Grocery coupons are one way to cut bills

By Jolayne Houtz
Times consumer-affairs reporter

BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES A grocery receipt shows Malysa Niederkohr saved 43 percent on her total bill. She uses coupons and plans meals around what's on sale.

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Related stories Meet the bargain hunters: Three everyday experts share their tips

The coupons stuffed inside the Sunday newspaper are worth about $150 on average.

And you're probably just going to throw that money away, right?

In 2003, American consumers saved $3 billion with coupons — and tossed out $247 billion worth of coupons.

"If you're really looking to save money, and you can't change where you live or what you drive, the best place to look is in your groceries," said Gary Foreman, founder of The Dollar Stretcher, a Bradenton, Fla.-based Web site.

Coupons offer one of the most obvious ways to get started.

Nationally, 77 percent of people reported that they used coupons sometime during 2003. Those who use coupons save an average of 11.5 percent on their grocery bills for about 20 minutes' work every week, according to the Promotion Marketing Association.

Shortcuts for the time-starved Stock up on good deals. You'll save time when you don't have to run to the store at the last minute for a can of tomato paste or a party gift. Freeze meals ahead. Deborah Taylor-Hough slashed her grocery bill in half for her family of five. Her secret: Buying food on sale and cooking ahead, stockpiling meals in the freezer. Taylor-Hough wrote a how-to book on this approach: "Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month" ($14.95, Champion Press). Follow "time-tested wisdom our grandmas and grandpas followed," advised Twigg. Stretch it (water down your liquid hand soap). Make it last (wash jeans less often). Use less of what you have (such as toilet paper). Use what you have on hand ("How many people went out to buy a Halloween costume rather than making one?"). Wear out what you have ("If something gets a little nick or scratch, it's out the door. That's why this country is a garage-saler's paradise"). Find your savings strategy and stick to it. Coupon-clipping takes time, and it doesn't always pay off (if you end up buying stuff you wouldn't normally purchase just to use a coupon). Twigg says she doesn't clip coupons because it doesn't seem efficient or enjoyable to her. Instead, she buys generic at Wal-Mart and watches for price-matching opportunities. Stop and ask yourself: Do I really need it? Can I pay for it? Can I use something else? Can I walk away to think it over? Sources: Promotion Marketing Association, Gary Foreman, Deborah Taylor-Hough, Nancy Twigg

But that's 20 minutes many consumers say they don't have. Others say the amount they save with coupons isn't worth the bother.

There are other ways, experts say, and even small changes in shopping habits can save money.

Mary Hunt, editor of The Cheapskate Monthly newsletter, said many people are sloppy shoppers.

"I think we're spoiled. We're just so overindulged," said Hunt, based in Orange County, Calif. "We've been told we can have it all, and right now."

She sees saving and thriftiness as a moral lifestyle. "It's not about deprivation. It's an honorable way to live," she said. She promotes an "80-10-10" philosophy, with families living on 80 percent of their income, saving 10 percent and giving away 10 percent.

Good savers are patient and will postpone a purchase to find a better price or come up with a cheaper alternative, Foreman said.

People who work at saving have different motivations, he said.

There are "lifestyle tightwads," people who are frugal by choice. Others are savers by necessity, trying to get by on a lower income. Some are focused on a long-term goal such as saving for a new home, while others are extreme savers — "people who save tinfoil and shop three grocery stores to save 20 cents on a can of corn. We don't encourage them to go to that level," Foreman said.

Bottom line: Saving money requires some self-discipline and a laser focus on priorities. "So many things related to saving money do require organization and time," said Nancy Twigg, editor of a Knoxville, Tenn.-based Web site called Counting the Cost and author of "Celebrate Simply." "Sometimes the best saving strategy is to just say no."

Jolayne Houtz: 206-464-3122 and jhoutz@seattletimes.com

Tips for saving money


Don't food-shop without a "price book," a notebook to record the best prices you find on items you use the most. Most families use 15 or fewer recipes regularly, said Foreman. A price book will let you see, at a glance, whether a sale on the items you use most is really a good deal.

Pay yourself first. Get in the habit of regularly socking away some money in savings; your spending will conform to what's left over.

Create your weekly menu around what's on sale or the coupons you have.

Limit recreational shopping. Deborah Taylor-Hough of Olympia says she cut out walks around the mall with her husband that would result in $100 in unplanned purchases. When Taylor-Hough, editor of the online newsletter Simple Times, feels the urge to splurge, she puts off her purchase for 24 hours. She often ends up not buying the item.

Call the manufacturers' toll-free numbers listed on the packaging of your favorite items to request coupons. Up to one-third of manufacturers send coupons only upon request.

Pay cash.

Avoid the aisles when possible. Do your grocery shopping around the perimeter of the store, where fresh produce, dairy and meats are usually found. Also, the highest-priced items often are found at chest level. Look high or low for bargains.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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