Coupon Cynic

I'm a coupon cynic.  I know, I know, I said only positive thoughts here.  But I've just got to get it out.  I dislike coupons.  Let me tell you why...

It's not that I don't like saving money.  I love saving money.  What I don't like is any form of coercion that would make me buy a product just because that product might be "on sale" or I might have "a good deal with this coupon."

Coupons today with our rewards cards and electronic tracking are highly targeted.  They are good at sending you in the direction of the exact product they want you to try or buy.  I dislike having my selection of consumer products based on what I might be saving.  I'd rather make product choices based on quality, flavor, suitability, packaging, availability and base price among other things.

Here's an example from last year that is a classic reason why I hate coupons.  I wanted to get some chocolate for our candy bowl we keep out on the counter.  The contents of the bowl change with the seasons.  I think it was getting close to Halloween because about that time of year I get interested in chocolate.

"I'm going to get some chocolate when I get groceries, " I said to my husband.  He told me he had a coupon.  Chocolate can be expensive so I took it with me.  After ten minutes searching the whole chocolate area in the store I gave up and came home. 

First, it could only be Hershey's chocolate.  Not Mars, Not Nestle.  Then it had to be a bag that was at least ten ounces.  And it had to be "fun size" items, not "snack size."   In the entire time I was there I found exactly one bag that met all the criteria.  It was a bag that items I didn't even want.  And I definitely didn't want to buy two bags so I could get a discount on the second bag.   I chucked the coupon in the cart and got the chocolate I wanted in the first place.

That's what coupons can do to you.  The smell of a deal can be so intoxicating that the result may not even be what you most wanted or even the best cost.  Saving 20% on something with a coupon isn't saving if you spent the 80% and you didn't even need the thing in the first place.

We have some coupon rules we like to follow to make sure we're not getting intoxicated by the potential savings coupons can offer.  First, the coupons are for things we would have purchased in the first place.   Second, the coupons don't force us to by more of an item than we would buy or a different offering of the item (packaging or quantity.)  And third, the coupon is for something we'd buy now, not something we might possibly use in eight months so let's hurry up and spend the money today because, hey, coupon!

My husband's very organized with his coupon book he remembers to use them and we do save money regularly with coupons.  But he never brings home Random Condiment X because, "It was on sale and I had a coupon!"   That fun is for the coupon fanatics, thanks, I'll pass.


The Big Boy Update:  On the bed.  Oh dear, he can get onto the bed now.  There's a little stool he's always loved that's there so the dog can hop up on the bed at night and he likes to carry the stool around and stand on the stool and look onto the bed.  Now he can get on the bed via the stool.  That would be okay if he knew he needed to not romp, bounce, flail, and generally almost fall off the bed in excitement once he gets up.  I fear there will be a thud and tears emanating from the bedroom sometime soon.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  No bibs.  My son spit up so badly we changed bibs on him once an hour at minimum.  My daughter is a tidier, cleaner baby.  She very rarely spits up anything.  Even drinking her bottle she doesn't dribble too much.  And more amazingly, she can wear an outfit for a whole day.  My son wore so many outfits due to food mishaps.  She looks so cute without a bib on her, covering up the cute front of whatever onesie she's wearing.