I focus on things that my family normally uses, brands that we like. $1 off one kind of deodorant isn't a seller, if I know that it doesn't keep me dry or if I smell like I haven't showered in a week. To me, they can keep their dollar. I don't want their product.
But I am a pretty avid Sunday morning newspaper clipper. I'm also a coupons.com clipper. I watch other couponing sites for things we might need. I always turn over my Schnuck's receipt to see if there's an oil change or a lunch coupon that might come in useful.
I am, in the last 3 months, noticing a trend in couponing. Vary rarely (my major exception is when I clip from County Market's penny pincher listings) are the coupons for actual food-related items. Instead, most of them are for household items like toilet paper, shampoo and cleaners. This is fine, except I only buy those things once every 4-6 weeks. So, I'm wondering, where are all the food coupons? They used to be everywhere.
And why, instead of getting coupons at stores for products I don't use (hello, Tidy Cat) can't I get them for products I do use?
Every 4 weeks, I have a $150 bill at Meijer that I watch deplete to around $115 with the household coupons that I saved. I'm grateful for it. I always apologize to the cashier for the madness of that many coupons. His or her response is always one of encouragement, but the person behind me in line is either impressed or annoyed. And I'm no couponing master.
But the other 3 trips during the month are painful. They're all food based for recipes I'm cooking. Sometimes I get lucky and hit in-store specials. But I cook so much with fresh fruits and vegetables now that those savings are few and far between.
Has anyone else noticed a depletion of food coupons? Or maybe it's just the brands that I use?
Oh -- and just a little plug. Karen's Kloset is having a sale on Saturday. From 8-10 a.m. everything in the store is 25% off, from 10-noon it's 20% off and then from noon until 6 p.m. it's 10 percent off... just in case you're looking for any fall clothing!
