loves the deals as much as me. That being said, I don't do my grocery shopping with him. Men have a gene that requires them to pick up everything that looks good to them and put it in the grocery cart - regardless of price and/or grocery budget limitations.

As for the Bourbon chicken, I would tell him that I just clipped out a new recipe and I would make it in a few days. Then go home and research the Internet, shop your stockpile, buy the few remaining ingredients (much cheaper, I'm sure), cook it, then praise him for not eating that sodium-laden, fat-filled, Cry-o-Vac'ed mess!!

[puakinikini]

I occasionally splurge on items - mostly for my DH or 10 yo DS. DS loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch and goes through it at the speed of light - BOYS! Even when I think I have stocked up - well, you know how that goes.

The only thing DH cares about with respect to brand is salsa and bread. I go to the discount Orowheat bread store so that is not a problem (even though it is out of the way). The salsa he likes is a Safeway brand - frequently on sale, but never a Q).

I think every once in a while it is freeing not to have to abide by a list - as long as it does not leave you without money to pay other bills.

I would never let my DH do the shopping for our family though - I would be sick over how much money it would cost!

[amy s]

I feel the same as Jedda... My DH does work hard and I like to give him his treats. I recently saved over 200 at ****mart and my final bill was around $42. Of that, 10 was chicken for 3 evening meals ( and it was $5 off, so still a good deal imho) , 6.42 was DH fav razors, and they were B1G1, and about 6$ in candy for him as treats. So, the deal would have been much better, but when I came home with these special items, he was really behind me b/c he was so happy about his items, he was willing to "listen" to what I saved. BESIDES.... where was I 6 months ago......??????? gotta "splurge " LOL once in a while for the dear ones around you....

OP: is there anything that you "splurge on"? like a bottle of soda at the checkout?

[Esthermo]

I must have the best DH in the world. Not to say that your guys don't have good ones, but he must be the best. He is going to school full time, and only able to work part time Sept-May. He is the sole provider, so I too like to get him special treats when I can. He is willing to come along to the store, but never picks up anything and puts it in the cart unless it is on the list. If he finds something that he wants, first he checks to see if it is on sale, then he asks if there is a coupon for it, then asks if we have enough extra money for it. Very rarely do I hear him complain about us not being able to offered getting something. He also goes to the store for me is I haven't had time or am not feeling well. He takes the list, the coupons and comes back with just those items. The only exception is if he feels like I have had a hard day and need a treat so he will buy something little, chocolate bar, pint of ice cream, just for me. :)