This series is for all those comments many of us couponers get from the non-coupon users out there. If you missed the first post of this series you can read it still.
- Confronting the Myth’s of Couponing: Myth #1: Couponing is a Waste of Time.
Coupon Myth #2:“I Wouldn’t Benefit from using Coupons, Because I like to Cook from Scratch.”
— Guest post by Bonnie H.
The other day, after dinner, my kids and I made banana bread. From (gasp!) scratch. The next morning I made my kids whole wheat waffles for breakfast. From scratch. The syrup I put on top of the waffles was some that I had made. From scratch. And that night with dinner, we had bread that I had made. From scratch.
It irritates me to no end that people associate couponers with lousy, heavy-on-the-carbs, high-in-fat diets. I grew up in a home where my mother took great care to see that we all had completely balanced diets, and yet she was a savvy, frugal, couponing woman. I have tried to do the same. Many, many times as we are sitting down to an entirely homemade or even almost-entirely-homemade meal, I’ll go through each food and tell my husband which ingredients were bought with coupons. The list is usually pretty long.
There are a lot of things that I have used coupons on that may or may not surprise you. Such items include (but are not limited to) Canned beans, underwear for my son, Pam or Crisco, Flour, cooking oil, Chocolate Chips, Taco Seasoning, Tomato Soup, canned chicken, ketchup, Toilet bowl cleaner, canned fruits and vegetables, Vanilla extract, protein bars and sports drinks (as a runner and coach, these have helped a lot!).
Couponers — do you agree?
What kinds of foods do you cook from scratch?
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
Ann-Marie says
The great thing about couponing is that it can be totally personalized! I love to see that everyone on here is trying to make healthy choices, beginning with what is important to them! Couponing can really help with budgeting healthy foods. Frequently I will use my catalinas from personal hygiene products to buy my fruits and veggies. I always try to stock up on frozen veggies using sales and coupons, and I do keep a shelf of canned fruits and veggies in reserve for those days that are so busy, and yet I want to put a balanced meal on the table. I have been able to cut about $100 per month from our budget since using coupons. I was a skepitc also, having blood sugar that needs controlling. But I can be picky about the cereals I buy (whole oats, not instant, only non-sugar coated cold cereals, Cream of Wheat, etc.) and then use my savings toward other fresh ingredients. And yes, even a diabetic has room in their diet for things like whole wheat bread and banana or pumpkin bread. I use my homemade applesauce and wheat flour I grind myself. This summer I’m expanding my garden and planning on doing more canning and freezing. And it all started with coupons!
Christy B. says
@Melissa – You are entitled to your opinion, however I disagree with what you are saying. I think that what the author was trying to say was that sometimes as couponers people associate FRUIT SNACKS and CRACKERS with being the majority of the items we buy. I get what the author was saying, we do make our own homemade foods and to me home-made bread and other home-made foods are healthy and wonderful. So I think we will just have to agree to disagree.
Melissa says
@Christy B.
Not questioning the quality of the foods – questioning the logic of the author’s argument.
Just suggesting if the point of the author’s post is to refute the myth “people associate couponers with lousy, heavy-on-the-carbs, high-in-fat diets” (quote taken from author’s original post), then perhaps waffles, banana bread, syrup & more bread (examples given by author in original post) are not fantastic examples to refute that myth.
I would argue the examples provided by the author actually support the myth she provided.
christi says
My family eats GLUTEN FREE because of Celiac Disease and avoid most processed foods because of generally wanting to eat healthfully and I’m an avid couponer and sale stockpiler. I get lots of laundry supplies, paper goods, veggies, fresh salsa, meat, toiletries, cheese, yogurt, beans, rice, etc with coupons for our household. We are not a big processed food household (fruit snacks, crackers, boxed meals, frozen entries, etc) and I make GREAT use of coupons and stockpile my pantry well. It can be done, but you have to abstain and have self control when you see “junkfood” or processed food for free and make good decisions for the health of your family…not just your pocketbook.
Christy B. says
@Melissa – I am sorry, but I would never call home-made banana bread or home-made bread, or even Homemade waffles LOUSY or high in fat. Maybe they have carbs, but hey, Jesus said “Bread is the staff of life.” Many times I make my own bread with freshly ground wheat and use applesauce in place of oil for banana bread.
I sorry if someone you know has diabetes but I don’t get at all what you are saying. These kinds of foods are something I would feed my family and feel good about.
Trish Yount says
Yes, I’ve hear the “couponing is unhealthly” sillyness and all I can say is for those folks I suppose ignorance is bliss. I LOVE my coupons and i grow veggies in my garden (did you know there are coupons for seeds?) I can A LOT of my own or locally grown food (did ya’ll see last years coupons for canning supplies?) and I LOVE to cook from scratch. I don’t buy pre-made meals or load up on nuggets or anything silly. I coupon to fit my families budget and HEALTHY lifestyle. If ya want to be lazy or just not coupon fine, but the excuses being used are not any good.