I no longer do coupons. I used to read them religiously , cut and sort and save, But I often couldn't find the item in my local stores or the coupons expired too soon. I find I do better by being a "cherry picker". I shop my weekly store ads and only buy what's on a good sale. Today I bought 6 whole chickens for 49 cents a pound, average about $1.20 each. I once tried to buy a single jar of mayonnaiose on sale for $1.25 but needed an additional $40 purchase, so I didn't get that one.

Amen.

Use a lot of trees ... that no longer suck up carbon dioxide, to make oxygen.

That I need to breathe.

I think that I'll take flyer to the store manager, asking how many trees it takes ...

... and suggest that they put a message on top of the rack where they put the flyers, at the entrance door, saying,

"To pre-plan your shopping trip, this flyer is available online at www.(savemoney).com".

This would be helpful to the the discount grocers, as some don't distribute flyers to homes (in our area, out of town, at least) ... though one does.

o j

I agree. The waste of paper is horrible.

If they would just lower their prices, feature name brands made in the US etc they would do so much better.
Not true. Let's face it, they look very closely at this type of advertising. It works. Look at the number of people with their coupons at the checkouts. And the register goes ca-ching! People will use a coupon and buy Binford 6100 brand ketchup to save 10 from the $1.99 price, and avoid the Bargain Saver brand of ketchup that's 79¢ without a coupon. I pointed out several such things in the Walmart thread and someone threw a hissy fit. And the Binford 6100 ketchup lovers won't like this either!

Need more proof? How many people like telemarketers? Not many. But why do they keep calling? Because it works! Why do people spam? Because it works. Why do people try to con people out of their money? You know why.

And sadly, we used to have TVs made in the USA, but, as my partner used to put it "It's the All-American CHEAP!". People go to MegaLoMart and buy something $10 cheaper and pay $50 each year to walk in the door to get the 5 gallon pail of peanut butter and 100 roll package of toilet paper. Yes, some can't afford to spend more. But many who can, won't. And there's the ongoing argument about this too. Disposable vs repairable. Ironic isn't it? People will argue that they won't spend their hard-earned money on something higher priced, yet will turn around and remodel a kitchen for $20,000 or buy a new washer and dryer because the old one is 5 years old, or get a new (imported?) car every couple years, because, well "I deserve it". And how many people buy SUVs that will never see so much as a gravel road? And then of course there's all the bankruptcy attorneys and other ambulance chasers telling you to "make them pay!" I shake my head in dismay, then burst out laughing. What a country! And yes, it's your money to spend - spend it how and where you like.

I wonder how many people understand the domino effect of some of these issues. Companies have to cut prices, so they have to cut costs. So we end up with support lines featuring people with English as a second language at best who read scripts from the computer in front of them then hang up on people they can't help. Or they'll buy steel from overseas rather than American steel. Then complain when their spouse, friend or relative lose their jobs. Just a couple examples.

Pretty packaging, celebrity endorsements, repetitive advertising of all types, all add to the price. If they cut that down, they sure could cut prices, but they'd likely lose market share. Moxie Soda made the fatal mistake of cutting their advertising and are now a tiny fraction of what Coca-Cola is, who chose to continue advertising. Does anyone really think McDonald's is its size because of the taste and quality of its product? How many people can't finish at least most of these:

-You deserve a ________ today.
-2 all beef patties,_________________________________
-McDonald's is your kind of ________
-Look for the Golden ________ in your neighborhood

And coupons are another protected species. I see people on here swearing they save thousands of dollars a year with coupons. They'll spend $10 on multiple newspapers to get coupons. I don't get it.

Me? I'll continue to buy the bargain brands when they work for me. However I still compare prices. Sometimes a name brand is cheaper so I go with that. There's a few name brands that I stick with because I don't find suitable substitutes. I don't get the Sunday paper so I get few coupons. Occasionally I'll get some and if it's for something I like I'll use them. But I'm not a coupon king. And do just fine with my budget.

One thing I'm surprised about although I shouldn't, is how many don't do any planning when they shop. I'm amazed at the number of people who go to the store nearly daily and "shop". What should I have today? I have better things to do with my time.