I'm too lazy to even be a lazy couponer.

Pretty much the best way I've found to save money is to never go shopping. But, sometimes, in the course of life, there's things you need, particularly in the way of food. So every now and then I think I should learn how to be a good bargain shopper. When I'm in that mood, I invariably find myself reading books like Jamie Chase's The Lazy Couponer: How to Save $25,000 Per Year in Just 45 Minutes Per Week with No Stockpiling, No Item Tracking, and No Sales Chasing!.

It's an interesting book, and it's got a lot going for it. Chase does not advocate chasing sales or stockpiling supplies, or other super-couponer strategies like that, which is a relief. But it turns out that what she does advocate--doubling up store and manufacturers' coupons (they're called Qs, by the way; Chase's entire first chapter lays out all the couponing jargo for you), printing off coupons right before you go shopping, and stacking coupons with purchases designed to earn you store rewards like CVS's "Extra Care Bucks"--well, it's still too much work for me.

I'm going to stick with just never shopping, but if you'd like a good low-key guide to using coupons at grocery stores, drugstores, and online, do consider this one.

Comments

[Beth]

thank you for this brief but helpful review CR. my patrons are always on the hunt for helpful couponing books, and this one seems to fill a niche within a niche.

i, however, am with you. bargain shopping/couponing is just too much work for me.

[Phaedosia]

Never shopping is my strategy, too. However, it was kind of depressing last night to come home late from work feeling snacky and being faced with nothing but an ice-encrusted hot pocket that's probably been in the freezer since June. This book sounds like it's worth a gander.

[Citizen Reader]

Beth,
Always glad to be of help. There's a really wide variety of couponing books out there, and this was a relatively straightforward one, which I appreciated.

Phaedosia,
Well, I misspoke. I do shop for groceries--a lot. (I like food. A lot.) What's depressing is how much I spend in the grocery store and how often I still, like you, feel there's nothing around to eat. There is of course plenty around to eat, but not what I want at right that moment, which is usually some kind of large, involved chocolate pastry. I am clearly spoiled.

Did you end up eating the Hot Pocket?

[Teresa]

I used to do coupon in a small way (as in I clipped them from Sunday's paper and kept them in a little coupon wallet that lived my purse), but I don't get the paper anymore. Almost all the coupons I ever see anymore are for things that I don't want, even at the coupon price. I'm sure there are good ones out there, but I'm too lazy to seek them out.

[Bybee]

Couponing and points cards drive me absolutely nuts. Those little stickers that go on the cards? Yikes. Luckily, I have this friend who loves all that kind of stuff and since we're often together, I just pass it all to her and she's delighted.

[Phaedosia]

LOL! I hear you about the chocolate pastry! No--I stared at the hot pocket glumly for a bit, then threw it out. I think I ended up eating some dry cereal. I did make up a shopping list for my husband (he's a stay-at-home dad). I figured someone should probably buy groceries since the kids would probably like to eat. (I am way over-exaggerating here--the kids are fine.)

You're right, though, the grocery bills are HUGE and it feels like we go through them so fast. I get sticker shock whenever I go to the supermarket, especially in the last eight months or so. Produce and canned goods have steadily been creeping up since just before summer, it seems. So maybe it would be worth it to start couponing.

[Citizen Reader]

Bybee,
Agreed. Sometimes I can't help but sign up for the rewards cards but by and large I just don't buy enough at any one store to make it worthwhile.

Phaedosia,
Ha! Sorry the hot pocket didn't make the cut.

I always feel like I have a foot in two worlds because I grew up on a farm where my parents despaired about people complaining about their food bills. And in America of course we do have ridiculously cheap food, depending on unhealthy factory farming methods. So I recognize that food is really not that expensive (especially not compared to any kind of health care visit or service, which is INSANE and for which I don't even feel I get anything, unlike with groceries). But still. It's really the only place I spend money so you do tend to notice when it goes up!

Of course, after saying all that, I still feel like: couponing UGH.

p.s. I had no doubt that your kids were fine! If nothing else maybe they scored a hot pocket out of the trash. :)

[Phaedosia]

Ha! Yeah, I do have to be careful, my two-year-old has no qualms about dumpster diving.

Okay--much to my embarrassment, I am woefully uninformed about factory farming methods, how food gets to my table, etc. I had stuck The Omnivore's Dilemma on my TBR shelf after reading your "Food and Health" installment of the 100 Best-ish Non-fiction Titles (great series, btw). What else should I read?