Couponing--My Love-Hate Relationship With It

I have tried several times to use coupons to save money.  A long time ago, my mother explained that there are times that coupons are not worth it.  She showed me that a generic brand might be cheaper than a brand item, even with the coupon.  Granted there are some brand items that taste better, and I will draw the line there.  Ketchup is one culprit that I cannot substitute for generic.  I can always taste the difference. 

Anyway, couponing saves me over $15 on a good trip. While I'm at the store, I pass around the good coupons to one person, usually my hubby.  The grocery list is handed off to another one, usually my teenage daughter. Then, I put away those coupons I won't be using in my purse.  My method is so frustrating.  I literally start to sweat.

Many times I have cut coupons ahead of time.  Fortunately, I have a blue organizer with dividers for the categories; however, I think its usefulness is nil, when I am at the grocery store.  There are times that I have had to throw away those coupons that expire.  It's embarrassing when the cashier hands you back an expired one.  Sometimes I also run out of time to create a good grocery list to match up useful coupons; my efforts at cutting them ahead of time is wasted. 

That's why I started looking at some of the couponing websites.  I wanted to go into the forums to see how those that are coupon-savvy do their thing.  Here are some fact that I have discovered:

1. Some women cut only the coupons that they need, when they make out their grocery lists.

2. Some of them use binders to organize their coupons.  They insert those see-through baseball card holder pages and place the individual coupons in each slot.  They actually take these binders with them to the grocery store.

3. Some of them trade coupons within couponing websites.  This is an awesome idea.

4. Some of them combine coupons.  I still am not ready for this, especially at the drug stores.

5. Some of them love to share their adventures daily, with pictures and mathematical explanations.  You can sign up with newsletters.

6. Some of them love to share coupons sites, advice, and their philosophy about couponing.  That's great for us novices.

7. Some of them actually save $40 per week or more for their families. I wish I had the patience and knowledgeable to do the same.

If you, my readers, are game for attempting the couponing challenge I urge you to try these websites, which I found are also on Facebook:   

http://www.coupondispatch.com
   
http://www.CouponsEqualCash.com

http://www.weusecoupons.com

http://www.couponmountain.com

http://www.couponcabin.com


I hope you, my readers, find this blog entry useful.

How about you?  Do you know of other websites pertaining to coupons?  Would you be willing to share what you know about couponing?

Peace out, my beloveds.