Around the Sun: A Blog About Saving Money in Portland, Oregon, and beyond

Coupon Clipping Services: Are They Worth It?

May 16th, 2007

I never thought I’d buy coupons. Pay money to save money; it didn’t seem intuitive. But my first experience with a coupon clipping service convinced me that, in the right circumstances, buying coupons is worth it.

Last week, grocery chain Albertsons advertised a special that caught my eye:

6 bottles of All Small & Mighty liquid laundry detergent for $15
Or $2.50 per bottle

Not a bad deal in and of itself, but I knew that there was a $1 coupon from the Sunday paper a few weeks ago.

Problem was, I had just one coupon. Even though Portland-area Albertsons stores add an additional $0.50 savings for each coupon used*, one coupon hardly made a difference:

6 All detergents: $15 – $1 coupon savings – $0.50 additional savings = $13.50
Or $2.25 per bottle

But if I could get a coupon for each item purchased, I could reduce my cost substantially:

6 All detergents: $15 – $6 coupon savings – $3 additional savings = $6
Or $1 per bottle

Now this price got my blood pumping.

I decided to visit The Coupon Clippers, a site I had heard about in online coupon forums. Managed by Rachael Woodard, The Coupon Clippers is a coupon clipping service that provides manufacturer’s coupons and rebate forms for a small handling fee.

I ordered 14 coupons for All Small & Mighty, as well as 22 other coupons to use on other sales. The total cost for these coupons was $3.89. If I could do the All deal twice, the cost would be:

12 All detergents: $30 – $12 coupon savings – $6 additional savings = $12
Total cost: $12 + $3.89 (cost of coupons) = $15.89
Or $1.32 per bottle

This wasn’t as good as $1 per bottle, but it was an acceptable price for me. And if I could use the other coupons I had purchased, the cost per item purchased would go down even further.

I ordered the coupons on Tuesday night, and they were shipped on Wednesday. The coupons arrived on Saturday, enough time for me to use them on the sales.

I would definitely use The Coupon Clippers again. The process was problem-free, and the turnaround was as promised. If you don’t have the right coupons on hand and don’t have the ability or motivation to get them in a more economical way, I would recommend giving The Coupon Clippers a try.

Tips for using a coupon clipping service:

• Read the fine print. Make sure you understand the ins and outs of the service, such as fees, location (this will give you an indication of shipping time), turnaround time for orders, minimum orders and limits, and customer service. For The Coupon Clippers, I recommend reading the FAQ section of the website before purchasing.
• Check turnaround time. Will the coupons arrive in time for you to use them before a sale ends or before the coupons’ expiration date?
• Do the math. Calculate the cost of the coupons into your total cost for the items. Is the total cost still acceptable to you?

* Portland-area Albertsons stores allow you to use the Thriftway and Safeway “doubles” coupons from the Oregonian Foodday issue. 

For more information on coupons, check out these articles:
“And Your Total Is $0″
“You’re Not Alone”
“My Grocery Game (Part 1)”
“My Grocery Game (Part 2)”

Entry Filed under: Coupons,Food,Groceries