I am sure many of you saw the article on Yahoo Finance recently titled: 8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Coupons. Of course, people who know HOW to use coupons will more than likely disagree with many of the points that she brings up. I definitely disagree with everything she has to say. I am going to go through each point she makes and give you my take.
1. You Have to Buy a Newspaper. Not necessarily. Many times, there are offers for free subscriptions. You can ask a neighbor or family member for the inserts if they don’t use them. So, don’t think you must buy a newspaper to get coupons.
2. Clipping Coupons Takes Time. Of course it can. If you only clip what you need, you can be done in a matter of minutes. If you clip all coupons, that can take longer. By claiming it takes too much time just says to me that this person wants things done for her. If you determine the time it takes to cut your coupons each week (probably less than an hour) and add up your savings, that is just money in your hand.
3. Getting a Newspaper Invites Other Advertising Into Your Home. I will say that this one confused me the most. She claims that having ads lying around invites you to spend where you shouldn’t. Any person who really is into saving money knows when something is a good deal and when it is not. I tell my children “NO” all of the time – no, you can’t have another glass of juice; no it is not time for a snack; no – you can’t stay up late tonight. As an adult, you have to know your budget and realize that you can’t have everything you want in life.
4. Many of the coupons will be for things you neither want nor need. We can’t have everything we want, can we? Sure, some weeks will be full of coupons you need and others will not. You have to ride the peaks and valleys. Besides, if the coupon you need isn’t in the newspaper, you can always try to find it on-line and print it out before you shop.
5. Coupons can tempt you to spend grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t. Again, this comes back to self-discipline. If you see a coupon for something you would never buy, this does not give you the “OK” to go ahead and purchase it. You have to use self-control and only get the things you really need.
6. The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again. I really don’t see any negative with this issue. If use certain products, I look forward to always finding those coupons in my newspaper. Of course, there are times when I do tire of seeing the same ones, but you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to saving money.
7. You might become a slave to coupons. Her rationale here really made me roll my eyes. Every couponer knows when something is a good deal and when it isn’t. We know that we might get a better deal on things, but when we need things, we purchase them. Sure, we might not like having to pay full price for it, but we take the good with the bad.
8. Shopping takes longer. I honestly spend the same time when I shop using coupons or do not. I make my list before I shop and I take the coupons I need with me. If you have a coupon for dressing, then it really doesn’t make you search the aisles for your item — it is where you normally purchase your dressing. Now, if you are planning on trying to use all of the coupons you have in your possession, sure, it can take longer. However, most couponers are planners and know WHAT they are planning on purchasing. And, if I do spend longer shopping, it usually isn’t because I need to use coupons….it’s to give me some “ME” time.
You might agree with what this author says, you may disagree. Whatever your stance, I always tell people to do what works for them. For some, clipping coupons is too much work. However, for most of us, saving an additional $50 – $100 is just too much fun to pass up!