1. They take way too long to collect. I can think of many other things I would rather spend my time doing than clipping coupons. Whether you enjoy it or not, think of all the time you are spending looking for just the right deals. If you are a coupon clipper, I would recommend that you pay attention to how much time you spend each day/week gathering your coupons. Make sure the savings is worth your time.
2. Most coupons are only for brand name products. Since brand name products are usually more expensive than store brands, even with the coupon, you are often still paying more for the product than if you just bought the store brand to begin with. Make sure that if you are using coupons, you are actually saving money by using them.
3. Most coupons are for processed foods that are not very healthy. People that like to use coupons often end up filling their shopping cart with prepackaged meals that are generally high in fat and sodium. Folks who do not use coupons are more likely to prepare their own meals from scratch and their menus are generally healthier.
4. You make the people waiting behind you in line cranky. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? The person in the front of the line has a million coupons and the poor cashier is frantically putting them all through, and in the meantime everyone in line is rolling their eyes and starting to get impatient.
5. You end up buying things you don’t really need. Just like it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying unnecessary items because they are on sale at the store, so, too, we can easily fall into the same trap if we have a coupon for an item that we really don’t need. Just because it’s “a great deal”, it doesn’t mean it’s something you actually will even use.
I know many frugal folks will disagree with me. While some frugal folks are really pro coupon clipping, others like me really don’t see much of an advantage in using them to buy groceries.
What are your thoughts on using coupons for groceries?
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