Just because you saved money doesn’t mean you’re a saver. Let me ask you – if you use a coupon for an item that you don’t really want or may never use, did you just save money? No! You just wasted money…. coupon and all. You also wasted time clipping that coupon. It’s the classic argument of buying things in the store or at the mall simply because they’re on sale. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the receiving end of that argument with family, friends, and clients. Spending money on items you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased is not saving. It’s simply wasting less than you would have otherwise wasted if you bought it without a coupon.
“Extreme couponing” is all the rage right now. I’ve been watching episodes of individuals and families that take coupon clipping to the next stratosphere. I’ve got to admit, it’s incredibly impressive. Some people walk in and purchase $1,000 worth on groceries for just $15 after all coupons. Truly amazing! If you haven’t seen this in action first hand, I recommend you watch an episode or two. That being said, some take a great idea to a concerning level. My wife says that extreme couponing is the gateway drug to hoarding. If you’ve seen a show on hoarding, you know how serious that can be. Each couponing show profiles individuals that have stockpiled their homes with shelves and shelves of products from the grocery store. They can’t have company spend the night because their guest rooms are jam packed with 40 years worth of shampoo, toilet paper, or body wash. I mean seriously, who needs 75 bottles of body wash? How long would it take you to go through 75 bottles of body wash or hundreds of tubes of toothpaste?
I understand that the majority of shoppers don’t take couponing and sales to the extent that we see on this TV show. That’s the good news. However, the bad news is that too many justify their spending by calling it saving. Don’t buy things you want (or maybe don’t really want) just because they are on sale; buy things that you need when they are on sale. Keep this in mind… you can go absolutely broke even if you only buy things that are on sale. Buying things on sale or with coupons isn’t where the focus should be. Buying things you can afford and need in the most frugal way possible, is where you need to focus.
Ask yourself this question before spending your hard earned money: “Am I about to waste my money on things I don’t really need and probably won’t really use, just to be able to use a coupon?” If the answer is yes, then keep your coupon and your money in your pocket and don’t buy it. That’s real saving.
