Do you ever find couponing is a false economy?

Discussion in Coupons started by Onionman • Nov 11, 2014.

  1. Onionman

    OnionmanActive Member

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    I watch programs like Extreme Couponing and I'm perversely impressed by how much money they've been able to save on a big shop. I say "perversely" because it's clear that they really don't need and will never use a lot of the stuff that they buy. It's great when they give it away to charity. But I do wonder how much is basically wasted.

    I love the idea of using couponing to save money. But do you go out of your way to get coupons, only to spend more money on things that you don't actually want?
     
  2. missbee23

    missbee23Member

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    I am infatuated with the idea of couponing, but the practicality of it has been rather different. I am really jealous of people who say that they walk out of the store with a cart full of stuff and only paid a few dollars. I use coupons once in a while, and I can say that it was worth the effort, but honestly I can't figure out what these extreme couponers are doing. I certainly can't afford to make couponing a full time job. But I would love to make it work better for me.
     
  3. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I don't find couponing to be a false economy because my daughter and I eat and use everything that I buy with coupons. It's only a false economy to use coupons if you are not using the items.
     
  4. Bright7

    Bright7Active Member

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    I agree with ACSAPA. The important thing is to actually use the things that you buy with coupons. If you are just buying a bunch of things that you have no use for, you are actually wasting money instead of saving it. I don't go out of my way to get coupons. I have access to three copies of the coupon inserts each week and that is more than enough for me.
     
  5. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    I think coupons are a great way to shop and to stock up on items that you will use. I always use them if I can, but if I don't need it or the saving is negligible then I will wait until it is on offer again. You usually know what items will come up on offer and often I get emailed coupons too which have substantial savings.

    It does require some planning at times, for example at Kohl's to get the Kohl's cash can be worth it if you have an upcoming purchase.
     
  6. Onionman

    OnionmanActive Member

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    I see your points, in terms of being very efficient with your coupon use. You certainly can make big savings on a weekly shop. In fact, that's what really it should be all about - saving money. I just hope more people take the same approach with it and don't get tempted into buying things that you wouldn't normally. Unfortunately, from the retailers perspective, that's exactly what they want people to do.