Any other couponers?

[arianaserenityparker]

Just thought I'd see who else is a couponer.  I'm interested in seeing what kinds of deals other may have found or what kinds of frugal things you guys do.  My fiance just lost his job and that was our only income so I need more ideas if at all possible.  Last night my shopping trip to Walmart consisted of:
58 $1 MARs Easter eggs (I only got Twix and Snickers because they were out of the M&Ms ones) Price Matched them to Walgreen's sale of $.39 each and used 29 coupons for $1.00 off any 2.  So I got 11 cents overage on each one.
2 packages of Ballpark traditional franks $3.98 each and used 2 coupons for $.55 off each
1 package of chicken breasts $4.73
1 Bug Juice $.68
Total Out of Pocket $5.89
So we shall be eating hotdogs for a couple dinners but I don't mind that.  Oh and we have been making our own laundry soap for about a year.  Which consists of:
1 Bar of your favorite soap (just not Dove due to too much lotion in it) shredded
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax (optional but it makes lifting stains easier)
Approx 4 gallons water
Put 4 cups water in a pan and bring to a boil.  Mix into boiling water the shredded soap, let boil until all soap is dissolved.  While soap is dissolving get your 5 gallon bucket filled with about 3 and a half or so gallons of hot water.  To this mix in Borax and Washing soda.  Once this is done add the boiled melted soap and stir the whole mixture, cover with a lid and let sit 24 hours.  Then to use depending on how dirty your clothes are use 1/2 cup to 1 cup of soap per large load of clothes. 


So what other tips do you guys have?  And what other deals have you guys found for coupons lately?  I need all the help I can get while we are waiting for Charles to find another job. 

[HavACrumpet452]

Not me. I have to say those people who go to extremes enough to get hundreds of dollars of free stuff drive me nuts. They abuse the coupons and thus harm the farmer who made the raw materials, the manufacturer, the store selling the items, and thus the local community and economy. Using the amount of coupons a normal person receives and coupling it with store sales is smart, but those people who get like $900 worth of groceries for $50 just don't care what that's going to mean for everybody else. The stores catering to those people will eventually have to raise the prices for everybody else or stop having in-store deals.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I use coupons when they come on a box of something I may have already bought (a movie code on a pizza for example), but extreme couponing?  No way...

I firmly agree with HavACrumpet452 that the extreme couponers are putting undue strain on an already fragile economy.  People need to understand that by spending money locally, one is helping your community and your neighbors.  By trying to limit the money spent in the community, those 30 cent coupons are taking away MUCH more than 30 cents from the community's future. 

[kaoskat]

Not me. Just not my thing.

[arianaserenityparker]

Wow I didn't think anyone besides to coupon nazi cashiers had anything against coupons/couponers.  It's how we get by and I can't imagine paying full price for pretty much anything.  Or at all for toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, etc.  Surely I can't be the only one that coupons though right?

[ashes]

It's the fragile economy that has boosted the coupon-use since 2008.  And companies put out coupons during times like these to maintain brand loyalty over  store or generic brands.

But some of the extreme couponers use the stuff they buy to donate to food banks and make care packages to soldiers overseas. 

I use coupons, but it may be like, two or three per trip - nothing crazy. 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I know a few people who go extreme couponing to donate to shelters and the like.  The only problem with this is, that they go overboard in quantity.

 I was at a pharmacy the other day, picking up stuff and getting things refilled.  Waiting around, I was stuck watching some ladies set up their cart for this "care package" thing; obvious by the binder and the list they kept talking about.  10 minutes after they were done clearing the shelves, a number of other shoppers came in to buy the sale product and had to go away empty-handed.  Good thing I had gotten to the shelf before these ladies or I wouldn't have gotten the shampoo either!    I could have complained and maybe gotten a rain check but I imagine those are probably not so available from stores that can't afford to cut their profit margins any tighter.