Coupon Usage For a Year - How Much Can I Really Save?

I've been asked sooo many times - is it really worth it to clip coupons?  I personally have to say YES, but I wanted to break it down a little bit so you can see the total savings over a years' time.

Let's just say you spend on average $200 per week in groceries.  This is a figure I'm using based on a family size of 4-6 people, so yours may be lower or higher, depending.  $200 per week translates into $10,400 per year!  The numbers always scare me when I see them this way, but when I was spending that much it never occured to me the figure was so huge in the overall.

Coupon users can fall into many categories, so I'll try to cover several so you can see where you might fall:

Casual coupon user - this person will clip coupons for products they normally use but they don't seek them out.  If they see one, they clip it.  If not, no big deal.

Standard coupon user - this person clips coupons on a regular basis and may even have a filing system to store them.  They'll actively clip coupons from the newspaper and use them when they see the product they want.

Die Hard coupon user - this person clips coupons ALL the time (me).  They'll clip any and every coupon they see whether they need it or not.  They'll hang onto the treasured coupon until a sale so they can get the maximum bang for their buck.

If you spend $200 per week, here's where the differences become apparent:

Casual coupon user - this user will have a small handful of coupons to use for their shopping trip.  They'll buy products they normallly use and save a few bucks in the process.  On a $200 shopping trip they'll save an average of $25.00, or $12.5% off their shopping bill for just 10 minutes of before-shopping prep time.  Not bad - over a years' time, they'll save an average of $1,300! 

Standard coupon user  - this user will have lots of coupons in hand and will shop with an alert eye.  They'll buy products on their list with a coupon, and will save even more than the casual coupon user.  On a $200 shopping trip they'll save an average of $70.00, or 35% off their shopping bill for just 30 minutes of before-shopping prep time.  This is getting better - over a years' time, they'll save an average of $3,640!! 

Die Hard coupon user - this user will have a whole envelope/folder/box of coupons in hand and a detailed list to go with it (they'll probably have a calculator too!).  They ONLY buy products on sale, with a coupon, and they'll buy extras of super-cheap items to stock up for later.  Meats and produce will be purchased in the clearance section, and anything not on the list stays on the shelf.  On a $200 shopping trip they'll save AT LEAST $140.00, or 70% off their shopping bill for just one hour of before-shopping prep time.  This is awesome - over a years' time, they'll save an average of $7,280!!! 

You may ask how I came up with my figures.  I personally have been all of the above over the last 16 years, and I'm figuring out my averages over these years. I've also talked with several friends about their usage and savings as well, so their numbers have gone into my calculations too.

Coupons can give you a "part time income" if you will.  I've been a stay at home mom (or work at home mom) now for almost 16 years.  I've had a couple of jobs outside the home for a total of about 1 year, so we've lived on one income most of our marriage.  If I were to go to work part time, I figure I could make about $200 per week (based on 20 hours x $10/hr), which after taxes would equal about $160.  Since I'm one of those crazy die hard coupon users, I save almost that much each and every week!  I would say it takes me an average of only 1 hour per week to do this, so I am in essence earning $140.00 PER HOUR of my time by using these coupons.  Hmmm...too bad I can't earn that much full time, huh?  The best part is that I'm helping my family by saving money, and I'm able to continue to stay home with my kids. 

You may find yourself falling neatly into one of these categories or somewhere in between.  My lesson here is that using coupons CAN save you alot of money!  You have to decide how much money you want to save and build your coupon style around your households' needs.

Is using coupons worth it to me?  YOU BET!