Are coupons really saving you money, or are they actually just another gimmick to get you to spend more of your hard-earned money? Unless you’re getting $300.00 worth of products for less than $20.00 like the individuals on TLC’s Extreme Couponing, chances are you’re spending more than you normally would on your household shopping just trying to be a “couponer”. Don’t get sucked into the couponing trend and think you’re honestly saving money. Every bargain hunter should take a look at this list before their next shopping trip.
- First you have to factor in the amount of money you spend on coupons themselves. How many Sunday Papers do you buy just for the inserts compared to how many of the coupons you actually use? The average Sunday papers in most towns average between two and three dollars, which is hardly worth it if you’re only saving two to three dollars from the coupons you clip out of them. Or you may have begun printing your coupons out online thinking you were saving a few dollars on the paper. But how much has that raised your monthly paper and ink fees? There’s a good chance you’re spending more on the actual printing supplies than you are saving by using the coupons you print.
- How many products are you buying just to get the deal? If a store has shampoo on sale for $2.00 and you have a coupon for the same item but you have to buy four to save a dollar, is it REALLY worth it? Most shoppers go ahead and grab four because they’re saving a dollar. If you stop and do the math though you are actually only saving 0.25 on each bottle of shampoo. So you’re still paying $1.75 per bottle. You can probably get a different brand for that same price or less, and only have to purchase one to get that price. Most people are so blinded by the thought of saving a dollar that they don’t look at the bigger picture.
- Store brands won’t kill you, contrary to popular belief. And you’re not going to find coupons for store brand items on the internet or in your Sunday papers. Even when you match up a coupon with a sale item, the ultimate price is still probably more than the store brand.
- Saving money is pointless if you have to spend twice the amount of money on gas as you normally do. The grocery store on the other side of town has a sale on cereal, and you have a coupon for that brand of cereal so the final price will only be $1.00 per box. It’s about a twenty minute drive from your home. Or you could walk or drive to the store around the corner from your home and pay their usual price for cereal which is $2.00. The majority of shoppers would jump in their car and drive across town to get the bargain without a second thought. But, if you calculate the amount of gas it costs to drive there, it is most likely more than the dollar you are saving. It is probably cheaper to just pay $2.00 at the closer store.
