Common Couponing Myths (and why they are just myths)

So I'm guessing some of you may have some pre-conceived notions about how couponing is a waste of time, too much work, and can't give savings on fresh produce and meat. I know I did when I first started. Mainly I didn't want to coupon because I didn't want to put a lot of work in just so I could use a few .25 off and .45 coupons and save $5 on a $100 bill. However, once my fiance Adam and I were both unemployed, I needed to find a way to cut costs. Thankfully, my mom had just gotten into couponing and shared her knowledge, and it stuck. I realized there was a lot to learn about couponing, and that all the things I thought I knew about it were not really true at all.

Let's take a look at some myths people have about couponing, and why they don't hold much truth.

1. Couponing takes too much time.

This is somewhat correct. Couponing does take time, especially when you are starting. You will have to buy Sunday papers, organize the coupons in a system that works for you, print coupons online, make lists for the store and stick to them, and shop when things are on sale, not just when it's convenient. However, I don't believe it takes "too much time". The first few weeks will take some time to get things organized and to learn about coupons, but once you have the basics down, the time needed drops significantly.

When I first started, I probably spent 2 - 3 hours each Sunday clipping coupons out of inserts and organizing them and around 6 hours a week at the stores. I also spent a lot of time on Hot Coupon World (HCW) and on blogs of other couponers. Now I spend about 3 hours a week at stores on average, and on Sundays, I take about 5 minutes pulling out the inserts from the newspaper and writing the dates on them. I don't clip coupons anymore until I need them, which saves me a bunch of time.

2. Couponing isn't worth it because you don't save that much money.

This one could not be farther from the truth. The fact is, since I started couponing, I have cut my grocery and household bills in more than half! You will save a good amount of money IF you use coupons in the right way. This means you shouldn't be:

• Buying things you will never use just because they are a "great deal". If you buy unnecessary things on top of what you really need, you probably won't see many savings.
• Buying items just because you have a coupon for them. Without a sale to combine with the coupon, your savings won't be nearly as high. Also, like I said above, if they are not items you will use, it's generally not worth your time to buy them.*
• Buying items without a sale. In line with the point above, combining coupons with sales is the best way to save a large amount. If you don't wait for a sale, you are missing out on a lot of savings

Basically, as long as you're patient enough to wait for a sale to combine your coupon with, you'll see a major decrease in your grocery bill.

*Sometimes it is worth it to buy things you do not need. Here's an example: Say Easy Mac cups are on sale for .50 each, and when you buy 10, you get a $4 on your next order (OYNO) coupon. You have 5 $1/2 coupons, making the Easy Mac free. However, even though you get it all for free, you will still get your $4 OYNO coupon, basically PAYING you $4 to buy the Easy Mac. So even if you won't use the Easy Mac, it's worth buying, since it pays you $4 to buy it, and that $4 can be used to buy something you do need.

3. Cashiers and other customers will hate you for using coupons.

Although you may run into a few difficult cashiers who scrutinize your coupons and make you feel like you're doing something illegal or wrong, most cashiers are indifferent to couponers. It makes no difference to them that you have coupons for all your items. To them, it's just another thing to scan. Some cashiers even get excited for you when they see how much you have saved. I have a cashier at Walgreens who is always happy to ring up my multiple transactions and always wants to know where I get certain coupons. I make sure to give her some coupons when I go in, because she's so nice to deal with. If you do end up with a bad cashier, just remember their face and name, and avoid them in the future.

As far as other customers go, I have never seen anyone get angry at couponers. I'm sure if you were doing a transaction with 300 items and 300 coupons, some might get annoyed, but that's not because of the coupons only. If I have a large transaction, I generally split it up, take each order out to the car after I've paid, then go back in to do another transaction. This way, nobody behind me has to wait for a long time. 

4. Store brand is always cheaper than the name brand equivelant, even when it has a coupon for it

Sure this can be true...if you don't combine the coupon with a store sale. Couponing is all about waiting for a great sale, combining this with coupons, and stocking up on products. I don't mean that you need to buy 100 cans of spaghetti sauce, but if you have 10 coupons and you think you'll use 10 cans within a few months, buy 10. That way, instead of running to the store in a few weeks and buying it at a regular price, you can just grab it from your pantry knowing you paid a rock bottom price for it. As long as you are waiting for a sale and using your coupons with that, then the store brand really shouldn't be a better price. 

5. You can only get sugar cereals and over processed food with coupons.

Well, there are a lot of coupons for that sort of thing, but it isn't all that there is. I have coupons for organic sugar, flour, organic butter, peanut butter, nuts, fresh fruit, olive oil, apple sauce, cheese, eggs, and more. That isn't anything I consider "over processed". There are always going to be coupons for snack foods and treats. If you don't want them, ignore those and find the ones you do need. 

Even if you can't find coupons for any food items you want (and that would be extremely hard to do), there are tons of coupons for household things. I haven't paid more than .33 for a bottle of shampoo or conditioner in over 3 months (and John Frieda Root Awakening was the one that cost .33, the rest were free). I got paid .08 to buy Degree deodorant at Target a month ago. St. Ives body wash paid me $1.50 to take it out of the store! So trust me when I say you can get a lot more than snacks with coupons.

In the end, the people who believe these things are usually the ones who have never shopped with coupons. We eat extremely well, even though we are paying 50 - 60% less on groceries than we used to. Do you know of more myths that should be discussed? Have a question? Leave a comment and I'll help you out.