Our Sunday paper is always been chunked full of coupons. Manufacturer, store and restaurant coupons are loaded in this paper. As I stand in line at the grocery store with my paper, I see people using extra strength to lift this ton of a paper held together with a thick red rubber band into their basket.
Once home I snapped the rubber band off, preventing being popped, and went directly to the center where all those incredible money saving coupons were located. As I explored the grocery ads, I wanted to see if I could match the coupons to my weekly grocery list.
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 finalized my list and went to the grocery store. I had my list, and my coupons, ready to shop. My regular routine for shopping in this particular Publix store is once inside I turn to the right and go to the fresh vegetables section. Looking at my list, I need romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions. None of these products had a coupon. I go to the meat section and get chicken breast in order to make my own chicken nuggets and fingers (that will be a later post) a roast and fish . Again, none of these had a coupon.
Looking back at my list I needed oatmeal. Once in the cereal isle I notice I actually have a coupon for name brand oatmeal. Great, I can use my coupon! The coupon was for $.45 off, and the name brand oatmeal was $3.29. I looked on the row below and found a Publix brand for $2.39 without a coupon. My family will eat the Publix brand as well as the name brand oatmeal, but is it sensible to buy the name brand for $2.84 with the coupon? No. And I did not.
I understand that not all situations are like this. Thinking back at the coupon section in the newspaper, many of the coupons that I noticed are for prepackaged, processed stuffed foods. Don't think I'm the type of mother who believes that everything should be home made, but some things are not that difficult to prepare (again, that's another post). I am sure many people including myself made New Years resolutions to lose weight this year. Not having coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables would make this somewhat difficult. Purchasing fresh food is more expensive than preserved foods. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a coupon for $.40 off fresh apples, oranges or grapes?
Couponing for me hasn't actually saved me money. The items that have coupons are often items that I do not purchase for my family. I know I am just one person, but as I am in the grocery store and people are in front of me, I do not see people using them either.
This takes me to excessive couponing. Are the individuals really eating all this food? Or are they turning into hoarders? I will confess, I have a freezer full of food that I could probably cook from for about a 10 days, but I guarantee you it does not have prepackaged meals because I had a coupon for the product.
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 snapped the rubber band off, preventing being popped, and went directly to the center where all those incredible money saving coupons were located. As I explored the grocery ads, I wanted to see if I could match the coupons to my weekly grocery list.
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 finalized my list and went to the grocery store. I had my list, and my coupons, ready to shop. My regular routine for shopping in this particular Publix store is once inside I turn to the right and go to the fresh vegetables section. Looking at my list, I need romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions. None of these products had a coupon. I go to the meat section and get chicken breast in order to make my own chicken nuggets and fingers (that will be a later post) a roast and fish . Again, none of these had a coupon.
Looking back at my list I needed oatmeal. Once in the cereal isle I notice I actually have a coupon for name brand oatmeal. Great, I can use my coupon! The coupon was for $.45 off, and the name brand oatmeal was $3.29. I looked on the row below and found a Publix brand for $2.39 without a coupon. My family will eat the Publix brand as well as the name brand oatmeal, but is it sensible to buy the name brand for $2.84 with the coupon? No. And I did not.
I understand that not all situations are like this. Thinking back at the coupon section in the newspaper, many of the coupons that I noticed are for prepackaged, processed stuffed foods. Don't think I'm the type of mother who believes that everything should be home made, but some things are not that difficult to prepare (again, that's another post). I am sure many people including myself made New Years resolutions to lose weight this year. Not having coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables would make this somewhat difficult. Purchasing fresh food is more expensive than preserved foods. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a coupon for $.40 off fresh apples, oranges or grapes?
Couponing for me hasn't actually saved me money. The items that have coupons are often items that I do not purchase for my family. I know I am just one person, but as I am in the grocery store and people are in front of me, I do not see people using them either.
This takes me to excessive couponing. Are the individuals really eating all this food? Or are they turning into hoarders? I will confess, I have a freezer full of food that I could probably cook from for about a 10 days, but I guarantee you it does not have prepackaged meals because I had a coupon for the product.
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?
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