"If a coupon tempts you into buying stuff you don’t really need, it actually wastes money instead of saving it. But how much money can coupons, when used wisely, really save you? A lot, apparently. Over at Blogher, Denise Tanton’s been writing a series in extreme couponing — and the savings she describes are pretty incredible:
Last week at the commissary, I spent $7.29. We bought two dozen eggs, each marked down to .49 with a .55 coupon off of two dozen. We bought a bag of shredded lettuce for $1, a bunch of bananas, a half gallon of milk, and a loaf of cheese bread. As I type that, I can hardly believe it – I’ve never spent less than $30 on a commissary visit for a family of six.
My guess is that a lot of that food wasn’t organic. But Denise does write that extreme couponing has a close relationship to green living skills — like reducing, reusing, and plain old conserving. “Extreme coupon bloggers and forums also share good ideas for re-purposing products, avoiding food waste, and meal preparation ideas to save both time and money,” writes Denise.
I have to admit I spend a lot more money on my organic, local food than Denise does, as I’ve yet to find coupons for produce at local farmers markets. To be fair, the deals I get at the farmers market are pretty stellar in themselves. For would-be frugal food shoppers that don’t want to abandon their commitment to locavoring, I recommend hitting the local farmers market about 20 minutes before closing time, when some farmers drastically reduce prices!
For the more seriously frugal eaters, Sharable’s got the “The Gen Y Guide to Collaborative Consumption.” There, you can get ideas for spending even less on food — by gardening (on a neighbor’s lawn if you don’t have one of your own), harvesting from nearby fruit trees, or holding a food swap. I think the list should also include scrounging and freeganism!
The Guide to Collaborative Consumption also has tips for getting everything from housing to transportation without buying things and spending less overall. Read it and save."
As a former Navy wife, I need to disclose that the military commissaries sell brand-name foods at a big discount, and they take coupons, but don't double them or anything. They do not sell generic items, because they can't get a substantial discount to buy them (they're already discounted). Trouble is, not everyone can just waltz in and buy there--you have to be military, or a military spouse or retiree. I can no longer shop there because my husband was medically discharged--no retirement, and no current active duty status.
The Defense Department haggles deals with major food suppliers, and the food suppliers have come to depend on what amounts to a defense contract for survival. In other words, YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT WITH TAX DOLLARS.
When I could shop there, I didn't much--I found better deals elsewhere. The only things I bought from the commissary were meats, dairy, and supplements. The rest I bought at a local grocery store, a salvage grocery store, or a Sun Harvest store (owned by Whole Foods--they had blowout bin sales!).
The military desperately needs to get out of the food business, because better deals can be found in just about any other grocery store, even without coupons. You can go into a WallyWorld and spend less than you would at the commissary, with the exception of meats and dairy. So now you can imagine that most of these shoppers think extreme couponing is a godsend compared to the commissary...and now you're probably beginning to wonder why so many military families cry and moan about being broke all the time, when they can get food for pennies, car insurance for a few bucks, and health care for free (or a few more bucks--depends on what plan they go with).
Why are they broke? Look what they drive, and look at what they watch TV on. Count the smart phones, computers, and game consoles. It isn't the pay, but how they choose to spend it. I never spent like that when I was a Navy wife--in fact, we lived quite well on half Hubby's meager pay.
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