I used to use coupons all the time when I purchased the majority of my food at the grocery store. For awhile I was taking any money I saved (loved the little "saved a total of" number on my receipt!) and added it directly to my savings account.

Now that I'm participating in a CSA and get almost anything else I need at the farmers' market, I find that I don't go to the store enough to actually use the coupons I do save. They expire before I get a chance to use them because my trips are so infrequent.

Hell yes. But I was doing that before the recession.

Nope. I find most of the coupons I see are for highly processed "crap" food that I try to steer clear of. And most of the boxed or canned stuff I buy is Trader Joe's brand which has no coupons obviously. But if I ever saw a coupon for say asparagus I'd definitely use it!

I use a coupon if it's for something I would purchase anyway, and if it's cheaper than the store-brand item. So I don't use them every trip. But I love it when I have a coupon for something, then it goes on sale. I do find though, that more often, the coupons are for overly processed stuff, so that's why I don't use them all that often.

It's hard to come by coupons for organic and natural products, but when I find them I definitely use them.

Heck ya. Always have when they are for products I use. I don't use most products in the Sunday coupon section though... they are usually for overly processed items.

Agree with the last three posts---coupons are for stuff I don't eat, except for the rare store coupon that is for real food or cash off.

Yes to coupons for things that would be bought anyway - no to coupons promoting the latest and greatest pretend-food.

Now that the weather is finally turning, it's back to the farmer's market for us. No coupons there.

I only shop at TJ's because it's way cheaper than the Safeway and Lucky's nearby... so nope. If I have to get something at Safeway that isn't at TJ's, I still have my "club card" so my items are somewhat discounted.

I love clipping them, but I almost always forget to bring them with me to the store!

Here in Austin we have Sun Harvest, which always has great weekly specials and also easily accessible copies of the Mambo Sprouts coupon book, which Whole Foods also carries. Mambo Sprouts is great because they have coupons for things like Oikos greek yogurt, organic chicken broth, Kashi frozen meals (still processed, but better than your average "TV dinner") etc. I think you can sign up for the coupons on their site:
http://www.mambosprouts.com/

I don't use coupons - drives me nuts to carry them around and rarely find they are for something I buy. My local store has a little scanner tag that automatically gives one the sale price and also does a donation to the food bank for purchases of their store brands - I like that. They also have promotions for things like pans or glasses that one collects stamps for. If it is something I need or want I will collect the stamps.

The local grocery store here allows a neighborhood coalition type group to tape coupons to products on the shelves, the stickers holding the coupons inform you they are donated and placed by the neighborhood group and encourages you to make a donation (presumably with the money you just saved). Obviously you can guess they have the jars at each checkout stand!

Its a great way to encourage people to give back to the community. Because they are taped right to the item you dont even have to carry them around or hand them over, the checkers usually automatically apply them for you and let you know your savings.

Those are usually the only coupons I use, unless I spot a reallly good one somewhere for something I buy anyway (or wish I bought...)

All the stores around here have "reward" cards and specials tho that automatically give you a lot of discounts anyway.

There are some Sunday circular coupons I will use -- like those for produce, such as Cuties mandarins, or Tofu House products -- which I then combine with in-store sales at my local Safeway store. Also, like Squirrely, I highly recommend the Mambo Sprouts coupon site.

While I try to stay away from overly processed foods, I find coupons useful from time to time, especially since my local, family-owned natural foods store accepts them.

I was laid off at the beginning of the recession the day before Christmas, 2007. Then, I was laid off again in March of 2008. All of this was after I moved across the country to be closer to my ailing mother.

Do I use coupons? Heck yes. My mother was a couponer when I was growing up, and although she taught me nothing on the subject, I blossomed into a couponer myself when I found myself suddenly without employment or steady income.

Just yesterday, in fact, I spent all of $30 on $240 worth of groceries - only one box of which (mac n' cheese) was processed food or junk food, I might add. (Opponents of couponing often whine about how many processed food coupons there are out there; here's a tip: Just because you HAVE a coupon for something doesn't mean you have to buy it! Plan better, people!)

Not only do I coupon for groceries, I coupon for household goods, personal items, clothing, feminine products, makeup, cleaners, etc. I won't have to buy toothbrushes for two years for my entire household; I won't need shampoo again until the possible apocalypse.

Best part? I got it for free. Free is my favorite price.

I've always used coupons-for anything I already buy. I get them in the newspaper as well as order them from Save.ca (for all you Canadians on here). (I brag that I haven't paid full price for cat food for years now)
I've also found that if there's a product I'm interested in/already use, I can go to that website and occasionally find coupons there.

I look at the coupons every week but they are mostly for processed junk. I do look online and some of the brands I like (7th gen, muir glen) have coupons on their website. Whole Foods carries a good coupon circular that often has coupons for what I buy.

Heck yes! I saved $5 last night on real basics like toilet paper, cuties oranges, razor blades and chicken stock. Kroger will even double a lot of them!

I buy coupons that I need in bulk on ebay. Just today I bought 10 $2/1 Morningstar farms products coupons and 10 daisy cottage cheese coupons. What annoys me about the Sunday inserts is that most of the coupons are for processed junk that I don't eat.

I was an avid coupon user 20 years ago. I've tried to go back to it, but I find my cooking has changed so much and that the majority of food coupons are for processed foods, which I don't buy a lot of. So I try to use coupons on non-food items.

I use coupons for things like a particular brand of cereal that I like. Other than that, I buy a lot of store brands and end up ahead of the name brand price, even with a coupon.

I started clipping coupons at the beginning of 2009. It's been an adventure finding the right balance of using coupons and buying the fresh food I want but I'm getting there. I definitely use enough to make it worth buying the paper every week.

It's Frugal Being Green

I do a fair amount of shopping at Whole Foods so the Mambo Sprouts coupons sometimes come in handy. I also find myself scoping out the weekly circular for my local grocery and buying what's on special in combination with my store card. I've been doing that for a few months now.

I bring coupons with me to the store, but I often find that the item for which I have the coupon is not necessarily the best value, even with the coupon.

I usually save more buying store brand items and foods from the bulk bins.

I am definitely a coupon clipper! In Seattle, we have the Chinook Book, a coupon book that includes organic grocery coupons and coupons that you can use at sustainable businesses around the city. It's an awesome way to live my values and save money at the same time!

I know the book is in Portland, too - maybe in some other cities as well.

I hardly ever find coupons for things that I would buy. Very rarely do they even bring the price down below the premium store brand. There's a brand of asian soup bowls that includes a coupon that I'll use, but that's pretty much it.

Store promotions through their flyer or in-store are different and much more likely to be for ingredients instead of packaged goods. Club cards for major grocers are great for discounts.

I do sometimes use coupons for pizza or other takeout/delivery, but that's about the only time its worth the effort.

Yes! Coupons are great for things like tampons, shampoo, lotion--things that I'd buy anyway not on sale. You do have to be careful not to buy things just because a coupon is there because the best way to shop is still to compare prices in-store. As preppycuisine notes, the store promotions and flyers are the best bet. Just last week I bought 2 lbs. of raw frozen shrimp for $4 and 5 lbs. of potatoes for $2, 2 lbs. butter for 99 cents. Pretty awesome savings for living in a big city.

I almost always use coupons. I shop at the farmers' market a lot when it is open (only two more months!) and also only buy grass fed organic meat. I buy no junk food , but I still use lots of coupons. I get coupons from Mambosprouts for kiefer, coconut oil, butter, Naked juices, etc. I also have lots of Muir Glen coupons and coupons for organic peanut butter. The other day I emailed 5 natural foods companies from whom I frequently purchase products and they all sent me gobs of coupons. Stonyfield Farm's website has printable coupons for regular and greek yogurt among other things. I can't usually find coupons in the Sunday paper that I will use, but online I usually find quite a few. Also, my local Publix doubles coupons and accepts competitor's coupons so it is worth my while.

I only clip coupons if it's something that I normally buy. However, I normally just buy meat, produce, and some diary products that don't have coupons. Most of the time I plan my meals for the upcoming weeks around what's on sale in the circular anyway.