Over the last several weeks I have gotten a few emails from readers who are discouraged – they are rather new to couponing, and it seems as though they are struggling – here is one email I just got last week from reader Amy:
I am starting to get discouraged with coupons/sales lately…. I don’t feel like I have gotten a super awesome deal in months and I’m starting to wonder if its worth all my time and effort…..
I noticed today that some of you on Facebook are going through a period where you just can’t get motivated…….. you don’t feel like clipping, etc.
Many of you may ask – is that normal? My answer – yes! I go through that daily! I know that when I started I was so very excited – but then it wasn’t long and there were periods where I just did not want to do anything. I get that even now – daily, when I wake up (ask my husband.. he’ll agree).
Everybody needs a break once in a while – so if you find yourself discouraged, then lighten up for a while – the more you over-do yourself the quicker you’ll find yourself worn out. And if you haven’t yet, join us on Facebook, because we have a great community of people to support your efforts – even when you’re in the middle of your couponing hiatus.
Is there any advice any of you can offer those who might get discouraged?
Do you find yourself in periods of discouragement, and if so – what helps you get out of the “slump”?
Join us on FB if you aren’t already! We are so much fun! We will help you along.
when I get discouraged I call my coupon neighbor/girlfriend and we make it a girls day/night out. We catch u on gossip and we use it as a way to get away from the house a bit.
I’ve had a few episodes of this myself. It usually hits me when I’m not finding really good deals to get things “freapy”… I usually cut all my coupons out of my inserts that I want to use, when I go into a slump… I leave them in the inserts and wait for a deal. Once I find a big DEAL, that tends to cure me!
Yep, totally normal. I try to remind my friends who are new to couponing that 1) you don’t have to get EVERY deal, sometimes you miss one and that’s ok, most of the time it’ll come around again (or something similar)
2) anything you’re saving compared to precouponing is AWESOME
3) don’t watch extreme couponing and expect the results they get…unless you’re ready to work at couponing like it’s your full time job, and then some!
Even if you do want be like the people on Extreme Couponing, isn’t it impossible now with couponing rules?? I don’t think it’s possible to get 200 of the same item in one shopping trip, no matter how many coupons you have!
Deals may be harder to come by, but they are still there. Maybe you arent having the “extreme coupon” life, but you are saving your family money. I hit the wall a few months ago myself and started looking for a way to revitalize.
I decided that the BEST way for me to get excited about couponing was to pass my love for it on to others. I spoke to the librarian at the local branch near me and we are now doing a coupon club there. Its always nice to look outside of yourself when you are in ANY kind of a slump. It reminds you how much you have to be grateful for, especially when you listen to those who are around you and hear there stories of struggling to make ends meet.
Another way to regain excitement is to make a goal like.. donating a certain amount of items to a charity in need. Thats also a good way to get excited about MORE free toothpaste. One organization I found out about is actually located in Phoenix. It is a group who make packages for our troops overseas. As anyone who knows someone who was or is there, you will know HOW MUCH these letters and items mean to our men and women. The morale boost is amazing. I have heard grown men choking back tears when they describe the letters and items they recieve. Anyways if you are interested in this the link to their website is here: http://www.packagesfromhome.org/
If there aren’t any deals (and lately they have been sparse) I still print and cut, the dates are far enough out, I then go through and check for any past dates in my file folder and do general organization. I kind of look at it as my job and I always see the coupons as money.
I leave my coupons in a pile and then clip while watching television with the family.
I did recently go on vacation and did not take a laptop, so no couponing and when I got home I felt I missed so much.
I went through the same thing a few weeks ago, and through a series of events I was unable to coupon for several weeks. It took forever to get my coupons clipped and filed away and I started to moan and groan because my stockpile was dwindling. However, I had to remind myself of all the money I have saved my family over the last six months and then it got a little better. But after this week of CVS moneymaking free makeup I’m back in the game. I’m so excited for Thanksgiving sales and stocking up on baking supplies.
In the beginning I tried to catch every deal and made myself sick. I also try to stick with one or two stores and CVS….those are my favorites! Seems like in my area of town the stores are either purchasing more product or I’m hitting it at the right time. Good Luck!
I dont get how anyone can get discouraged. The past 30 days has been awesome. What are people expecting from couponing? If you are waiting for free items daily, forget it. But there are great deals. For instance. two weeks ago I used coupons from the Sunday paper and the internet to get 10 of those 50.cents cans of Edge and Schick mens shaving gel from Kmart. Free? no. Cheap? Heck yeah. Last week, I got Kix cereal from Albertsons for .75 cents each. Remember those online coupons for Kix that were everywhere? Well last week was the week to use them. 4 weeks ago I got 6 free Arrid deodorants from Walgreens. Completely free. Last week and this week frys has Crest Toothpaste 4.0 Oz for 1.00. I got 8 of those for free. There is still a coupon from last weeks paper for 1.00 off that toothpaste that makes it free right now. And, finally, I got 5 Tombstone Pizzas from frys for about 1.80 each which resulted in a Catalina fro Tombstone pizza that I can use another time. I have been holding on to some of the coupons for over a month, and I was willing to let them expire but patience paid off and when the opportunity presented itself, i jumped on it. The websites and blog are a great help but you have to do the work yourself. You have to look at the weekly ads and match them to your own coupons yourself because you may have different coupons than whats posted on the blogs. The free tubes of Crest were not listed on any website but I saw the weekly ad and matched it to my coupons. I knew I had a match for 8 of them as soon as I saw the ad.
Do the work, wait it out and you WILL find the matches when they appear. It may not be a weekly thing, but it will happen. I have been couponing since July and I cant believe all that I have stockpiled in a short time. Anyone want to start a trading group in Downtown Phoenix?
I did great there for a while and then it tapered off. I gave pleanty of HBA stocked up and I was even able to donate to CASS – Central Arizona Shelter Services That is also a great place to donate to since they always need toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, sunscreen, and most any other hba you can think of. http://www.cassaz.org
I’m now needing to stock up on food items. I know this next month will be baking supplies and Thanksgiving/Christmas items. I’m excited about the Gold Medal Flour coupons because I have held off buying any in hopes they would put one up and viola! they did!
I’ve been a freaper for a few months now and I’ve saved thousands of dollars (easily). I recently hit a dry spell with coupons and found myself in a rutt as well. I didn’t feel like I was getting deals worth freaking out over, nor did I feel like I was saving enough at the store. On top of that, I was getting a lot of pressure from friends and family members. Some made fun of me, while others wanted to see every reciept I had. Couponing became more of a tedious chore than a fun hobby. I did two things that really pulled me out of my slump.
1) I went shopping with no coupons and no lists. Sounds crazy but it really opened my eyes to how much I’ve been saving. I’m betting most of us used to shop like that at some point in our lives. I almost had a heart attack after they rang up my stuff, but I found myself instantly remembering why I do this.
2) I wrote just about every company I could think of. lol! No joke. I typed up a generic, “Thank you for your awesome products…blah, blah…is there any possible way you can mail me a coupon or two?” message and sent it to almost every company that Sheryl had listed. Of course this still took about two hours, but the rewards have been amazing! About three days later, I started recieving between 2-5 letters a day from companys…FULL of coupons!!! Every one of them has a year to expire and most of them are for free (full-size) products.
Call me crazy, but this worked for me. It also helps to know more fellow freapers. You can swap coupons, share awesome deals, and vent to eachother. I may be semi new to this, but I’m more than happy to offer any support that I can. :)
jasmine_necker@hotmail.com
Discouraged, no. Worn out, yes. I *really* started this couponing gig last March and was spending day and night printing, clipping, organizing, shopping just to do it all over again. I lost a lot of sleep!! However, I found *my* groove, and because of my stockpile (which isn’t huge by any standards), when I get busy or worn out, I have that to fall back on and I no longer feel the need to get each and every deals And, when the supply is running low, because I have a organizing system that works for me, it’s easy to go to Sheryl’s match-ups, make my lists, grab my coupons and go. But, that did take a bit of time to figure out.
A few tips:
* Use a system that works for you (binder vs. file box, clip as you go or wait until you need it, etc.) and then cover your ears (or eyes if you are on FB) and go “Lalalala, I can’t hear you!” : ) Anytime I try to do what worked for someone else, it always trips me up. Stick to what you know and be confident in it.
* Any savings is GREAT! Be proud that you care able to save your family 20%, 30%, 50%, or 90% on your shopping trips. (Again, this is a time to not compare yourself to others– do your personal best.) The point is that you are saving your family more money than what you were before. Give yourself a pat on the back for that!! :)
* The FB community is fantastic!!! There are many people on there that have lots of knowledge and many are super helpful. That said, it’s okay to take a break from checking FB, too. :) It is easy to spend a lot of time on there finding out about all the deals other people get, and it can make things more busy. Sheryl posts all the time on this blog and there are so many deals to be had here– with as efficient as she is, you won’t miss a thing!!
Good luck and have fun!! Stay encouraged!!
I think it is basically impossible to Always get super great deals or free things. Sometimes there’s wks where my grocery bills may be higher than usuall. It happens. But I don’t fret too much, because I know there will be more great deals in the future to look forward to!
I think some people new to couponing may think they can always get their grocery bills super low and pay $2 for a huge cartful like on tv….when we all know that’s not the case. So I suppose I’d be disscouraged too if I thought this was how everyone else always shopped.
*Don’t be discouraged! Because in the long run couponing is so worth the time and energy spent on it! Plus Sheryl is right—-Great Facebook Community she has on her page!
I am a newbie too couponing too and in the last 2 weeks I have started I have managed to learn so much!! I had no idea what was out there and how to save so much money. The hardest part of me is holding onto a coupon because as soon as I get it I wanna use it. Anytime I’ve had a question though FB community is AMAZING. Anytime I get a savings, something for Free or share what I’ve learned it’s a wonderful feeling. Don’t get discouraged!
I would love to get together with any other freapers in Central Phx area to swap, talk and give tips and advice….let me know!!
p.s. Thank so much Sheryl you are Incredible!!!
Yes! one week of vacation from everything (work+kids+couponing) made a lot of help of being burned-out and so refreshing! (maybe not possible for you, but a day or two or three will do). I am still sticking to 2 stores ( 1 grocery and 1 pharmacy) unless I really need the ‘deal’. I am sticking to my motto==I don’t have to run after every deal out there! :O if they ran out of FREE items—no big deal, somehow along the way, I will get something in the future. Keep positive thoughts on! And what feel fulfilling when I share the deal/coupons with somebody who can use it without expecting any in return! Freapers Rule!
I have had some better weeks than others also. I was just starting to get into couponing when my husband was laid off unexpectedly. That was a strong motivation to start. We worked to build our stockpile during that time and also learned a lot of lessons.
One of the biggest lessons is that it is not really a deal if you wont use it. We wound up with some things in our pantry that six months later we have not touched. These are being donated to some other families that WILL use them.
The other lesson, like many others that have posted here, is that you cannot fret over the deal that you may have missed. With a full time job, a preschooler and an elderly parent sometimes it just doesnt all come together. But, that is ok because there will be another deal down the road and sometimes IT IS BETTER!!!!
When I am feeling tired of hunting and clipping I just look at how much I am saving compared to my pre-couponing days and I feel much better.
free treseme shampoo made me feel better last week. :D
I got into a major slump after my kids and I had strep throat for what seemed like weeks and weeks back in Sept! I was behind on the deals and my inserts were in a perfectly untouched pile on the dining room table. I felt so bad about the money I was spending on the coupons and not using them. I was just missing deal after deal and was so down until I realized I had a $4 make-up q to get out and use. I don’t know about you but buying make-up always cheers me up! Walgreens had a crazy deal on Revlon make-up. It was one of those rare Saturday evening deals where two ads overlapped making for a ridiculously good deal. I didn’t know about the deal until I got in the store, which I had forced myself to do, to try and get out of my rut. My favorite cashier was there and she showed me the deal. I think it made the 14.99 age-defying make-up like .67 each. That deal did it and re-flipped my switch and I was good to go again. I got in the car, completely buzzing from the deal and my husband even said, “Now that’s more like it!”
One thing too… I have some of my favorite receipts hanging on the side of fridge just to remind me of the amazing amounts of money that q’s are saving my family. My kids hang their artwork and awards and I hang my couponing receipts! I smile just looking at them!
I recommend smaller bites when you get in a rut. Recently I went through one, so I did a small CVS trip with a few transactions and got a ton of stuff free. It was a real boost to get me back in to mood. So maybe plan a small trip to smaller store where you know you’ll walk out with some good deals, its less overwhelming and you get a little coupon charge that you need to keep going!
When I get into that exact mode….I let myself celebrate the fact that I get to go home, I don’t have to stop at Kmart for the doubles, just to make sure there isnt a deal…No target, in case something great went on clearance.
Let yourself off the hook, get excited about not doing all the work, and before you know it you’ll miss it and jumping back in sounds fun again!
I would keep a record of savings. Even if you only save $30 a week, you’ll STILL end up saving $360 by the end of the year. That’s all of my utility payments for a month. I take that as WORTH IT.
I started couponing 2 years ago when a DR. found a rare tumor on my husbands spin. My husband just went back to work a month ago, it’s been really hard on our family. We used all our saving, had to sell our home and move to a area we never even heard of. I’m a stay at home mom so with no income coming in, I had to really learn how to coupon for my family. At first it was really hard, trying to take care of 6 kids and a sick huband, on top of the stress of not knowing what we were going to do now that my husband could’t work. It took time but I got my own system going. I didn’t get all the deals but that’s ok, there will always be more. I shop weekly once at a supermarket and once at Walmart. My last food shopping total came to $300.00 but after all my coupons came off it was $100.06. The $200.00 I saved paids our Electric bill. So to me couponing is my full time job. Friends and family think I’m crazy until they see how much I save each week. I only buy one paper a week but I have famliy and friends who don’t use coupons they send me their. No one is able to get all the deals, and it’s ok to miss one or two, don’t let it get you down. If you need a brake, take one. Hang in there because at the end of the day it’s worth it.
I get frustrated when I don’t do a deal right, or run into the cashier who hates couponers and start thinking it’s not worth the trouble. But then I get a call from Charlyn with our church’s homeless committee and she shares her excitement about the latest bag I’ve donated – that keeps me going. She even got excited about the bikini razors, she said she’d talk them up as beard trimmers ;) And the fish oil tablets were something she herself could use.
I have been lazy about my couponing recently; just not wanting to do it. I read this tonight and decided to save money tonight at Fry’s. I used my coupons and saved $25. Very happy.