by Janell Williams

Created on: March 07, 2010

Pros and cons of grocery discount cards

There are pros and cons of having/using grocery discount cards.  These need to be weighed before using a grocery store on a regular basis.

The Pros:
The ability to see how much money you are saving
The ability to save up for college by using UPromise
The ability to get coupons for your next shopping visit
The ability to take advantage of the sales

The Cons:
You feel you need to visit the store on a regular basis
Spending more money than you would on other items
Buying more groceries than you need because you need a minimum to use a coupon

It is important to consider why you have the card and why and how you are going to use the card. 

For example, my husband and I go most of our shopping at Wal-Mart because of the prices on many of the products we buy and we do not have to go several different stores to get everything we need.  But we do have a grocery stores discount card because if we need a few items and do not want to go all the way into Wal-Mart, but would rather go down the street, we are able to take advantage of the specials going on.  Also, this other grocery store has better prices and quality of meats.  We find that many times we can get more meat and better quality by going to the grocery store and looking for those items on sale and then stocking up and putting them into the freezer. 

Sometimes grocery stores will give you coupons when you either spend a certain amount of money or buy certain types of items.  The coupon can then be used on your next visit. Sometimes you have to have the discount card to take advantage of their deals, without the card you may pay full price.

Upromise is a great program to start saving for your child's college fund by going grocery shopping.  You can add children as you have them, saying how you want the money earned divided and even put coupons on your discount cards.  This is a way to carry the coupons without having to print them off and then remembering to take them to the store with you.

It is important to weigh the pros and cons when considering getting a grocery stores discount card.

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