How do you approach your couponing? As a hobby? As a necessity? As a business? Or as a game?
Casual Couponer
Are you a Casual Couponer? Do you clip coupons for “items you buy” from one weekly newspaper and/or magazines, and hunt for printables once in a blue moon to correspond with a hot sale or a need based purchase? Do you typically save 15% or less off your grocery bill? Do you shop the sales at the drug stores, but do not stockpile madly because you do not see the value?
A Casual Couponer enjoys saving but may not see the worth of stockpiling or hardcore couponing. Or the Casual Couponer is so short on time that a 10% – 20% weekly savings is the best they fit into very busy life, and the casual Couponer correctly thinks that some savings is always better than no savings. Or, a Casual Couponer has diet restrictions for either themselves or their family and find coupons difficult to come by with their dietary needs (these folks can typically be turned into Hardcore Drugstore Couponers).
Necessity Couponer
These folks basically must coupon to eat. They may/may not enjoy couponing and rebating, but regardless of the emotion attached to saving via sales, coupons and rebates, for Necessity Couponers the need to save is just that – an economic pressure of circumstance. Period.
Hardcore Couponer
These folks have figured out, and absolutely love, the “game”! Hardcore Couponers may have a stockpile to survive Armageddon, buy (or even better, get for free) 20+ papers per week or faithfully order from a coupon clipping service, and take a few of every tear pad “just in case”. They have the Coupons, Deals and More Printable Page set as their homepage, and they search coupons.com and smartsource.com several times a day for additions.
All their friends and family have bulging pantries and will not need to pay for shampoo or body wash until 2014. The local food pantry and homeless shelters know them by name because they donate so much! Hardcore stockpilers may/may not have an economic need to coupon or send for rebates, they do it for the (cheap) thrills!
The Judicious Couponer
The Judicious Couponer knows how to hardcore coupon. The Judicious Couponer may even be a former Hardcore Couponer. Due to time constraints, lack of room, and/or energy, The Judicious Couponer no longer chases every deal. These shoppers typically go through lifestyle changes including the children moving out, the start of a new job cutting into shopping time, or an illness. The Judicious Couponer may have also decided that chasing every deal is too aggravating due to store personal. The Judicious Couponer can turn into a Hardcore Couponer at anytime, but s/he is taking some time off from hardcore couponing for one or many of a multitude of reasons.
There are all sorts of reasons to coupon and rebate, and many folks fall in between these categories. So where do you fall on the spectrum? A Casual Couponer? Hardcore? Do you need to coupon? Like to coupon? Is this an obsession? Or are you one to sit back and determine if a deal is worth the chase? Or, are your couponing habits some combination of all of the above?
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I guess I fall into Hardcore…just bordering on Judicious. I have such a huge stockpile, that I have passed on a few deals lately.
I am at a change in lifestyle due to youngest moving out for college in the fall. Can’t wait for all the kids to have their own place so I have that many more addresses to send rebates to!!!
Ok that made me laugh Sheri.
Ann
The Judicious Couponer — This is me. I’m either this or casual. I think I’ve been well trained to be a hardcore couponer, but I’m not one at all anymore. Lifestyle is getting in the way and I really no longer have the desire to coupon like that. Most of my shopping does not include coupons for the time being. But that could change once I get some motivation and time back. I remember the days of free salad dressing and sauces and condiments, but not so much anymore. I think I need to buy salad dressing this year.
I’m judicious…6 months ago I’d have said hardcore, but we’re selling our house and don’t want to move our stockpile, so we’re trying to eat/use some of it. We’re also trying to hide it from prospective buyers but still have it accessible–it’s tricky!!! I was getting a little more selective anyway, as my husband was a little confused by the 80 or so cans of chili I bought. Not one of my 7 person family will eat the stuff. We gave all that was gluten free to a friend recently diagnosed and are keeping the rest…for emergencies!? No more chili!
I think I am more of a Judicious Couponer these days. I enjoy saving $$ and the game part of couponing. I used to be a hard core couponer but recently drifted away from food couponing. I do hit super triples or super doubles at Harris Teeter occasionally. Last week for the first time in a year I ran out of kraft mayonaise and had to ask hubby to pick up some at whole foods! I gave away so much of it last year. I can now see space in the cabinets and on the shelves.
I am a hardcore couponer who loves the high of a great deal. Although I have enough of a stock pile to not run out for every freebie. I try to only chase the money makers.
I’m still learning, and am fairly new to this, but I would consider myself a “hardcore couponer”. I totally love being able to give. I am a giver, totally my thing, and to be able to bless others along as taking care of my family for cents to a dollar…
Hey I’m there!!
Hardcore, but because I was a neccesity one and in some ways still am. When my hubbie and I were both laid off we went from making killer money to just me earning unemployment….PAINFUL. Now I am using couponing and a strict budget to move that money to other bills. We have a BIG garden and this summer I want to get the monthly grocery expenses below $100 (it is just the 2 of us) and spend all the extra money on credit card debt. So bring on the deals!!!
I am in between the judicious and the hardcore!
I am Hardcore but I need to slow down cause it is taking over my life. My friends and family shop at my house, I donate and try to find those in need to take some of my stuff. I just can’t pass up free or money makers.
I am more judicious now due to time constraints! I live about 30 minutes from major shopping so I just don’t have the time to chase every deal. And with two little guys, I have a hard time getting my coupons clipped! I am training them to be clippers though! My three year old knows what coupons are and he cracks me up with what he says. For his birthday I bought him a t-shirt with his favorite character on it. He was so excited and said “MOM! Did you buy this on sale and with a coupon?”. Training them early!
Right now I am a Hardcore Couponer boardering on insanity. I am saving my family money, my church money, and give away at least 50 boxes of cereal each month. At the end of the day, I want to do more, but my 1 and 3 yr olds keep me in check.
I’d say I am between hardcore and judicious. I know how to coupon but don’t take advantage of EVERY deal. I try to be reasonable about what we need, what we have enough of, etc. We just don’t have enough room to buy it all and it can be nice to have some time off during the week from running from store to store to store. And of course certain store personel can be stressful.
And I am willing to pay more for certain things (although very few). But I really love getting a great deal.
I have just started couponing recently and I am in the hardcore couponer category. I love the thrill of the deal. I live in the country in Illinois and don’t have the wonderful grocery stores that most of you do. I am starting to get quite a stockpile of shampoo and body wash though!!
I guess I’m more of a Casual Couponer. I never had the room to have a huge stock pile. I do enjoy the thrill of a deal but I don’t go after every deal!:)
I am a Judicious Couponer out of necessity. I have a small apt., small budget and not much room for a stockpile. However, I find myself thinking if I only have 2 or 3 of something, Im running low. lol I also get a high from walking out of the store with completely free items, or just paying tax. I regularly make donation runs to the local Ronald McDonald House. I figure if I get a shopping high without going into debt and they get much needed donation items, its a win win for everyone. =)
I started out as casual and quickly escalated to hardcore, but I’m now at the judicious point. I have a stockpile and we are doing good. i guess, I’ll become hardcore again when we things start getting low.
Which category do you put yourself in?
Hi DeeDee,
My answer is I am Judicious, but sometimes Hardcore just takes over … witness Walgreens deals. shesh
Ann
After a year of hardcore bordering on OCD couponing I have scaled back to judicious. In just 8 months I had accumulated 2 yrs. stock of toiletries/6 mos. stockpile of food and I had sold over $1500 of extras at a garage sale and a flea market. I spent this winter acquiring more toiletries for pennies and we sold another $744 Sunday at the flea market. I’ve also given over $1000 of food to the local food bank, bags and bags to family and I still have 7 boxes of extra toiletries currently besides my 2 yr. supply.
I love the high of getting a deal. Last yr. KMart doubles were my crack, this year it’s getting paid to take stuff from Rite-Aid. I have $90 in Rite-Aid gift cards that I can’t seem to use up.lol
I need to stop with the toiletries/cleaning stuff as I don’t have anymore room….and just concentrate on food now. I’ve been taking it slower since April and stopped buying tons of papers. Now I just get 2 or 3 papers per week and I’ll buy particular coupons I want/need instead. My life’s been alot more sane since cutting back in April.lol
I am a little of each, not falling into any one category.
It is definitely difficult to coupon with the dietary needs of my family, and I have very little time to devote to couponing due to some lifestyle changes, but couponing is a necessity and I make it work by figuring out how to use overage for those specialty items!
I absolutely HATE shopping – with a passion – but the thrill of the hunt keeps drawing me in and my stockpile is driving me to commit coupon abuse by not using every coupon I have. I’m still OCD about couponing perfection – For example: I am still upset at myself over a mistake that led to me to paying $2.97 for Avatar a few weeks ago (normal people would be ecstatic , I’m pissed at myself, LOL). I don’t go foraging for Sunday inserts anymore, but I still ask the local stores for leftovers, so I still get them free!
Is there an “All of the above” category??
After a year now, I began out of necessity. I believe I have went through all of the descriptions above. Maybe not casual. I am flip between hardcore and judicious now. I loved Liz’s comment about the mayo. That made me laugh out loud. Before, I might have thought she was crazy now, I can feel her pain. It is so difficult to actually pay for anything now. But, a huge benefit has been, when I do pay now, I am paying for something I either REALLY need or a want I have really thought through my motivation for and I know I have found the best price and the best quality. I am very proud of how I have faced the difficult time we encountered. We lost 2/3 of our income and that hurt. Now, I feel better and happier each day. Thanks Ann for all you do. Sadie Mae does too since she gets to help Mom.
I went from ground zero (rarely using a q) to hardcore couponing all within a couple of weeks — it’s amazing what you can learn online!! My family went from two incomes to one and since my husband is self-employed we had to also get our own health insurance. Add to that private schools (hey, we were 2 income and at the time and could afford it). I also got this crazy idea we should pay off our mortgage too
. So, we switched to cash basis and ate alot of beans for a while. Then I decided to checkout couponing — we’ll I got hooked. I luv the hunt. I must admit I do better at the drugstores than the supermarket (I try to not let too much processed food into the house — otherwise I’ll eat it). I ‘shop’ in my closet (I can always find things I forgot I even had). We’ve eliminated most purchases and find ourselves fixing things rather than tossing them out and buying new. Well, we’ve pai off the house, have health insurance, have a 2 year supply of health & beauty and cleaning supplies — oh, and that private school? My kids still go there and I pick them up in my 10-year-old utility vechicle sandwiched between Mercedes and BMWs in the carpool lane. After pickup I laugh all the way to the bank.
Couponing for me is just one component of a way of living — One in which gives my family financial freedom. Believe me I’ve been dirt poor during my life and one day I might be again — couponing I a great life skill to have in my back pocket!
I’m pretty new to couponing, but I foresee staying where I am now – in the mostly casual category. I print from the online coupon sites pretty often and follow a bunch of couponing blogs, but I really only clip/print things that we’ll use with a few money makers here and there. Like someone else said, I try not to keep a lot of packaged food/junk food in the house, so I just don’t print those.
We’ll see. I work full time now, but plan to quit or go part time when we have kids, so maybe I’ll become more hardcore then.
I would say I’m mostly hardcore but have started passing on more deals than I used to because it’s just me and hubby with no family nearby to share with. I do donate a lot so that helps cut down on stuff when I start to get “too much.” I haven’t couponed except restaurants for the last week (hubby had a conference at Disneyland and I went along for the rides) and I’m still cringing. Even after eating from my Pop-Tart and cereal stockpile that I took along, lunch and dinner for one day there easily surpassed several weeks of grocery/toiletry budget. It definitely made me realize that Disney World is MUCH cheaper to visit!!!!