Coupon-Clipping Isn't Really Worth the Effort

From the Poughkeepsie Journal (Maine). It's merely nickel-and-dime saving when you could be going for REAL savings!

"As the grocery clerk whisked my 10 Dannon Light yogurts over the scanner, I looked warily from the few things left on the conveyor belt to the lengthening line behind me. Then I turned back to my purse and continued searching for an elusive $1-off coupon.

This was the third time I had tried to use this coupon in three weeks — and every time I got to the checkout counter, I could never find it in time. Now, frantically fumbling through my handbag, I found an abundance of receipts, some cash and a wad of outdated coupons that fell onto the floor.

By now, I was tempted to just take the handbag and dump the darn thing upside down.

If I held the line up too long, I wondered if the others would storm the checkout counter. They didn't appear particularly patient. Especially the man with the head of lettuce, bottle of red-wine vinegar and baguette, scowling at the woman ahead of him. She looked exhausted as she struggled with a testy toddler in a cart piled high with groceries.

I was about to cut my losses and give up on the discount, when the badly crumpled coupon materialized. It was in a compartment I had already searched three times, but I had been too flustered to see it.

With a sense of moral victory, I handed it to the clerk. What a thrill — I had saved a dollar!

For me, the coupon-clipping instinct is cyclical. Right now, when the holiday bills are being paid off, it seems like a good idea. And with the economy as it is, bargain hunting sounds like a wise and thrifty activity. But time is money, and from that vantage point, I'm not so sure it's worth it.

When I'm cutting coupons, I dream of huge savings. Yet these precious discounts often end up in the recycling bin. Batches of them frequently surface weeks after their expiration dates amid my other papers, serving no purpose but contributing to clutter.

Even when I put them to use, it's easy to get tripped up by hidden catches. These usually have to do with bulk. A friend told me his wife came home one day thrilled with two boxes of 48 fish sticks. It was a 2-for-1 sale — and the euphoria of this great bargain lasted until they thought of eating 96 fish sticks between the two of them. That would be enough to give anyone indigestion.

Coupons also spark my interest in products I never thought of buying. Things such as pomegranate-scented air freshener, lavender-tinted razors and organic soy candles suddenly seem alluring. I know I don't really need them, but I can't resist. That's when I've actually lost money using coupons.

Maybe if you're strategic and very disciplined, you can avoid these pitfalls. But shopping with coupons isn't for the faint of heart; there are traps in every grocery store aisle. And given the angst of searching for them in the checkout line, I might be better off just paying full price."

Yet another example of why you should just bag the coupons and buy using the price-per-unit method.