Think clipping coupons can save you money? Beware of these common coupon pitfalls. Avoid them or risk spending too much on groceries.
Coupons can be wonderful things. Using them the right way, by combining the coupons with loss leader sales and using them wisely can shave 40-70 percent off of your grocery bill. But if you aren’t noticing a real drop in the total amount you spend on groceries, then you may be falling into one of the following coupon pitfalls.
Wasteful items
Why do you think manufacturers are so generous with their coupons? They want you to buy the product and know that you may be more likely to do so if they offer a coupon (and the competitor brand does not).
But coupons can backfire if you find yourself using them to buy products that you don’t usually buy. This is because these items may wind up going to waste, expiring and then being tossed out. If you have never bought cumin before and haven’t had a strong desire to try it, don’t buy it, coupon or no coupon.
Another way that coupons can backfire is when you buy high cost, low nutrition items, such as candy. While a little treat every so often is fine, if you are loading up on the sugar, convenience foods, etc., then you aren’t leaving room in your budget for the food that will actually keep you strong, healthy and filled, such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables.
Another pitfall with wasteful items and coupons is purchasing items that can’t be used with other items in your pantry or buy themselves. This can lead to the purchasing of other expensive ingredients in order to use up the item that you saved with a coupon. For example, do you automatically reach for the salsa and the nacho cheese when you get an almost free bag of nacho chips? Keep your inventory in mind whenever you snag a deal with coupons to make sure that you can use the bargain without over spending.