I have heard every excuse in the book as to why people don’t start to coupon. I wanted to break down these excuses and explain why they are simply myths so you can start saving your family money!
Couponers are ‘hoarders’
‘Hoarders’ are often times associated with accumulating a lot and holding onto it. A lot of people think that Couponers are an extension of this – having enough supplies to get them through the end of the world multiple times. Living off of the 60 bags of croutons in the basement with a bed made from all the toilet paper they have.
Most couponers don’t do this. They stockpile items at rock bottom prices to get them through the sale cycle (usually a 12 week cycle), pulling items from the stockpile when they are needed.
I know for me, I look at it like ‘why wouldn’t I buy that item at its lowest price?’ This doesn’t mean that I walk out of the store with 60 bottles of BBQ sauce. I buy what I think I need to get through the sale cycle and then I stop.
It’s too complicated.
Using coupons is actually very very simple. You grab your coupon insert and a pair a scissors, then you cut the coupon out. If you print coupons, you simply print the coupons you want. Then you take the coupons to the store and you use it to save money.
Granted if you want to be an “extreme couponer” it is more complicated, but if you are running to the store to grab tooth paste and you have a coupon for tooth paste, you might as well use it. Worst case scenario: you save money on the tooth paste.
It takes too much time and you don’t really save that much.
These two excuses I hear ALL the time. If you want to be an “extreme couponer” it will take some time, but not all of your time. On average I take about 1 or so hours a week to prepare for a couponing trip. This includes, looking at the sales, pairing them with the coupons I have and clipping/printing the coupons. I can save at least $75 per hour spent preparing. Sometimes I’ve saved as much as $200 per hour spent clipping. Take a look at my Thanksgiving Day haul and see.
Look at it like “I saved $75 that I would have spent, by taking an extra hour to prepare.” I think making $75/hour is pretty good to me!
I just shop at bulk warehouse stores and they save you just as much
Wrong! I know when I walk into a warehouse store I can’t walk out of it and save 60%+ off the normal price, or pay nothing, or even get paid. The warehouse stores are good for some items, but most of the stores don’t allow you to use coupons. I know I do not shop at warehouse stores, and I save WAY more than my friends and family who do shop there.
There are some apps that will pay you back for purchasing an item no matter what store you purchase it at. I will be writing about these apps that pay you in the future so be on the lookout for the post! (or subscribe so you don’t miss it)
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