WHAT!?

Well, this article seems to be a huge topic of discussion in the couponing world these last couple of days...check out the article written by Amy Fontinelle on the Yahoo! Finance page and see what you think. It is an article with 8 reasons why you should not use coupons.

What are your thoughts???
Does she know what she is talking about?
Do you find any truth to any of her statements or do you believe them to all be false?

Her reasons that you should not coupon:
1) You have to buy a newspaper.

My thoughts: I do buy newspapers, anywhere from 1-6 per week dependent upon what coupons are available that particular week, but I make all of that money back and LOTS more with using the coupons I get from it!! AND if you really didn't want to buy a newspaper...don't! You can get LOTS of great coupons from the internet.

2) Clipping coupons takes time.

My thoughts: Well, yes it does...but oh so worth it with all of the money I am saving!! Read this article that came out a few months ago in how they figure that couponers can make close to $100 per hour! Apparently the Yahoo! Finance authors didn't compare notes!?

3) Getting a newspaper invites lots of additional advertising into your home.

My thoughts: I think this is a stretch in order to find a reason not to coupon...I wonder if she watches TV?? That invites WAY more advertising into someone's home than the newspaper. Our paper pretty much goes into the recycling bin as soon as we pull out the grocery ads & coupons.

4) Many of the coupons will be for things you neither need nor want.

My thoughts: Yes, I get lots of coupons that I do not need or want...BUT I choose what I buy...I do not HAVE to use the coupons. Throw them in the trash...trade them with a friend...give them to overseas military families. Even when I get rid of a lot of the coupons...I STILL find it worth my money for the cost of the newspapers and the time it takes to clip them. And sometimes I do buy things we don't need...but a lot of times those things end up being free after coupons...and I will donate them to the food pantry or a homeless shelter. Tonight I was able to get 6 tubes of toothpaste at Kroger for FREE...I already have a healthy stash of toothpaste in my cupboard...so I'll be donating them somewhere for someone who needs them.

5) Coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn't.

My thoughts: We all face temptation with different things but a lot of it depends on discipline. If you go in with a list and follow that you can likely beat the temptation...also use cash so you can control that more.

6) The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again.

My thoughts: For some products this may be true...but I think there is always a good variety in the inserts. I think there are a lot of yogurt and cereal coupons and also for personal hygiene products...but those are items that we use frequently in our house...and most families probably do.

7) You might become a slave to coupons.

My thoughts: I will admit, I do buy most everything with coupons...but I don't let the coupons control me or my life. I try to base my menu and shopping list on the deals; but if there is something that I absolutely need...I buy it w/o a coupon.

8) Shopping takes longer.

My thoughts: It doesn't have to! If you are organized with a list, you know what you're getting before you even go in to the store. I typically go in with a list and all of the coupons attached to that list that I plan to use. Prior to using coupons, I spent QUITE a bit of time in the grocery store because I spent a lot of time comparing prices. I spend way less time in the stores, with using lots of coupons, than I did when I didn't use them at all.


I'd be interested in knowing how much she spends per week on groceries!