On average each month I spend around $250.00 for everything my family of 6 needs and uses, including food, toiletries etc. I on average save around $500 per month. Couponing is a part of me these days… some days I eat, drink and even dream of couponing and all the deals I will score.
But I do get kind of tired of hearing the same old myths from other ladies that do not coupon shop. You know the types – always tryin to put a damper on your happy shopping. My friend Bonnie also shared the same frustrations that I do, and we were chatting about it recently. So she decided to write up a nice little series of guest posts for us all to confront these coupon myths (isn’t she the sweetest?) Enjoy!
Guest Series Post: by Bonnie H.
Coupon Myth #1 : “It’s a Waste of Time” or “It Takes Too much Time”
I once heard someone say, “You never see someone rushing around pant-less, saying, “I just ran out of time today and wasn’t able to put any pants on.” Why is this? You find time for what you think is important. I am willing to venture that a lot of people who are “too busy” to find time for coupons would never think to miss an episode of Lost. Or House. Or 24. Or Modern Family. Or the Office. Or The Bachelor. Or The Biggest Loser. Why is that? I am going to go out on a limb and assume that it’s because they LIKE watching their shows! It’s fun to them, and a good way to kick back and relax. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that (heaven knows my quality of life would suffer if not for “The Office”)! My point? I don’t watch television (except for the Office), but I don’t go around putting down people who do enjoy their shows, and it irks me when people put down those of us who coupon. I like saving money, but the real reason I am driven to do it is because I like it. It is fun to me. It is one of my priorities. Everyone is entitled to their own priorities, and just because our priorities are different, it doesn’t mean one of us is wrong.
What do you think? Has anyone told you they think couponing is a waste of time?
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Gaby says
I wouldn’t coupon if I was still working full time. But..since I’m a SAHM now I have more time to do that and more need to since I’m not bringing in any income. Couponing just becomes a priority.
Sandra says
This is one of the main things I hear from my friends. They complain about the price of things, then when I tell them how they can get it for next to nothing, free or MAKE money on it, they tell me they don’t have time to coupon. Or that they aren’t organized enough. Or that they aren’t disciplined enough. I feel kind of bad tor those people. I used to think it would take a ton of time and be super tedious, but like you, it has become something I ENJOY doing! I find it so satisfying to walk out of the store with a cart of groceries knowing that I saved at least 50% (my grocery goal-usually it is WAY more!).
tammy says
I have heard so much negative about my couponing…until I started taking pictures of my ‘shopping trips’ and what I paid and put it on facebook…now several people are checking it out.
I look at it this way…it is fun, its a family thing here for us. I have a daycare so my daughter does a lot of ‘running to the store’ for me. She is living here rent free with her son, paying bills etc. so it’s her way of helping. My sweet loving husband will sit there and help me get my ‘game plan’ on for store trips by helping me clip the coupons and organize so my daughter can walk it prepared. My other daughter helps with running as much as she can, (she also moved home to pay bills and get financially secure)….So it’s a family thing, and I am teaching my kids a wonderful life lesson.
Second, people get up, get dressed, put on their work clothes, drive 20 minutes (being generous here) to work, put in an 8 hour day and then drive another 20 min. to make even let’s say at a good wage of 40.00 an hour….that’s 320.00 before taxes. I spend the same amount of time, spread out through the week to ‘make’ the same kind of money….I am my own boss, I pick and choose when I want to ‘work’ AND I am double dipping because I get to keep the wages from what I worked for the day at my real job.
I love the postcard idea cause I said the same thing. I am going to send all those people who snub their noses at me a postcard from our cruise to Alaska!!
At first this took a lot of time, I am still very new to it, but every week I am getting better, faster, more organized and a little better at knowing what I am doing. Learning ANYTHING takes time and practice.
And in 3 weeks I have saved almost 1,000.00…my grocery bill for 6 people and a daycare this week was 80.00, because I don’t have certain stuff stockpiled yet. Our grocery bill was 1,000.00 a month (includes toiletries, BHA, cleaners etc) When I researched this and started it I told my self I cutting my bill right off the top to a budget of 600.00….I can’t spend more then that a month…I haven’t even come close to the top of my budget yet and it’s been 3 weeks and I have been building my stockpile…and I know as I get thing stockpiled every week my bill will go down…so to those people who snub their nose at me…I say ‘whatever’ it works for me and mine 🙂 🙂
Trina says
As someone who is an “all or nothing” type of perfectionist, I have been guilty of spending too much time couponing, while neglecting other important tasks (like housekeeping)! But on the other hand, I couldn’t imagine just going to the store and buying whatever I need at regular prices. So I think it’s a balancing act based on your personality, temperament, budget, and available time. I’ve recently been trying to limit the time spent couponing, letting go of 20% of the deals, while still getting 80% of the deals that my family will use.
I would definitely love to have a step-by-step post about how someone manages their time couponing – from the ads to the blogs to the clipping and the printing, organizing and storing, to the acutal shopping trips each week. Especially if you do it all while entertaining / supervising / toting around small children during each step of the process! I could use some help making it faster & simpler!
Teri says
The less people coupon the better…more deals for those of us who do. Def NOT a waste of time.
Nicki Davis says
Granted, you get out of it what you put into it, but Karrie you help make it possible for us to save even more time couponing…the hard work you do makes it easier for all of us. We love you for it!
Trish Yount says
If you don’t like to coupon or don’t want to use your time to do it, thats just fine but don’t try to put others down for helping their families or making good use of FREE $$. Not saying couponing is for everyone, if you really don’t like it find another way to save your family money but for me I enjoy the ease of a sunday paper and a print button 🙂
suzie says
for as much time I spend doing the coupon thing I just figure my savings and that I am paying myself that much money to do it. That makes me feel alot better about how much work I put in, plus I love it!
Xenia says
The best is when people tell you couponing is not that great, I have been told when I shared with friends that we live off $160 per month for just food, for my family of 5 that they could easly do that. The best part, these people only had 1 kid, and it both cases they were 2 year olds. Gotta love when they don;t even know what they’re talking about.
Debby says
When word got around that our family was going to Maui for a week. People said the strangest (aka: rude) things: “you live on one income?” “How ya gonna swing that?” and a few others. These are the same people who comment on my “coupon obsession”. Same people who can’t make ends meet. What’s a girl to do? Sent them postcards from Maui – lol! We planned for a year. Paid cash for everything (except rental car) and came home with enough cash in our pocket to buy my daughter a computer and new bed for Christmas. That alone sent them over the edge. I’ll keep my “coupon obsession” – It’s working for me.
Melissa says
Not a waste of time at all – each week I save between 30% and 40% on our grocery bill and we only have to buy protein once a year! I did the math last week and for the hours I spend couponing comes out to about $20 an hour each week. Not bad and it’s an awesome feeling to get items we regularly use for 50% or more off what the price is usually. I don’t spend nearly the time I could because I don’t have the extra time to spare but just a few hours a week has made a huge impact in our budget!
Erin says
oops appreciating
Erin says
I say waste not want not.I grew up appeciating a dollar earned.So a dollar saved is a dollar earned.It would be no different than me driving down the road throwing out money because it was to time consuming to count.Most of my friends are nifty and thrifty thank goodness.
Jennifer says
I always say that I have more time (even though not a lot of time with 2 kids and 2 jobs!)then I have money at the moment, so spending some of that time making my money go further is worth it. This site has been a blessing for me. Cuts a huge amount of my time needed to find good deals. Thank you!
Tiffany says
I would say it CAN be a waste of time if a person isn’t prepared or thinks they need to clip every coupon they encounter (because you then have clipping time plus massive binder maintainence). In the beginning I admit I’ve found myself at Albertson’s with my three doublers and three $1 off coupons for products they either don’t carry or run out of quickly. Wasted trip. I only clip coupons I KNOW I’ll use and order extras of those online. I save up the SmartSource, Red Plum, and P&G coupon inserts from Sundays with just the dates written on the front and cut them out with sites like this mention how to use them well. Sites like this are such a fantastic resource when the objective is saving time as well as money. Thanks!!!
Katrina says
I do not feel it is a waste of time at all! In fact, the time I have put in to using coupons, finding coupons, and streamlining my shopping – which in fact, has been maybe 20 minutes a day (including everything-clipping, on-line searching, asking friends and family to save them for us, going to HMS for ideas and hot deals) – has saved my family tons of money each month.
It has been a wonderful blessing to learn better ways of saving money – lots of money – on the things we NEED to buy (food, etc) – especially when household income gets cuts drastically.
It is not illegal, it is offered from the companies we make daily and costly purchases on, it puts our hard earned money to better use for other things our family needs too, and it is a great feeling knowing you did the grocery shopping for less than half of what you have spent on the same items previously shopping without coupons!
Christy Bartlett says
I have started answering comments like that by saying that my husband works hard and incredibly long hours to bring the money home and we are a team. His job is to bring the money home and mine is to work just as hard making the money stretch for everything we need. Not using coupons and buying things at regular price when I don’t have to is a waste of money to me, so it would be like a slap in the face to my husband to waste away the money he works so hard to earn.
Besides it has become the funnest game to play!!!
Naala says
Yes! I do hear that it takes too much time or you have to be too organized. As I am someone who quickly diverts from tasks that are time-consuming and am not at all adept at organization I just tell people if I can do it, anyone can do it. I clip coupons once a week and don’t use a binder because I would NEVER be able to maintain it. I have a small recipe box with dividers and a good memory so I know what’s in there.
mavis says
Ummmm NO. We live off $100 a month for all our grocery/take out/toiletry needs… Made possible of course… with coupons.