Why did you start couponing???

[coupon girl]

i have couponed for 30 years -yep about that when i first got married maybe a half year in i was very young and wanted to save -have always been a great saver-so i stayed away from no name items everybody was buying back then-and bought the cereal like corn flakes with .25 cents off it was a rush to save and still is to this day-mind you i didnt stockpile a lot back then was in an apt-then when we bought a house-started storing down the basement-a person -a guy at work his wife-told me about smartcanucks afew years back -i joined and didnt lurk -so happy i did-my husband retired early-and has a partime job and i am still working part time and this really helps i save a few thousand last year 2.400 around that and we bought our daughter's wedding dress and shoes -in my mind part of the savings from coupons helped us with that.-i was out of work last summer for 3 months no pay -for a family members health and my stockpile really helped-so i have to work on building it back up.plus i just got into trading coupons with people across canada to help me save more this year

[sdddmd]

I started last april after seeing a few episodes of Extreme Couponing...."I know...LOL". Anyways, before that I'd barely even watch out for sales on the items I needed. I'd get all my weekly shopping done at the supermarket and that was it...I hated the thought of going from one store to another for different items on sale. For me, that was such a waste of time and energy.
I totally see things differently now and I realize that I was paying way too much $ for everything. I can't believe how much we're saving right now and how easy it is to just go downstairs when we run out of shampoo, or TP, or whatever....
As time goes by, I notice I'm able to save more and more money. It's really unbelievable!!

[safielstar]

A couple years ago when DH and I got our first house was when I really got into couponing. Since we had a house, our expenses went up, so I wanted to find a way to cut back our weekly grocery budget. Also, I noticed we were spending waaaaay too much on Christmas gifts for DH's family, so I wanted to find ways to do gifts without breaking the bank, and I came across the much-used tactic in couponing: gift baskets

[DeeThomas]

It's so interesting to read everyone's stories.

I had to stop working while my immigration application is considered. I'm very lucky that my partner can support me financially, but it's desperately important to me to to make a financial contribution.

Now that I have lots of time I hunt down the best prices for groceries, clip coupons and cook from scratch. We can't believe how much money we're saving, and we can't imagine ever spending the same way when (hopefully 'when' and not 'if'!) I can work again.

[hollym81]

My story is pretty similar to most other people's, my husband is self employed so his income isn't always consistant so I'm always looking for ways to save money. Especially after seeing Exteme Couponing I wanted to know if it was possible in Canada to save so much money? I started googling and came across this site!! It's been about 6 months since I've made couponing a regular routine and I'm never going back to the way I shopped before. I've always been a deal hunter and always watched sale prices but now that I've thrown coupons into the mix, it's a whole other ballgame!! Thanks to everyone for all the helpful tips!!

[abc]

Thankyou everyone for sharing your stories!

[MommyMelanie2007]

I have a special needs daughter who is 4 and still in diapers and formula. She also has alot of other feeding problems and many medications and over the counter meds and many hours of therapy, I also have alot of therapists who come in to the home so I was spending a ton on cleaning prouducts trying to keep the house clean. add all that up and her bills kept climbing climbing. I needed to get my bills down so I can stay home to take care of her. and coupons do that for me.

[Chantel]

I hated spending money on things. I had limited spending money as a kid, so I made it go as long as I could.

One summer, I went camping with my friend Emily. She had this deodorant that I loved, it smelled so good. I really wanted some and started buying it, but it was kinda expensive ($2-3, I was conscious of sales already so we bought on sale).

I then got bored at some point and decided I loved getting freebies in the mail. So I started with that, then I realized this site had so much more than just freebie posts (I don't even go to that section anymore, I get enough free stuff that I don't have to) and it began.

Fast forward to sometime in the warmer months maybe a year later than the camping trip. I had a $9 WUB 3 womens products coupon from P&G. We were at walmart. The deodorant I wanted was a little over $3 each, and I used my coupon. I walked out of there with 3 deodorant for about a dollar and tax.

So good.... so legal... I fell in love.

After that it just blew up. I did my first stack and spent $11 on $40 worth of pads, toothbrushes, deodorant etc. in October 2010, right after I got my license. LOVED IT.

It was not only something my mom and I could do together, but something I could do to help our family. I don't pay rent, I just buy them laundry soap, lol.

[wolfwoman]

Like a few other SCers, I watched Extreme Couponing(mask over face) and thought, What the He**? I started and then found this site which really helped. I also saw a show on Freegens and thought look at all that waste. I live in a somewhat small farming community and I knew that would be impossible, so couponing it was. AND I LOVE IT!

[maggiespice]

To be honest, I don't really know why I started couponing. I think that while I was surfing I accidentally stumbled across SC and it peaked my interest and voilà!....almost 3 years later still going strong!!!!

[NuCoupon]

I started couponing in July 2011. We had bought a condo the previous year and we were trying to pay extra payments. We started cutting things out. Then one day my husband was low on shaving stuff, deodorant and mouthwash. I went to Shoppers and spent $30 on just a few items. I had seen Extreme Couponing and thought there had to be a better way. I got P&G inserts and got deodorant for 75 cents, aftershave for less than $3. Then I got LEVER 2000 for $1.50 (with tearpad coupons) and mouthwash for less than $3 (Living well coupon). This was all taxes in. Then I was hooked! It wasn't just the coupons but stocking up on only sale items. I'll never go back

[Tweets77]

I have used coupons since I was a teenager..(some time back!!) I always have been on the lookout for ways to save money. We all work far too hard to throw it away! When our kids were small and there was only one income...we had to stretch every dollar. Now that retirement is a light at the end of the tunnel, I want to keep as much of the money that we earn as we can. I can think of better ways to spend it than to give it to big business. I want to be able to afford to take vacations etc., and have some fun and not have to pinch every penny. I work with seniors and I see that stuff every day.

[Jnazurk]

This is fun! I have couponed mildly for about 5 yrs. I just liked it. But, I didn't search for coupons-if they came my way I took them, or always stopped a the RCSS board.

I used to only use my coupons on cheap Tuesday thinking I was making the most of them! I was wrong.

I had seen Extreme Couponers but blew it off as those lucky Americans. Can't do that up here. But then I saw a lady from Ontario on the Marilyn Denis Show who talked about her couponing skills and I was impressed! She was getting things for free/really cheap. So I started to match the coupons up with sales. What a difference!

I'm on mat leave now and I won't be going back so things will be tight for a couple of years until she starts school. Then I'm planning on finding work again. But I doubt I'll EVER go back to my old ways!

[ravenfyre]

I've used coupons for years but not at the level I do now, and I never actively searched for coupons before... DH and I moved back to Canada from overseas about six months ago, and came back without jobs - I'm still looking for work, and he only works retail... And we just got married as well, which wasn't cheap! I started researching about saving money, and learned about all the free or insanely cheap brand-name things I could be getting... and I was hooked!

[Tresmom]

I used coupons occassionally over the years but when I went back to work P/T May 2011 my DH told me I'd better get a 2nd P/T job. Started doing some research and found SC. Around that time Tre (my dog) got really sick and we had to change his food it's now $175/month so this allowed us to cut back on our grocery expenses and balance things out. DH and I are now addicted!