Couponing is not always worth the time and effort for every person. Whether couponing will save you money depends on many factors like your diet, your household and the area where you live. Some families can save a large amount with coupons every week or month. Other people might save a negligible amount. There are several things to consider when determining whether clipping coupons is worth it.
Size of Your List
Couponing can provide large savings if you have a long list of items to buy at the store. It could be possible to save between 20 percent and 40 percent every week when buying hundreds of dollars in groceries. It could take more than 12 hours a week to collect all the coupons. This also usually requires changing what you buy based solely on the coupons available. Couponing does not make sense if you have small lists where your maximum savings might only be a few cents.
Travel Time and Fuel
Clipping coupons might not be worth the effort if the stores offering the coupons are a long distance away. If you have to travel for an hour or more just to reach a store, then you are going to end up paying more for gas, car maintenance, and tolls over time. These fees can negate or greatly reduce any savings earned through the coupons. Clipping coupons is a waste of time if you have to spend more money just to use them.
In-Store Policies and Sales
In-store policies and sales might make clipping coupons not worth it. Many stores today are responding to extreme couponers by implementing policies that restrict quantities, stacked coupons, or discount amounts. These limits can make couponing pointless. Additionally, some locations might have in-store sales, loyalty programs, or coupons in the aisles that will save you nearly as much as sifting through circulars and newspapers. Couponing might not be worth the effort if you can get similar deals on different items directly in the store.
Personal Time
You need to consider the value of your personal time. Clipping coupons generally takes people anywhere from a few hours to over 12 hours each week. Some people divide how much is actually saved by the number of hours it took to collect the coupons. The result usually shows that you save only a few dollars for each hour dedicated to couponing. If this time can be better spent on other tasks, then skip clipping.
Health Concerns
The reality is that most coupons today are for processed foods. You will rarely ever find coupons for fresh vegetables, meats, and healthy base ingredients. If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, then coupons will not reduce your bill by much. You can often save more by finding less expensive sources for fresh foods or by taking advantage of in-store sales on healthy foods rather than searching for coupons that might not exist.
