Our weekend newspaper is always packed full of coupons. Manufacture, store and restaurant coupons are in the paper. As I stand in the line at the grocery store with my paper I see individuals having to use extra strength to put the newspaper in their grocery basket.
Once home I ripped the rubber band while, avoiding being popped, and went straight to the center where all those terrific, money-saving coupons were located. As I began to peruse through the store ads, I wanted to see if I could match the coupons to the actual items in each grocery sales paper.
Now, my favorite grocery store is Publix and sometimes I go to Kroger. I looked in the 2 sections that held the coupons and began to make my matches with Publix and Kroger's grocery ads. As I was matching these items with the coupons, I was also determining my grocery needs for the upcoming week.
I made my selections and headed to the grocery store. I had my grocery list, and my coupons, ready to shop. My usual pattern for shopping in this particular Publix store is once inside the store I turn to the right and select my fresh vegetables. Looking at my grocery list, I needed romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. None of these items had a coupon. I continue to the meat section. I needed chicken breast because I make my own chicken fingers and nuggets (that will be a later post) and a beef roast. I continue to the fish section and pick up salmon. Again, none of these had a coupon.
Referring back to my grocery list, I need oatmeal a popular breakfast cereal in my house. Once in the cereal isle I see I have a coupon for name brand oatmeal. Great, I can finally use my coupon! My coupon was for $.45 off, and the name brand oatmeal was $3.29. Looking on the row below I found the Publix brand which was $2.39 without the coupon. My family will eat the Publix brand as well as the name brand oatmeal, but does it really make sense to buy the name brand for $2.84 with the coupon? No. And I did not.
I know that not all conditions are like this, but thinking back at the coupon pages in the paper, many of the coupons I noticed are for prepackaged, processed foods. Do not think I'm the type of mom who thinks that everything should be homemade, but some things are not that complicated to prepare (again, that is another post). I am sure many people such as myself made New Years resolutions to lose unwanted pounds this year. Not having coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables makes this somewhat complicated to do. To buy fresh vegetables is more costly than purchasing prepackaged foods. Eating healthy is expensive. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a coupon for $.40 off fresh string beans, spinach or mangos?
Couponing for me has not truly saved me money. The products that have discounts are not often products that I buy for my family. Now, I know I am just one individual, but as I am in the grocery store and people are in front of me, I do not see them using them either.
This brings me to extreme couponing. Are people really eating all this food? Are they turning into hoarders? I will admit, I have a freezer full of food that I probably could cook from for about a 10 days, but I promise you it does not have prepackaged food items stacked in it because I had a coupon for the item.
Is it terribly necessary to use these coupons when you are hoarding food? Is it necessary to purchase foods that may not be healthy for you only because you have a coupon? Is it necessary to purchase food you will never eat? I ask these questions, because I am just as guilty as the next person, sometimes I have purchased foods just because I've had a coupon. But as I am paying more attention to my grocery bill, I am asking myself this question, is this economically a good purchase even with a coupon?
Once home I ripped the rubber band while, avoiding being popped, and went straight to the center where all those terrific, money-saving coupons were located. As I began to peruse through the store ads, I wanted to see if I could match the coupons to the actual items in each grocery sales paper.
Now, my favorite grocery store is Publix and sometimes I go to Kroger. I looked in the 2 sections that held the coupons and began to make my matches with Publix and Kroger's grocery ads. As I was matching these items with the coupons, I was also determining my grocery needs for the upcoming week.
I made my selections and headed to the grocery store. I had my grocery list, and my coupons, ready to shop. My usual pattern for shopping in this particular Publix store is once inside the store I turn to the right and select my fresh vegetables. Looking at my grocery list, I needed romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. None of these items had a coupon. I continue to the meat section. I needed chicken breast because I make my own chicken fingers and nuggets (that will be a later post) and a beef roast. I continue to the fish section and pick up salmon. Again, none of these had a coupon.
Referring back to my grocery list, I need oatmeal a popular breakfast cereal in my house. Once in the cereal isle I see I have a coupon for name brand oatmeal. Great, I can finally use my coupon! My coupon was for $.45 off, and the name brand oatmeal was $3.29. Looking on the row below I found the Publix brand which was $2.39 without the coupon. My family will eat the Publix brand as well as the name brand oatmeal, but does it really make sense to buy the name brand for $2.84 with the coupon? No. And I did not.
I know that not all conditions are like this, but thinking back at the coupon pages in the paper, many of the coupons I noticed are for prepackaged, processed foods. Do not think I'm the type of mom who thinks that everything should be homemade, but some things are not that complicated to prepare (again, that is another post). I am sure many people such as myself made New Years resolutions to lose unwanted pounds this year. Not having coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables makes this somewhat complicated to do. To buy fresh vegetables is more costly than purchasing prepackaged foods. Eating healthy is expensive. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a coupon for $.40 off fresh string beans, spinach or mangos?
Couponing for me has not truly saved me money. The products that have discounts are not often products that I buy for my family. Now, I know I am just one individual, but as I am in the grocery store and people are in front of me, I do not see them using them either.
This brings me to extreme couponing. Are people really eating all this food? Are they turning into hoarders? I will admit, I have a freezer full of food that I probably could cook from for about a 10 days, but I promise you it does not have prepackaged food items stacked in it because I had a coupon for the item.
Is it terribly necessary to use these coupons when you are hoarding food? Is it necessary to purchase foods that may not be healthy for you only because you have a coupon? Is it necessary to purchase food you will never eat? I ask these questions, because I am just as guilty as the next person, sometimes I have purchased foods just because I've had a coupon. But as I am paying more attention to my grocery bill, I am asking myself this question, is this economically a good purchase even with a coupon?
About the Author:
Read more of Bailey's blogs Coupons. Stop by Bailey Johnson's site where you can find out all about discount and what it can do for you.
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