That was a strange shopping experience

[takeonyou]

I have a home daycare so my groceries each week run about $300 - $350. I shop sales and use coupons to bring it down to a more reasonable amount.

Last night I went shopping and I warned the cashier that I had a lot of coupons. He was fine with it and was actually excited to see the total when I was done. So at the end of the transaction, he announced my savings over the loudspeaker and people clapped for me.

Then I had 2 women stop me on the way out and ask me all these questions about why I needed so much food, how I did it, can I teach them, etc. And the store manager came over and gave me a whole bunch of coupon books and a gift card and thanked me for shopping their store so consistently.

The whole thing was really weird, but I got a $25 gift card out of the weirdness, so I can't complain too much!

[aspentosh]

Interesting. Yay for perks!

[anna7602]

It's like you won a game show or were the magic 1000th customer. How fun for you!

[lurkergirl123]

I would be embarrassed (I'm shy), but also think that's really cool!

[Wines Not Whines]

That is bizarre, but yay for extra coupons!

[takeonyou]

I was embarrassed. I'm not shy, but I don't like to be the center of attention.

[vtdiamond]

How much did you save?

[Deleted]

That's awesome. How much did you save?

[takeonyou]

My pre-sales, pre-coupon amount was $356. I paid $154.

[Becca]

That is a sizable savings! Wow!

[lurkergirl123]

Awesome!

[Deleted]

Aug 28, 2012 7:48:32 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

My pre-sales, pre-coupon amount was $356. I paid $154.

Wow! Very MM!

[mbcdefg]

Great job!

I can't seem to figure out couponing. Every time I find coupons, it's always for products that I never need.

[Pilsy]

Aug 28, 2012 8:09:57 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I can't seem to figure out couponing. Every time I find coupons, it's always for products that I never need.

This is me. I find that coupons have me either buying something I didn't really need/want in the first place or still spending more than I would have had I skipped the coupon for the brand name and just bought the generic (which is usually, though not always, acceptable). Argh.

OP, that is really impressive! Congrats on the gift card, too. :drink:

[mrssavy42112]

That’s awesome! I usually save about 50-60% too, but my orders are smaller. I’ve never gotten a gift card out of it! For those who are curious in how-to, I’d check out the link below from the MM Coupon board. That’s where I started back in May & have saved over $900 in groceries since. I use www.LivingRichWithCoupons.com for my coupon matchups.

pandce.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=couponing&action=display&thread=2089

[takeonyou]

I also use Living Rich with Coupons. I like that you can print out the list and it tells you exactly where the coupons are.

But yes, it is tough finding coupons for what you want. The link that mrssavy42112 posted also has a coupon database on the site. You can type in the brand name and all the coupons will come up. You can look for your local store and find the best deals of the week.

It has become much easier to find coupons on healthy products within the last year. If you need some help, feel free to page me. I am no expert, but I can point you in the right direction

[dexteroni]

That is awesome savings! I would ask you for more itemized details but I don't want to start another "here's my grocery bill" trend.

But yes, that is strange experience indeed. I would have also not wanted that kind of attention, especially since the people I've seen on Extreme Couponers have mostly been weirdo hoarders. I would want to lean into the mic and announce "I'm not like them, really!" That's great that you got a gift card though. How nice of the store to make you feel welcome.

[bunnysmom]

Very embarrasing but very MM! Congrats!

[Deleted]

strange, but kind of awesome! good for you

[chia]

I really like this site: www.couponsthingsbydede.com/

You buy coupons... it sounds really dumb, but it's so much easier than clipping them, and you only buy the ones you'll use. I think there's a minimum order of $5, or something like that. For $5-6, if you consider doubling and other store specials, you can save a boatload of money. Plus, you can buy multiples of good coupons for the things you know you'll buy.

[smiley]

Aug 28, 2012 12:35:32 GMT -5 chia said:

I really like this site: www.couponsthingsbydede.com/

You buy coupons... it sounds really dumb, but it's so much easier than clipping them, and you only buy the ones you'll use. I think there's a minimum order of $5, or something like that. For $5-6, if you consider doubling and other store specials, you can save a boatload of money. Plus, you can buy multiples of good coupons for the things you know you'll buy.

I have Klip2Save book marked and you can buy multiple coupons from them for like pennies and it's a dollar shipping no matter how many you order. I have a paper subscription right now but I think it expires in October unless I decide to renew. I might just buy my coupons from them.

[takeonyou]

Aug 28, 2012 11:02:12 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

That is awesome savings! I would ask you for more itemized details but I don't want to start another "here's my grocery bill" trend.

But yes, that is strange experience indeed. I would have also not wanted that kind of attention, especially since the people I've seen on Extreme Couponers have mostly been weirdo hoarders. I would want to lean into the mic and announce "I'm not like them, really!" That's great that you got a gift card though. How nice of the store to make you feel welcome.

Lol! I don't want a repeat of that phase either!