Sometimes I have to remind myself to cut coupons. They do take a little bit of time to do, after all, and just the task of remembering to buy that newspaper or scout out extra coupons doesn’t seem to fit in with the day to day life.
It is true that you can reduce the food budget without coupons, using careful shopping, buying in bulk and other methods. But some of the biggest savings can be had when you do use coupons and use them in the right way.
Even basic coupon cutting can reduce the grocery bill by 30 percent without too much effort. Being a little more mindful with matching those coupons to sales, promotions and rewards can reap even higher savings. There is a thrill to getting groceries for free.
I have a new motivation lately and that is reducing debt. My family and I have the goal of getting rid of the car payment and then hopefully the house payment as well. We’ve recently gotten mad about all of the interest that we pay on things. If I save just $10 extra dollars off of our usual grocery budget, that $10 can be added to the debt repayment.
There are reasons not to cut coupons. I shouldn’t cut coupons if it leads to bad purchase decisions. For example, if I buy items that we will never use or spend more on the name brand versions of items that can be purchased cheaper without coupons, then cutting coupons would actually cost us money.
Another reason not to cut coupons is if it compromises my family’s nutrition. There are too many coupons out there for processed food. Once in a while may be okay, but an entire monthly meal plan that includes a lot of processed food will ultimately cost us in many ways, including in medical expenses.
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