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Add to FavoritesIf you found a dollar bill on the ground, would you leave it lying there or go throw it in the garbage? A coupon may as well be a dollar thrown in the trash if it goes unused. Coupons may seem like a lot of trouble in collecting them, but they do not have to be.
Just starting out as a coupon clipper may seem overwhelming and time consuming. It's like learning how to ride a bike. It takes time to master and accidents will happen. If you fall off your bike and skin your knee, you need to pick yourself right back up and start again. The first step you need to take is to develop a couponing system that will work for you.
The most popular place to find coupons is in the Sunday paper. Those circulars often have $60 or more worth of coupon savings. When that Sunday paper comes out, that is the best time to do your clipping. It's right there in front of you and you can just clip, clip, clip and then set the scraps in the recycling bin. Another place that is becoming just as popular to get coupons is the internet. You can also find coupons in magazines or get them in the mail. Seriously, take 15-20 minutes out of your Sunday morning or afternoon to clip out those coupons
After you have sat down and gotten the coupons clipped out, the next question becomes, now what? This is where developing a system that works for you comes into play. For some coupon clippers, a simple coupon organizer that easily fits into your purse. However, some people need a binder with baseball card holders to keep their coupons straight. You need to do what works for you. Setting your coupons into your organizer might take you another 10-20 minutes.
Now that you have all your coupons organized, it is easy to find coupons to match sales. There is no end to the savings you find when you are matching sales and coupons. If your store doubles or triples coupons think what that $0.50 coupon may become. Many stores even show the savings either in a dollar amount or a percentage amount.
A lot of people feel that it's a time consuming event to clip coupons. Initially, it may take you a little longer as you decide what coupons are important to you and what coupons match what sales. Don't lose steam though. Give yourself a couple of weeks or months and you will be putting it all together much quicker.
Now the question becomes are the savings worth it? When you hear the stories of people using coupons and rebates and getting items for pennies on the dollar, or better yet free, it is truly inspiring. There can be no end to the debate when you think about what you earn on an hourly basis. Someone earning minimum wage is probably making around $6-8 per hour. If a person spends $100 a week on groceries, they have to work 12.5 hours at $8/hour to pay for those groceries. That reduces the weekly paycheck that can be used towards other expenses. If a person saved 45 percent by using coupons and sales, that would save them, in this scenario $45 or about 6 hours worth of work. Honestly when you put it into perspective, what is one hour a week clipping coupons?
Learn more about this author, Becky Robbins.
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No
I like to save money like every other person and I pinch my pennies as best as I can. I am a mother of two young children and it's important for us to stay on a budget. My husband and I have cut out entertainment, like going to the movies, shows, and the like. We have stopped going out to eat at fast food restaurants and going to a sit down restaurant is totally out of the question.
Treats for our family come in the form of food, like taking a trip to the local orchard and picking our own fruit for a discount. Bringing home some ice cream when it is on sale at the local food store. We may even buy flavored coffee as a treat. The one thing we don't do, is clip and save coupons.
I became rather ill in late 2005. My oldest daughter was only four at the time. It was a difficult blow to me and the family because I was the bread winner at a job that required many, many long hours. I worked a lot of hours so we could keep a roof over our heads and put food on the table. At that time, I clipped coupons and used them on every product I needed. I would buy tons of brand name products like Hamburger Helper and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese at rock bottom prices. I saved a lot and we had food. The problem was that it wasn't quality food.
After many extensive tests, my doctor told me that my illness was called Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia devastates some 2-4 percent of the human population with wide-spread muscle pain and fatigue. There is no cure, but a well balanced, chemical and additive free diet, along with exercise, helps to alleviate the symptoms. I was not getting a well balanced diet when I was clipping coupons. Why? Coupons are generally for name brand products, not all natural ones.
Some people may disagree, but when was the last time you saw a coupon in the paper for fresh hamburger from the meat department or one from the seafood department? I don't think I've ever seen one of those in my life. What about fresh, organic produce? I know I haven't seen one of those either.
I now have to shop at the local orchards and natural health food stores. Sometimes I may get lucky and be able to find a coupon on the Internet for them, but if I have to print it, how much money am I really saving when the prices of replacing printer ink are high? The paper to print it on is overpriced too. The other problem with Internet coupons is that some stores will not except them because they are afraid of fraud. Yes, you heard me right, some people have figured out how to use Photo Shop to make coupons. If that is the case, it's really not worth printing it up.
The other thing I find is that the stores seem to know exactly when a coupon is in circulation. Why do I think that way? Well, the product that the coupon is for is usually not on sale at the local grocery until the coupon has expired. That would be okay if the store did not have a store brand that was one or two dollars less than what I'd be paying for the product that has a coupon. In this case, the time spent clipping the coupon was wasted because I found a similar (if no the same) product for a lot less.
Another problem I seem to come across is the fact that the coupons will only offer a savings if you buy two or more of said product. That's okay, if you have the money to buy twice as much as what you need. I personally don't. I also don't have the room in my apartment to stock up on items for any long length of time. It's bad enough when I have to find room for a couple of pasta boxes, let alone, two 12 packs of paper towels. And not for nothing, but it's a very rare day that I even have the money for anything disposable like towels and plates to begin with.
Pinching pennies means going without. It does not mean maintaining a lifestyle. If you clip, good for you! You have found a way to maintain your lifestyle while staying healthy. But clipping or printing coupons is not for everyone, especially for someone that spent far more money at the doctor's office than the coupons were worth.
Learn more about this author, Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom.
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