View Full Version : A question on budget management
Finn&Fionna
05-11-2012, 06:20
Anyone ever try clipping coupons when they get in to town? or even bringing a small envelope of them with you to save a few bucks every time you go food shopping? I imagine it would be relatively easy to grab a few coupon sections from papers and such if you find an abandoned paper or someone gives you one. It would even be worth the 50 cents to buy a paper if you could save a few dollars at the grocery store.
thoughts?
peakbagger
05-11-2012, 07:31
You will find that you can save a lot more money doing an "in and out" town day versus and overnight than anything you could save with coupons. Much of the money spent in town is for "luxuries" that will not be covered by coupons. A motel room, a couple of large meals and snack food are the big budget hits. By heading out early in the AM from the trail, going into town, getting your resupply done and then heading back on the trail, you will cut down the expensive extras. I have run into many thruhikers who complain about being "sick" the day after a overnight in town. I expect its a combination of a hangover and over comsumption of food. The hangover is personal decision but after a several weeks on the trail your metabolism will shift into starvation mode and you will be amazed how much food you can and want to eat and still feel hungry. If you head back into woods instead of staying in town you will cut down on the opportunities to eat far more food than you need.
Slo-go'en
05-11-2012, 13:01
Many times you will resupply at a chain supermarket. Instead of wasting time clipping coupons (good luck finding ones for stuff you actually need), get thier "value" discount card. I have a card for ingles and Food City, two of the more common supermakets down south. Buy buying stuff which is on sale with the card, you can save a lot over the long haul.
kayak karl
05-11-2012, 13:05
i found splitting things between 2-4 other hikers saved me the most and opened up a bigger variety of items i may not of bought because of packaged volume.
Tom Murphy
05-11-2012, 14:42
Wow, what I thought was a naive question prompted some very good answers
Rather than clipping coupons,
1. avoid staying overnight in towns
2. get the customer discount cards for the major groceries stores
3. form co-ops with fellow hikers so you can buy bulk and distribute
Seriously?
The last thing on my mind was clipping coupons upon entering a trail town. Rather, it was chugging down a bottle of orange juice, followed by grabbing a shower, then locating a cold beer and an AYCE.
Tom Murphy
05-11-2012, 16:12
Seriously?
The last thing on my mind was clipping coupons upon entering a trail town. Rather, it was chugging down a bottle of orange juice, followed by grabbing a shower, then locating a cold beer and an AYCE.
Finn plans on clipping coupons to supplement the food supplies he plans on getting from his fishing and foraging.
Yes, he has had some fun posts. Starting to wonder if he is pulling our leg.....
The highlight so far, for me, was this quote "My wife is pretty attractive, but not so insanely hot that anyone who sees her will go in to a rape frenzy".
I wish Fionna [if she exists] would let us know what she though of that one.
I'm waiting for Finn to ask what we'd all think if they hiked in traditional Hawaiian Hula skirts. Now that may just start a fad..... :)
Blissful
05-11-2012, 21:29
I bought up food that way before my hike to put in mail drops (like having the Knorr Lipton ones and chunk chicken). But if you happen find some good ones, I don't see any reason not to bring a few. Kind of up to you, though good hiker ones are few and far between.
I'm waiting for Finn to ask what we'd all think if they hiked in traditional Hawaiian Hula skirts. Now that may just start a fad..... :)
My biggest concern about the fabulous new fad is what happens if the traditional Hawaiian Hula grass skirts prove not to be very durable on trail
What happens if Finn and Fiona , Francis and Frances , Felix and Fergie , Phillip and Phyliss ....decide to make use of readily available local plant material to fabricate their fabulous frocks with ?
Slo-go'en
05-11-2012, 21:57
....decide to make use of readily available local plant material to fabricate their fabulous frocks with ?
They better learn to identify posion ivy!
Finn&Fionna
05-11-2012, 22:20
that grass skirt thing doesn't sound so bad...the ti leaves used to make the traditional skirts were thought to be cooling beyond just open air.
Why is cutting out a few coupons if I find them naive? Because no one else does it? I like the idea of bringing along a couple club cards as mentioned by slo-go'en. It's something I hadn't considered. The way I see it, on any town day you're not getting much hiking done. It takes all of 10 minutes to look through a newspaper to see if they have any coupons for stuff I want. I can get to town, breeze through a paper, hit up the grocery store and be back on the trail in a few hours. I'd even have time to take a shower. Or I can use the time waiting for my wife to get out of the shower to browse a paper I would probably be reading anyway. I'm not saying this would be an obsessive thing where I spend every free moment looking for sweet deals, but once in a while, why not?
Have it your way, I thought it was a good question.
Finn as far as I know coupons only appear in the local paper twice a week at the very most
Finn&Fionna
05-11-2012, 22:38
oldebear,
wow really? guess its been a while since I had a paper subscription. For some reason I remember those annoying ads getting everywhere every day, then the sunday paper was just ridiculous. hmmm. Thanks for the reply.
Finn
Check your local paper and see if my observations are accurate
Sometimes the stores themselves have coupons in their in-store sales circulars
and there are the national manufacturer coupons which are good anywhere and the local free shoppers papers which might have coupons in them
Mountain Mike
05-11-2012, 22:50
Town stops tend to be way busier than someone that you realize. The day goes by quickly doing all your chores. Laundry, eating, shopping, eating, cleaning gear & making repairs, eating, shower, mail, phone calls, repacking food, eating, etc. Towns are also a very social place to catch up with hikers you haven't seen in a while & often you have to work on other peoples schedules for rides. If you find the time to clip some coupons & save some money more power to you. I just think very few people clip coupons these days & don't even consider it. It was a good question since it got you some great responses. Keep asking them.
stranger
05-11-2012, 23:40
Anyone ever try clipping coupons when they get in to town? or even bringing a small envelope of them with you to save a few bucks every time you go food shopping? I imagine it would be relatively easy to grab a few coupon sections from papers and such if you find an abandoned paper or someone gives you one. It would even be worth the 50 cents to buy a paper if you could save a few dollars at the grocery store.
thoughts?
Save more money and enjoy your hike...that's my solution to all budget issues : )
I think I'd look for two-for-one ice cream cone coupons. And 99 cent per dozen donut coupons.
WingedMonkey
05-12-2012, 10:39
More than likely the small stores along the trail if they do have advertising supplements at all, will have them in the store also. Grab one, glance through it, slight chance there may be something on you hiker food lists.