How much do you save on your shopping using coupons?

startedsaving

Hi guys - been reading these latest posts - I'd just like to comment that maybe the whole thing depends on how much you save. A penny saved is a penny earned as my old grannie used to say... Personally, I was totally amazed when I discovered (only a few weeks ago) that supermarkets would take coupons even when I did not buy the items. I have had to travel a bit out of my way to some different supermarkets, but at a rough guess I'd say I've spent about 6 hours more than usual, but saved about £180.00. I wish my regular job paid £30.00 per hour! Plus I have to confess I've found it hilarious that I can at long last, if not totally beat the system, at least go a little way towards it. Keep on keeping on!

d0imakeuh0rny

Annie021063 wrote:

Hi all
Due to all the confusion about who will take what coupons I though I would make this half term week a coupon week and see what I can save on my shopping. I aim to shop everyday as as many different stores as I can and use as many coupons as I can.

Hey i can very much see where you are comming from.
yesterday me and my cousin went out on a r&r and coupon run. Basically we went by train so cost me nothing (just had to find stores near to stations).
we went to Diss (they seemed a little hit and miss but we still got misspriced pringles r&red and also got some extra bits for out day out. (they ended up paying us to shop)
we then went to Ely. Now this is the shop to use!! went in first to get the pringles r&r. Couldnt find any other r&r's so got refund on those....as we had 2 hours before our next train we both went in and out about 6 times while being alowed to use 5 coupons each time (same or different). Got chocs for xmas, smellies, cd, ps2 game, a book and a few other bits...ave spend about 50p.
Lastly we went to Bury....again found a lad who said "oh we dont have a set policy on coupons - use what u like"....bingo!!! anyhow we got a dvd misprice, pringles missprice so full r&r on those.....also got another cd and a ps2 game for the boy....so all in all a really good day. The boy loved it and even when i wanted to get home he still wanted to spend coupons...lol

my day started at 10am, we got in at 7pm....half travel, half shopping but a very enjoyable day....total spend around £5. Call me sad if you like but hey i have so far saved enough to have new windows and doors put in my place and well on the way to a mfi kitchen...if u cant beat em, join em i say

Annie021063

d0imakeuh0rny wrote:

Hey i can very much see where you are comming from.
yesterday me and my cousin went out on a r&r and coupon run. Basically we went by train so cost me nothing (just had to find stores near to stations).
we went to Diss (they seemed a little hit and miss but we still got misspriced pringles r&red and also got some extra bits for out day out. (they ended up paying us to shop)
we then went to Ely. Now this is the shop to use!! went in first to get the pringles r&r. Couldnt find any other r&r's so got refund on those....as we had 2 hours before our next train we both went in and out about 6 times while being alowed to use 5 coupons each time (same or different). Got chocs for xmas, smellies, cd, ps2 game, a book and a few other bits...ave spend about 50p.
Lastly we went to Bury....again found a lad who said "oh we dont have a set policy on coupons - use what u like"....bingo!!! anyhow we got a dvd misprice, pringles missprice so full r&r on those.....also got another cd and a ps2 game for the boy....so all in all a really good day. The boy loved it and even when i wanted to get home he still wanted to spend coupons...lol

my day started at 10am, we got in at 7pm....half travel, half shopping but a very enjoyable day....total spend around £5. Call me sad if you like but hey i have so far saved enough to have new windows and doors put in my place and well on the way to a mfi kitchen...if u cant beat em, join em i say

WELL DONE - THAT'S MY KIND OF SHOPPER
I'm totally impressed. Have loads more coupons to spend so will be out and about again today.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Coupon-mad

I agree, that's a good shopping day from my point of view! And no, I don't think it's sad to make an effort to pay with bits of barcoded paper rather than your hard earned cash.

If the supermarkets accept the coupons, and they are redeemable, then the customer has paid quite correctly.

Keep it up! :T

And I don't understand your point, Sandybrag, seems like double standards to me. On the one hand you are calling this sort of coupon-use 'sad' but on the other hand you started a thread ranting about Asda tightening up on coupon-use in their stores........have I missed something?

Annie021063

Hi all
I have updated my post #535 with today's haul - good result today as I spent £44.23 but only parted with £7.85 in cash.
BFN

sophie_maxwell

sandybrag wrote:

Sorry Annie, I don't mean to sound rude, but I find it very sad that you dont have anything better to do with your time/day other than rush around supermarkets trying to see whether theyll take coupons off you.

Ill probably get a load of abuse thrown back at me for saying it, and I say it in the nicest way, believe me, but it really did make me sad when I read your post...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=287149

sandybrag wrote:

I, like my many others here have always enjoyed being able to use a few coupons and make a little saving every now and then when doing the weekly shop at Asda.

However, on my latest visit to the store when I handed over my weekly collection of coupons, the till bleeped and the cashier said she would have to call a supervisor. When I asked what was happening, she said the policy regarding coupons had changed and a supervisor now had to be called whevever coupons were used!. So I waited, in fact everyone in the queue waited, while the cashier sat there looking very embarrased by the situation, and eventually, myself, the whole queue, and the cashier, were all frantically looking around the place trying to find the illusive supervisor who was nowhere to be seen.

5 minutes later she turns up. So thats 5 minutes of my time wasted, the person behind me, and the person behind them.

And we are supposed to be endure this "experience" every week??

Needless to say I am now going to take my weekly shop elsewhere as the situation is beyond frustrating and a complete waste of time shopping anymore at Asda.

I have written to Asda, and would encourage everybody else to shop elsewhere and write to Asda to get this insane policy reversed.

A hint of deja-vú in the air? :rotfl:

Annie021063

Hi all
I have updated my post #535 with today's haul - fantastically amazing day today as I spent £219.67 but only parted with £11.72 in cash. Nearly all of that was in Waitrose where I was able to use £140 worth of coupons on a £148.11 shop.The rest was in Asda where I spent £71.56 and used £67.95 in coupons. Now as this is getting bigger and better I am beginning to wonder about the ethics of it all - am I being greedy here?? I spoke to the really nice guy in Waitrose who assured me that I could use them without any problems and that nobody suffers as waitrose would get their money back from the product manufacturers and the manufacturers wouldn't offer any amount off a product unless they were prepared for it - they obviously make mega profits if they can afford lose £5 off any individual Olay product. On hearing this all notion of ethics and greed went out the window and I feel very good about providing my family with some nice food/treats for barely nothing.
BFN

Coupon-mad

Fabulous saving Annie, makes me want to go back to Waitrose again. My local one does accept coupons but they don't seem very clued up on it and the cashiers are hit-and-miss as to whether they will need to check with a supervisor and hold up the queue!

I think I must be unusual, using coupons in my local Waitrose, the staff are always polite but I never see anyone else using coupons there (whereas I sometimes do at larger Tescos and Asda).

Well done on your savings though! :T

WELSH-DRAGON_2

Well done Annie, you do what alot of people would like to do but don't necessarily have the confidence to do. Your savings are testament to how lucrative it can be.

I still haven't tried my local Waitrose, still have a bundle of olay vouchers to use and have a new Morrisons/Toys R Us to try out within the next couple of days. Guess I will be busy !

Welshy x

F&L

Your experience at Asda seems to be at odds with all the problems members are currently having at Asda - see the various threads about supervisors being called using more than 5 coupons etc!