I think it’s safe to say that at one point or another we’ve all caught a clip of the long receipt with the barely there price on the Extreme Coupon Clipping show. I’ll even admit that I’ve been sucked into the couponing marathons that leave me wanting to spend hours planning every minute detail of my next shopping trip so I can be one of those big savers, too. For all of us “normal people” shopping for necessities seems to present us with two options – spend tons of time sorting, clipping and comparing coupons or spend a large chunk of our income paying full-price so we can avoid that hassle. It boils down to the classic debate of time versus money. So how do you decide which option is the best for your family and yourself? And is being on the extreme couponing side even worth it?
Math Time!
The first step you have to take is putting your feelings on the matter aside. It’s pretty likely that there’s already a connotation attached to the word ‘couponer’ in your head and the first thing you need to do it let it go. Instead of basing your opinion on feelings, you should start with something more solid – math. Test out couponing for a week. Be diligent about it and record everything – time (and money) spent collecting newspapers, time spent sorting, clipping, printing and comparing coupons, and then track the time it takes you to hit the multiple stores required for you to get all the best deals. After all the hard work is done, sit down and work out how much you saved. Whether or not the time spent was worth the amount you saved is for you to decide.
Do You Really Need That?
It seems that the catch of couponing has been discovered! The reason manufacturers aren’t taking a huge loss with all of the Coupon Queens out there is that they’re pretty savvy of what items they’re putting out coupons for. More and more consumers are laying off the couponing because they’re having trouble finding coupons for items that they actually want or need. Instead of just going shopping for the best deals it’s important to really evaluate whether or not the items you’re planning to buy are things you will actually use. If the groceries you’ve purchased aren’t going to get eaten, then you really haven’t saved any money at all.
If this article seems to have you confused as to what the best option is – don’t be. While it seems that extreme coupon clipping isn’t going to do you very much good in the long run, that doesn’t mean you should stop couponing altogether. There is a sweet spot and you need to find the one that works for you. Plan it out and commit to only spending a certain amount of time each week or month couponing. Look for little ways to save yourself time. You don’t have to go crazy, or be extreme, to save yourself a little money.
If you find yourself struggling with debt or would like to find out about becoming debt free, call Debthelper at 800-920-2262, or visit @ www.debthelper.com.
