I know there are a ton of posts regarding couponing, but I have a specific issue. My son/daughter have food alleries (to dairy and corn). So when I look through my coupons MOST of the food coupons I cannot use (most processed foods have either dairy or a corn biproduct). So for example, I have to by an organic 'Cheerios' because regular Cheerios (that I could coupon/buy on sale to save big) has corn in it. I do stockpile the Organic 'o's when the go on sale, but I can ever find coupons to pair with them. Does anyone know of a site where I can get coupons for the organic foods, or even coupons for produce? Please note, I do buy my produce by season and what is on sale, but I still don't feel like I am saving that much. I plan my menus by week and go to each store (Sprouts, Fry's (if needed), and Costco) once a week. I also don't wear makeup or do anything to my hair other than wash.
My second question is I have brand loyalty to (mostly) P&G products (Tide, Charmin, Bounce, etc...) I have brand loyalty because I like the smell of Tide and Bounce. (I have tried a bunch of different brands, even store brands and they make me sneeze or get a headache from the perfumes) and my hubby refuses to use any other TP than Charmin. I have just spend 2 hours looking through the ads from Target, CVS, Walgreens, Fry's (Krogers) and using couponmom.com to verify coupons. The prices I have down is the same price (or within pennies) that what I can get at Costco with their coupons (the ones valid 1/5). Has anyone else done comparisons where it is a lot cheaper to buy from regular stores (sale and coupons) vs. Costco with coupons. I am feeling like I just wasted 2 hours of my Sunday! I am not willing to cancel my membership either (the Soy milk price for 3 is cheaper than 2 at a regular store and so we pay for the membership per year just off that), so don't tell me I am wasting my money on that.
Any suggestions from you couponers out there?
I have found the time it takes to run all over looking for the best deal negates any savings found shopping at stores other than Costco.
I don't coupon but just look at all the time you spend sorting, analyzing, etc.
Time = money to me. I am very brand loyal and I don't stray from a favorite brand over money.
Maybe you could contact the merchants you use a lot of food from and inquire about coupons for organics, etc.
I am ex marketing for a MAJOR food company and when people would call or email inquiries, we sent loads of coupons directly to them for the specific products they were asking about.
This is a new site that just launched. You have to purchase a membership but they have organic/natural food for alot cheaper than the stores. I've already done some comparisons of my own. Check it out.
i do not use coupons since we only shop at Trader Joes and Whole foods, but a friend of mine says that by joining a coop ishe saves tons of money on organic/ natural produce.
I am not a couponer...I do look for coupons for things I use, but rarely do I find any! I try to use them when I can though. I don't have brand loyalty on everything, but some things I do and couponing isn't necessarily conducive to that, although P&G has an entire insert in the Sunday paper 1X/month...I think it's the first of the month, but not sure. Whole Foods has their own set of coupons that come in a little flyer inside their store. I have never seen their coupons on line, which kinda sucks b/c you have to go in there to get them and then figure out if you can use them. If you have a Trader Joe's near you check them out b/c they have a lot of organic products for much cheaper prices than anywhere else on the market.
For produce, I use Bountiful Baskets almost exclusively. I know they operate in Gilbert, too. Look up Bountiful Baskets on the web. They are a food co-op, and when you choose to participate (every Saturday in some locations, or every other Saturday in others), you pay only $15 for six different varieties of fruits and six vegetables. Each variety usually includes anywhere between 4 and 10 of any given fruit/veggie. Sometimes I come home with 20 lbs of potatoes or a couple of coconuts, but usually I get some kind of lettuce or spinach, tomatoes (4-6), bananas, apples, and a variety of other fruits and/or veggies. You can't beat $15 for all that you get!
You can also pay just $25 for an organic basket if you choose.
My understanding is that if you want to do "couponing" - the extreme kind, you can't be brand loyal. You have to match up the coupons you have (and P&G does put out coupons) to what happens to be on sale/loss leaders at the various shopping outlets.
For my time, it just wasn't worth it. Couponing is a full time job for most who do it.
I second Bountiful Baskets! I love it.
Try going directly to P&G's website, I've had luck there. Also check out your individual stores. I know with Kroger you can download coupons directly onto your card and they usually have a lot of P&G coupons on it. Also, by using my Kroger card they often send me coupons in the mail and sometimes they are for produce and meat. Target also has coupons online and I've gotten coupons for money off of clementines, but that's it when it comes to produce. I find my best produce prices at Wal-Mart, but I don't buy organic produce so I don't know if there is much of a savings on organic food.
Try Amazon Subscribe & Save for staples like Charmin and Tide. You get 15% off their regular price, free shipping. If you have little kids, join Amazon Mom for free and it's an extra 5% of baby stuff for Subscribe & Save products. Diapers end up cheaper than Costco, I've gotten peanut butter half price, etc. Not everything is cheaper - we can't beat Costco wipes, for example - but I really love having it come to my door!
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Try Amazon Subscribe & Save for staples like Charmin and Tide. You get 15% off their regular price, free shipping. If you have little kids, join Amazon Mom for free and it's an extra 5% of baby stuff for Subscribe & Save products. Diapers end up cheaper than Costco, I've gotten peanut butter half price, etc. Not everything is cheaper - we can't beat Costco wipes, for example - but I really love having it come to my door!
Try www.pgeverydaysolutions.com, you can register and get montly email with coupons directly from P&G.
I have similar issues. The best thing I can come up with is that Walmart and Target have some organic / natural things for a lot less than sprouts, etc. They don't have everything, but some.
I subscribe to The Thrifty Mama daily email and her whole focus is natural and thrifty. She has an organic and natural coupon page on her site, http://www.thethriftymama.com/2009/05/online-organic-coup... that might help. Not sure if she focuses on food allergies specifically but I hope it helps. I would also contact the companies that produce the items you buy and I think you would be surprised how many have websites that you can print coupons from or newsletters you can sign up for to save. Good luck.
