Coupon Myths: Busted {Part 1}

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No doubt about it, couponing is rapidly gaining in popularity.  I now see others regularly using coupons while shopping.  Even just one year ago, this was a rare sight to see.

But there are still skeptics out there.  You know the ones.  Heck, I used to be one!

“Coupons aren’t worth the time… they make you spend more… I can’t keep them organized”… etc, etc

I have heard such statements time and time again.  If I had a nickel…

It is not easy to convince a coupon skeptic to start couponing.  Short of physically taking them shopping, there is not much you can do to convert them.

Allow me to attempt to dispell some coupon myths, one by one.  In this first installment, I am addressing this common misconception:
“There are never coupons for things I actually buy!”

Really?  Gosh, I hope that’s not true… afterall, there are always coupons for toothpaste and deodorant, right?

So, I have compiled a list of products you can always find coupons for:

Health/Beauty
dental products (toothpastes, brushes, floss, mouthrinse)
makeup (most major drugstore brands)
hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, styling aides, dye)
body lotion/wash
deodorant
soap
skincare products (facial wash, lotions, anti-aging, etc)
sunscreen
self-tanner
razors
shaving gel/cream
vitamins
over the counter medications
feminine products

Household Items

paper goods
laundry detergent
cleaning products
trash bags
air freshener
ziploc bags
foil
Food
soup
baking products
cereal
snack items
frozen pizza
frozen veggies
frozen convenience foods
chocolate/gum
yogurt
coffee
pet food/treats

Baby
diapers/wipes
pull-ups
lotions, soaps, wash
formula

The coupons for items above can be found in Sunday newspaper inserts.  Free online coupons are also plentiful for most major brands.  Sometimes coupons are seasonal, so you won’t see them year round, but they are out there!

Also contrary to popular belief, not all food coupons are for junk food.  There are frequent coupons available for organic products.  One great resource for organic coupons is Mambo Sprouts.  Sign up for their coupons by mail or print them online.

Feel free to share this post with the coupon skeptic in your life.  In the next installment of my Coupon Myths series, I will address the belief that coupons cause you to buy things you would not normally buy.

What coupon myths have you heard?

Comments

  1. Terre@savingyourgreen.blogspot.com says

    I often hear one reason not to take the time to use coupons and that is you can buy the store brand product cheaper than if you use a coupon for the same name brand product.

    Buying items when they are on sale with the coupon is the best way to save money because you typically get the item for free or nearly free. Also if you store doubles coupons you can find a better deal than would with the store brand item.

  2. The Ice House says

    I think one thing that can be misleading to non-couponers is when they hear “I got $100 worth of groceries for $2.00”. It sounds like a person went to the store, bought a weeks worth of food (meat, dairy, fresh veggies) and only paid $2.00 when in reality many of those items are duplicates and don’t match up to make 2 complete meals. You may have 3 bags of rice, 3 toothpaste, 4 cleaning items, etc. but nothing to make for dinner lol! Yes, it is saving money and it’s a wonderful way to shop, but can be misleading, ya know?

    Stockpiling plays a BIG part in getting the best value for your money and it takes time and work!

    Like you mentioned in your post, a key point is learning that you can get FREE items like the personal care things we all use and take that savings and put it towards the food that you want. I hate buying toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies, etc. because I see that as food I can’t buy now. Getting those items free or nearly free is HUGE in saving money!!!

  3. sati769leigh says

    I have pointed out to people as well that BARTER is another great resource in this day and age. ifyou can get deoderant and toothpaste FREE, more than your family can use. Add in cleaning supplies, medications, body wash all in abundance for free usually. then TRADE/BARTER those items for services you might not otherwise afford or with a farm stand for fruits and veggies. i have been doing this the last few months and have recieved fruit and veggies, hair cut, lawn service, shoveling in the winter so far. and i am betting i can do a LOT more with bartering I just need to get outside the box with my thinking.

  4. Lulu says

    I get a lot of negative comments from friends as well….but when they read my CVS posts they see how much money I save.

    It is difficult to find coupons for food that I eat all the time but when I do get them they make the brand so much cheaper than the generic.

    I will buy generic milk, but when I get the coupon for Carnation…it ends up being cheaper than the store brand.

    I do use most of my coupons for stuff like toothpaste (I now have about 14 tubes…so I don’t need to buy toothpaste for the rest of the year!!!!) and deodorant and paper goods. The money I save is well worth it as the $2 newspaper always gives me a LOT more than $2 in savings.

  5. Together We Save says

    The biggest reason I hear for not using coupons is organization. I love my coupon binder but it is overwhelming for some. I encourage them to use a small envelope system to at least get started. And sign up for Cellfire and other e-coupon sites. That is way to easy.

  6. Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam says

    Love this post! I just briefly addressed this in my workshop. I do believe time is the biggest fear factor for most people.

  7. Tracy M says

    I frequently hear “It takes too much time to clip coupons only to save a couple of cents”. Then I ask them if they watch TV. If they say yes, then I tell them they can clip coupons during commercials. I also point them to sites that have a round up of free items for the week and tell them that focusing on the free items alone is a great way to get started with couponing.

  8. Petula says

    I have a friend who says she’s not organized enough and she doesn’t like getting the coupons or something like that. But when I tell her about an awesome deal and how I used a coupon and caught something on sale to double the deal, she says she can’t do that.

    I told her to start small and once she sees how far her money will go and how much money she’ll save she’ll be hooked. (I often wonder why she keeps complaining about not having money when she doesn’t do everything to save money.) I guess we can’t convince everyone. 🙂

  9. Amy says

    LOVE this!

    I’ve introduced one of my BFF’s to the joys of coupon and sale shopping, and she is officially addicted! And, she is now a fan of CVS 🙂

    I guess the myth I hear about how much time it takes to coupon and make lists. I have three kids ages 5 and under, and if I can find the time for it, most everyone else could, too, if they really wanted too! Truly, I think it is a matter of choice: do you want to take the time or not.

    And, it does take time to coupon, especially at first. BUT, for me, the time is worth it!

  10. Jodie R. says

    Lol, yes there’s no shortage for toothpaste and deodorant coupons! I have been stockpiling both of those items and now will only buy toothpaste and deodorant if it’s free!

  11. Cara says

    I agree for the most part. But we use only Tom’s or Jason’s toothpaste, and Tom’s deodorant. And realistically for our family of 4, I generally buy maybe one thing of tooth paste each every 4 months at the most, and the last time I bought deodorant was when CVS had a sale on it and I stocked up, last summer.

    I did try couponing, and donated the stuff that I didn’t use to our women’s and family shelter. What I did use that I got was a huge stock pile of toothbrushes, a ‘mineral makeup’ mascara, and a boatload of q-tips.

    It was fun to try out, but for this family it didn’t prove to be worth the time invested.

  12. Anna says

    i have been trying to get people at work hooked on couponing and it has not gone so well, among the favorite complaints:
    – waste of gas to drive to all those stores
    – already shop at Sam’s or buy store brand
    – think they will pay more just because they have a coupon
    – think they will buy stuff they dont need
    – don’t find coupons for stuff they want
    – don’t need to financially
    – too time consuming
    – socially unacceptable

    I have even had people go so far as to try to convince me not to coupon any more lol! as if I would ever do that!

    So I asked a guy at work what was keeping him from couponing and here was what he came up with:
    – don’t have time for a big shopping run, just like to get in and get out for the one or two things I need. I shop at my convenience and coupons usually have an expiration date that forces you to go when you’re not ready.
    – I don buy store brand alot but I am not specific to one brand I buy what best suits my needs and usually there is not a coupon for the stuff I need. Coupons temp you with either junk items or high profile named items. I don’t want to get caught up in the scam.
    – don’t want to have to fumble with all those coupons at the checkout counter and incovenience the cashier or the people waiting in line behind me.
    – don’t get the paper so I don’t get the flyers with all the coupons.
    – don’t like cutting and I am horrible at it, so cutting coupons would annoy me. I will also be upset if I spend the time cutting coupons but I don’t have the time to get to the store before the coupon expires.
    – I have trouble remembering to bring my shopping list into the store, how will I ever remember to bring in my coupons.
    – don’t have room to stockpile or store things I don’t need but have a coupon for. Also storing it my put it past its expiration date.

    as you can see, his comments show a lack of understanding of what couponing is all about. oh well its his loss!

  13. Eric says

    I am uncomfortable with what it seems to take to make couponing truly successful. Purchasing coupons and then needing to say oh, I’m not buying the coupon but the person’s time to cut it is ethically questionable for me. I’m not going to use more than 1 coupon if the coupon indicates that it is one per item regardless of if the cashier’s catch it, etc. Honestly, the more I read dedicated couponing sites (and I’m new to this one so I’m not referring to it specifically) the more uncomfortable I am.

  14. Anna says

    ooh i forgot one, people say they can’t coupon because they live way out in the country and can’t drive to the stores easily.

  15. Michelle says

    Some people have an excuse for everything. This is what I call LAZY!! I do know that companies have the right to put a coupon in our hands and that we are not making them do it….

  16. shannon flora says

    thanks for all your info on the couponing,i been slacking lately and by reading all these comments makes me want to get back to it.i savedso much doing my coupons,thanks,shannon flora

  17. Craig De Lisle says

    I developed a bar code scanning process that scans coupons, (or manuallyenter them), does meal planning, monthly visual meal calendar, shopping lists, pricing, easily pull in past shopping items, pull in dinner lists, and many more features that helps to save time and money using coupons and other coupon queen strategies.

    The process is now being tested by a coupon queen, and I am partnering with a coupon queen that supports all her coupon strategies to market. She saves $500 a month on food and consumables that this process supports.

    We also will provide a strategy how a work at home mom can easily make $500 shopping for 3 families once a week.

    So using our process a mom can easily save $300 for her family, and earn an additional $500 a month for a total of $800.

    Want more information email me delislec2@netzero.net. The entire process is very affordable and you can make your money back in the first month.

    It is about time someone automated the coupon process to help moms and those who do not believe in couponing.

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