How much time does it take to get these fantastic deals?

[alyshamarie]

I have a full time job and am a mother of two ... I wish I could coupon and find these great deals but it seems like I just don't have the time. To go through target to look for the great clearance items is really time consuming and I just don't have that kind of time. Luckily I have a cheat sheet thanks to all you smart canucks ... but I can never actually find these deals on my own.

Soooo question is ... how much time a week do you diehards spend looking for fantastic deals?

[redfox]

with little time to spare, check out the brags , and scour the coupon match ups,, im guessing people just stumble upon a deal,, i have been a member for a long time and probably only found one or two on my own. im out and about at least 3 times a week

[GracieAnne]

It does take a lot more time than people realize. I'm not working at the moment, but when I was working a full time contract position last year, I found I had zero time to coupon or looking for deals. About all I had time for was figuring out match ups for my weekend grocery shopping trip.

Considering most of the special facebook fpc promotions go live between 9am and 5 pm, it is more difficult for those working full time.

[annedougherty]

If you don't have much time, focus on price matching, coupon matchups, and rebate apps (checkout 51, snap saves, cartsmart).

[luckbealady]

I don't live in the city - only go there once a week to do our shopping.
So I read about the deals others find, make note of them, and then add a note to look at them when I make my grocery list/coupon match ups Thursday night (we get our flyers Thursday afternoon, and then usually shop Saturday or Sunday).

A lot of the time I do miss out on amazing deals, because I can't get out to look when they are posted, or spend time checking out stores myself. But it's not the end of the world - any deals I can get are good, but they are an extra in my shopping (even if just stocking up on something cheap/free), so it's not the end of my world if I miss out - I still get what I need in my regular shop.

[Shwa Girl]

It does take a lot more time than people realize. I'm not working at the moment, but when I was working a full time contract position last year, I found I had zero time to coupon or looking for deals. About all I had time for was figuring out match ups for my weekend grocery shopping trip.

Considering most of the special facebook fpc promotions go live between 9am and 5 pm, it is more difficult for those working full time.

Can I make a comment about the time thingy. Sometimes I would do it on my lunch break at work. If I got some smart remarks from coworkers, just take it to the car and do it.

A little bit each day, adds up to savings, IMHO.
Cha Ching. Cha Ching.
Just my humble opinion....

[nicolthepickle]

I only look for deals when I go actually go (once every two weeks) grocery shopping. I do find it helpful to have a detailed shopping list before hand though.

[cinpow]

regarding clearance deals in stores, like the target ones, its mostly all about "luck" and "chance". its all about being at the right place at the right time and how frequency of shopping trips. It looks like some people goes shopping almost everyday, where as me who shares one car with bf , only able to go shopping once, twice a week, max three times. my chance of getting on the deals is less than other, so I would need more luck on my side to score deals. regarding pmings and match ups, is all about your hard work, if you are willing to spent the time, you will get good deals.

[torontogal12]

I agree with Cinpow, the clearance stuff is very much "right place at right time" and also dependent on where you live.

E.g. I live in one of the highest foot traffic areas in the country and I rarely find good clearance stuff because items sell out before they even get marked down. Other places with lower foot traffic have fab clearance because there's less people buying.

You can't drive around everywhere looking for deals because the time and gas money negates the bargain. You don't know the backstory behind the brags you read so can't assume they were all planned out, and you also don't know how often people shop, whether they are single, have families, work night shifts, etc, so you can't compare yourself to others.

I personally spend about 20 mins a week going through flyers, circling what I want. We take the car to the store with the best flyer to pick up heavy stuff like milk and juice and I pick up odds and ends on my way home sometimes if the store with a good meat or veg sale is on my way home (3 grocery stores and 6 SDMs on my direct route and I have a subway pass) but not everyone has this luxury.

Just focus on flyer matchups, Checkout 51 and you'll be doing great. That's basically what I do. You can't invest your time in trolling deals that may or may not happen, and don't feel bad about missing deals because the same deal ALWAYS comes along again (sometimes, the next week, just at a different store)

[CanadianCouponCollector]

.. I devote a lot of time to it, but this is because I am hoping to build an online presence (it's fun to me). As others have said, focus on price matching and using apps (checkout51,snapsaves and cart smart) and learn the rock bottom price on items your family uses. Check SC for super deals and don't stress.

I belong to a fabulous local coupon group on Facebook and get most of my current unadvertised deals from other members who share what they've found.

[tjthemanto]

I have a full time job and am a mother of two ... I wish I could coupon and find these great deals but it seems like I just don't have the time. To go through target to look for the great clearance items is really time consuming and I just don't have that kind of time. Luckily I have a cheat sheet thanks to all you smart canucks ... but I can never actually find these deals on my own.

Soooo question is ... how much time a week do you diehards spend looking for fantastic deals?

It does take a lot of time !

Lot of it is not in your hands , so don't feel bad.

Things like

1.how close these stores are to you ,
2.are they on your way to work/day care etc ,
3.how coupon friendly your stores are
4.how is the CS in your area stores
5.how friendly & efficient the staff is
6.how promptly they update & price their clearance prices/signs
7.how well the store is merchandised
8.are there any coupon hoarders or coupon meanies in your area
9.how efficient your flyer delivery guy is ..as you need flyers for PM & for the cpn inserts to come with the flyer
10. how efficient the mail is in your area ..as you need the CP guy for trades , mail order cpns etc
11. how easily they accept printables in your area stores.

So depending all these factors ( most of which are not under your control ) ..you can spend very little or a long long time getting deals etc

Time is momey ..so sometimes it might not be worth it & others times its worth it ..depending on the deal & corresponding time spent.

Factor in the gas , time , energy, your well being , family everything when going for or not going for a deal ..don't just look at the dollar value..lot of intangibles & unseen factors in it.

[coupon girl]

-I have been doing this many years -I feel people on smart canucks -help post the deals and I take note
-price matching -all foods in pkg and I even started price matching meat, fruit and veggies really helps you save-as for clearance -you have to be in the right spot -just luck
-yes do sign up for checkout1 ,snapsaves and you don't need a cell-phone-jus digital camera and load it up to computor -very easy I have gotten 41.00for the 2 companys this past week-extra money in our pocket
-but alas-it does take time,gas and the rest like tjthemanto stated

- I have always looked t it as a hobby that i have done for 32 years and all hobbies cost you something

[alyshamarie]

Thanks everyone! I can do the coupon and PM at home when the munchkins go to sleep!, unfortunately I haven't had much luck at random finds but everyone here helps so much.. I will have to make lists and be more prepared the few times it get to the stores!,

[Minou]

Get to know when in the year certain things go on sale or clearance, and buy those items then. Toilet Paper and Quaker stuff often goes on sale in September. Kids' clothes are at their best prices in February and July. Toys at Superstore go on sale in February and July. Carlton cards regularly clears out seasonal cards for 10 for $1.00. Target had 90% off clearance on Christmas stuff after the first week of January. They cleared out toys at 50% and 70% off in August last year, at 50% off just before Christmas, and at 70% off at the end of January. Carters tends to have the best prices in February. I work full-time and have two little boys, so I don't have all the time in the world to shop, either. There are fewer good coupons than there used to be, but I stock up when things go on sale or clearance. I haven't had to buy diapers in about a year, having stocked up on my supply at clearance with coupon prices. I pay attention to Shoppers and buy grocery items there when they're on sale and there's a points event, then I use the points for Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Hallowe'en and at other times when I need something. I can stop in at Superstore or Shoppers on my way from work to daycare. I don't always chase deals, but I do know where and when to look. If I'm at Walmart, I'll always swing by the clearance kids' shoes, as I've found $1.00 running shoes before. If all else fails, dads are pretty willing to babysit on weekends when the kids go for naps!

[Kwala]

I work full time as well but most of my savings are from price matching as I don't usually have time to run to the store every time people find something. I have to pick up my kid from after school so don't usually have the time to stop on the way home either but sometimes if I am not too busy at work, I will go out at lunch time. On the weekend we usually spend most of the time together and I know I can't go anywhere without my husband and kid so I can't go coupon or deal hunting either unless I am shopping at a particular store and somebody at this forum had posted some deal at that store, I will check to see if I can find it. Before joining this forum, I didn't know about the MIRs and about a lot of the promotions like Astro and Movie tickets from the cereal boxes. I would actually toss out the boxes without checking how to redeem these things