Editor’s note: One in a series.
Muskogee accountant Judy Hoffman holds in her hands some keys to cutting one-fourth, one-third, sometimes more than half off her grocery bill.
She clips coupons out of her Sunday paper and several other sources, sorts them into plastic bags, then tucks them in an envelope each time she goes shopping.
A coupon-clipper since the 1970s, Hoffman said it doesn’t take long to find the savings.
“Every Sunday, I get the Muskogee and Tulsa papers, and I spend 15 to 20 minutes clipping the coupons and getting them organized,” she said, adding that she also takes advantage of in-store coupons.
She also watches advertisements for store specials or double-coupon promotions so she could save even more money.
Before her latest shopping excursion Friday afternoon at Homeland, 2410 Chandler Road, she presented a yard-long grocery receipt from a previous trip showing how she cut her grocery bill from more than $170 to $121.
“I saved almost one-third,” she said.
Hoffman said she organizes her coupons, then writes a shopping list based on what coupons she has.
Of course, items such as milk or produce rarely have coupons, she said. “So I look for specials.”
She said she usually has coupons for half the items on her regular shopping list.
Hoffman said she arranges coupons based on the layout of the store, then follows that route to avoid distractions.
“At Homeland, I start at the right front corner,” she said.
Once she gets an item, “I put the coupon here under my purse handle to keep it separate from the others,” she said.
Hoffman said she likes going to Homeland because the store gives double coupon rewards. She recalled saving $1.10 on a $4.99 carton of Velveeta by doubling a 55-cent coupon.
Using coupons may mean buying Duracell batteries one trip and Eveready on another.
“I just buy what I need,” she said.
That means coupons for broccoli ice cream would go unused, she agreed.
“And if they had better bargains on other items, I’d get those,” she said. During her recent trip, she bypassed a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes for a store brand, which was cheaper than what the Ro-Tel would have cost even with the coupon.
On Friday’s trip, Hoffman had coupons for all seven items she bought. Total bill was just over $27.
Then, she presented the clerk with her coupons and the cash register beeped with every cost cut.
Final bill: $20.32.
“And I got another coupon from the store,” she said, showing a $4 savings coupon printed on the back of her receipt.
Hoffman said she does not belong to an exchange club, in which members trade coupons.
But, she did recall how she convinced her husband how much she saves with those little pieces of paper.
“When we first got married, my husband didn’t believe in coupons,” she said. “So when I went shopping, I’d write a check for the gross amount, then present the coupons and have the savings remitted in change. I put the change in the cookie jar and saved enough money to go shopping.”
Eight tips to save with coupons
• Check the Muskogee Phoenix and other publications for ads with coupons or inserts with coupons, especially on Sundays.
• Don’t buy something you don’t want just because you have a coupon.
• File your coupons into categories that make sense, such as pets, baked goods, hygiene.
• Find stores that take manufacturer’s coupons and the in-store coupon for the same product.
• Try to match your coupon with a store sale, such as double coupon or buy one, get one free.
• Don’t get a product far more expensive than another brand just because you have a coupon.
• Purge expired coupons.
• Get involved with a coupon exchange.
Sources: “Save Money with Manufacturers’ Coupons” University of Illinois Extension Thrifty Living; “How to Save Money With Coupons” Suite 101.com, Judy Hoffman.
