Do Coupons Really Save You Money?by Debbie Vasen | More from this Blogger 11 Aug 2007 09:33 PM Are you a coupon clipper? Do you think maybe you should be? Certainly the question has arisen in anyone's mind who doesn't clip any coupons... should I be? Then there are those who are actually clipping the coupons who ask the question... is this really making any difference? I have tried it both ways. To be brutally honest, I think coupons make very little difference in the big financial picture, and to do them right they take loads of time. Now, I know there are those out there who would disagree with me. If you are one, please comment on this blog post as I would love to hear some discussion! The main problem I see with coupons is the time. To actually utilize them to best save you money, not only should you take the time to look for them and clip them out. You also have to do some serious math and comparison shop while actually in the store. Many cases I found my coupon clipping to be completely worthless, when the store brand was still cheaper than the name brand and the coupon. Then at times, there would be a sale on a different brand better than the coupon. If you aren't actually taking this extra time to compare the coupon price to other comparable items, then you could easily be spending more money than you should. Given this lengthy scenario, the question of time vs. money quickly comes into play. How much time do you really have to spend on your grocery shopping? If you are spending too much time in the store, will you be easily swayed by hungry children and impulse buys? Maybe that time could be better spent earning money or doing another chore that you normally pay someone to do? For years I never even considered using a coupon. Then I became a coupon hound for three years. I have now created what I consider a more balanced approach. I breeze through coupons in the mail or newspaper. If a particularly good one catches my eye, then sure, I will take the time to clip and use it. These good ones are typically on name brand items I always buy or extra special deals of more than 30% off. I also like coupons for local entertainment or restaurants. Essentially, I save my coupon clipping time for those that will have a larger impact to my bottom line. Then, I feel they are actually worth my time. Related Articles: *Coupons: Chuck E. Cheese & Restaurant.com *Bed, Bath & Beyond Coupon Secrets Learn more about Debbie Vasen  Debbie Vasen is a published web content editor and writer, as well as a freelance writer for various print publications. In addition to blogging at Families. Relevantmoney tags User Comments  Valorie Delp (49340) 12 Aug 2007 06:47 AMThank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have often thought that there are more practical ways to save money than to clip coupons. But then I hear someone say, "Throwing away a coupon is like throwing away a dollar." And gosh that's hard reasoning to argue with. What I do do, is look up various sales and make my shopping list and meal plan based on what type of meat (or other main ingredients) are on sale. When I shop, I shop in a circular pattern so that I'm not wasting gas making several trips to different stores--all the stores I go to are on one route. Nothing is out of the way. That and planning to cook mostly from scratch seems to save enough money that I'm pretty happy not to clip coupons.  Debbie Vasen (1072) 12 Aug 2007 08:09 AMValorie, I am right there with you! Good planning goes much farther to save you money than the 50 cents you save clipping a coupon. Thanks for the comment :) Nola Redd (7081) 16 Aug 2007 08:28 PMI have played both sides. For about three years, I was a 'coupon queen' with three small children. Right now, I have no storage space to buy groceries in bulk and am still trying to figure out how to shop with four kids. This is how I saved time: 1) I filed my inserts and didn't clip the coupon until I needed it. There are several websites that list what coupon is in what insert. 2) I used the internet like it was going out of style. There are several sites - including this one - where folks match the deal with the coupon for you. I would spend maybe an hour checking the sites and making the list I need, and cut the coupons; I watched tv while clipping. I spent an hour obtaining coupons, but I am ready to just have the Sunday paper delivered (10 copies) when I start up again. The shopping took longer; if I hit more than one store, for instance. However, as my stockpile grew, I could get lazy and just get things I really, really wanted or needed. I spent, on average, $100-150/month on food, HBA, and diapers for one child for a family of five, and had a huge stockpile of food, HBA, and diapers (I am still using diapers I bought nearly a year after I stopped couponing, and I now have 2 kids in diapers). I could skip shopping when I didn't want to. When I get a house, a pantry, and a freezer, I fully intend to coupon-shop again; I am looking forward to it. Right now, we are in a motorhome and have VERY limited storage space. Hope this helps. Debbie Vasen (1072) 16 Aug 2007 09:08 PMNola, This is great information - thank you! I enjoyed learning about your extensive system and in exchange how much time it took you to save tons on your groceries. Certainly spending only $100 to $150 a month on food, HBA, and diapers is a huge savings for any family. I appreciate you passing this advice on :)  Mary Ann Romans (26891) 17 Aug 2007 04:59 AMI definitely disagree with your conclusions, but I appreciate the comparison. I do save a lot with coupons, using methods described above by Nola. When you take a little time to combine coupons with loss leader sales, you can get some great deals. Just last week, for example, I got several boxes of pricey granola bars for 22 cents a box. I couldn't make them for less. I also got several large bottles of apple juice for 75 cents a piece. But you have to avoid the pitfalls. Coupons are there to make you buy the product. If you know how to use them wisely, they really can pay off. Debbie Vasen (1072) 17 Aug 2007 10:28 PMThanks for your input Mary Ann! This is such a great discussion and exactly what I hoped to generate from this blog. We all can definitely learn some money saving tips from each other. Valorie Delp (49340) 18 Aug 2007 06:31 AM$150 per month? Gosh. . .I'll have to revisit that a little bit. I have combined coupons with loss leader sales but like Nola said--I don't have storage which is part of what makes it very impractical for me. How long do you think you have to start clipping coupons to start seeing savings like that? Mary Ann Romans (26891) 18 Aug 2007 03:50 PMValorie, you can get started right away. The Deals Blog and the Deals Forum are two great places to learn more about the supermarket specials. You can trade for coupons with friends or use the forums to reach couponers across the country. Have you heard of Coupon Mom? It is a web site that really helps with organizing coupons for sales. I'll be featuring the site in an upcoming Frugal Living Blog. In fact, maybe I should do a whole series on couponing strategies. And by the way, did you know that NYC has some of the best grocery flyer coupons? it's true. Valorie Delp (49340) 18 Aug 2007 04:26 PMA whole series on couponing strategies would be spiffy. I spend about $400 to $500 per month for a family of 7 with two babies in diapers. We don't have storage. . .or we have limited storage. And we don't have a freezer. Our freezer will hold enough meat and vegetables/make ahead dishes and homemade popsicles for one to two weeks. (LOL Depending on what's on sale and how flat it is. . .whole chickens take up a lot of space.) In fact, I have an idea for you. Going to PM you now. . . Nola Redd (7081) 21 Aug 2007 09:03 PMValorie, $400-500 sounds better than average for a large, diaper-filled family. I agree with Mary Ann; you can get started right away, though obviously the longer you do it, the better your savings are going to increase. A big part of the cutout came when I had enough of a stockpile not to need to buy things at full price, and the bigger your stockpile, the sooner you save the money. Valorie Delp (49340) 22 Aug 2007 11:22 AMWell ladies, you'll be happy to know. . .I picked up the Sunday paper, and did the comparing thing with the four stores where it is feasible for me to shop. I am going to make a price book this weekend. AND (drum roll please girls) I made a have list and an ISO list in the deals forums and someone is sending me RAOK diaper coupons and someone else is trading with me. I even organized my coupons according to the aisle they're in in the grocery store. Valorie Delp (49340) 22 Aug 2007 11:24 AMOh and Nola. . .yeah, I do pretty well. I spend a lot less than some of my friends. I'm really good at shopping sales so if roast chicken is on sale. . .we eat roast chicken. Since I like to cook, no one gets sick of roast chicken. ;-) And I cook from scratch alot. Debbie Vasen (1072) 05 Sep 2007 12:37 PMWow... sweetAnnieRose... you almost have me convinced that coupons might actually be worth my time. Thanks for sharing this interesting site! shellie872 (64) 16 Sep 2007 08:55 AMI do use coupons and like all this input. i feel they are worth the time. i clip what i use and go to my grocery store,sometimes i will shop around.my local store doubles my coupons and this week i saved almost 20. Community Tags Coupons, groceries, saving money Discuss this article
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