Punny Money’s Grand Coupon Experiment, Finale
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: coupons, food, frugality

It’s been a while since I’ve reported on our progress using coupons to save us money on groceries, and there’s a good reason for that. Okay, maybe not a good reason as much as a really bad one: we gave up on coupons.
The reasons I gave earlier for why I suspected coupons would not work for us are still valid. Clipping coupons took too much time and just isn’t suited to our two-person, generic-loving, produce-munching shopping lifestyle.
I tried my best. I really did. I bought newspapers every week, sometimes even if it meant a trip to the store on a day we didn’t need groceries. I poured over them, desperately trying to find coupons for items we use. At some points I was tempted to clip coupons for chips or TV dinners or other things we don’t typically eat, but this would’ve translated to spending more money than normal to save a little.
Several weeks went by where I clipped fewer than two coupons from the Sunday paper–not even enough to cover the cost of the paper, let alone the time I spent doing the clipping. That’s when I decided to call it quits and throw in the scissors.
I hesitate to call this experiment a failure because it simply proved the hypothesis I had going into it that coupons aren’t for everyone. And while I respect those for whom coupons are a saving grace on shopping days, I also encourage everybody to closely examine their grocery spending and make sure they aren’t just buying products because they have coupons for them. If you are, then you’re simply spending in order to “save.”

38 Responses »
1.
Clever Dude
January 25th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
That’s why you just get the 4-pack of Spam and 8-pack of Spaghettios at Sam’s Club every 2 weeks and you’re set on protein. And then just invite your neighbors over and ask them to bring rolls. They’ll end up bringing giant rolls from Safeway and you’ll eat 2 of them, which is your carbs for the month.
2.
Mission Debt Freedom
January 26th, 2007 at 8:52 am
Excellent points! We are on a coupon trial ourselves, and try to only match coupons to things already on our list. Like you mentioned, it doesn’t always work that way!
3.
MossySF
January 28th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Here’s a post from a successful coupon “clipper” who simply just buys the relevant coupons from coupon brokers.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/01/27/coupon-brokers-take-the-work-out-of-clipping-coupons/
4.
LivingAlmostLarge
March 1st, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I just posted on your first coupon article and I wrote in detail my list for a week for the DINK couple in a high COLA area who love generic, shop at costco for meat (once a week), and buy stuff from costco once every 6 months or 2 years.
I do not save money by couponing and coupon shoppers came to my site couldn’t help me save money. Why? Because of what I eat and DO NOT eat. I will not eat crap food to save money. I am very conscious about my health and what I put in my body. I will not go and eat hot dogs, prepackaged foods, chips, tv dinners, frozen foods, in my cart because it’s cheaper than my chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, steak, and pork. Or it’s cheaper than my lettuce, veggies, etc. And you don’t need to buy salad dressing you make it with basalmic vinegar and EVOO.
And make your own bread and pasta it tastes better. I like things fresh. I grew up eating like this and I might add we’re not fat. I could lose a bit to become super thin, but it’s not terrible. Our one indulgence is soda. Maybe part of the weight problem in the US is due to the fact people eat out a lot, and coupon shop for prepackaged gross food.
By the way our families live a long time eating the way we eat. Long meaing 90+ years old. So perhaps watching what you eat is worth it.
5.
Peete
April 21st, 2007 at 1:03 am
Greetings:
I am glad to see that I am not the only person that does not seem to have much luck using coupons. Like you we fall in to the “Why Coupons Don’t Work For Some People (Like Us)” category.
MossySF–the article link you mentioned might be a good solution for us. I’m glad you left it,,, I’m definitely going to check it out.
6.
Grocery Coupons
June 1st, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Totally! Coupons are not for everyone, that for sure. My girlfriend and I eat mainly raw fruits and vegetables, and they never have coupons for that. If it’s on sale, it’s just ON SALE. No coupons involved. We don’t really buy much else so it doesn’t make any sense to even look through the paper. Too bad though.
7.
العاب
December 1st, 2010 at 2:32 pm
This article unique and wonderful and deserve a lot of appreciation
8.
Jocuri
December 21st, 2010 at 9:04 am
How did that worked out? Oh well, you know we are in recession?!
9.
العاب
February 19th, 2011 at 2:43 am
> Truly happy to post my comment on your blog. I’m glad that you shared this helpful info with us <
10.
العاب بنات
February 19th, 2011 at 2:43 am
This article unique and wonderful and deserve a lot of appreciation >
11.
zara
May 14th, 2011 at 2:13 am
http://www.burberrybags-store.com/
12.
Property Marbella
July 6th, 2011 at 6:24 am
I tried my best. I really did. I bought newspapers every week, sometimes even if it meant a trip to the store on a day we didn’t need groceries. I poured over them, desperately trying to find coupons for items we use. Property Marbella
13.
Virtual Server
July 11th, 2011 at 11:21 am
It happens it is hard to be that pro active about somethings
14.
عراق3
July 26th, 2011 at 8:06 am
دردشه عراق3 1
15.
دردشه
July 26th, 2011 at 8:07 am
دردشة 2
16.
شات
July 26th, 2011 at 8:08 am
جات 3
17.
دردشة عراقية
July 26th, 2011 at 8:08 am
دردشه عراقيه 4
18.
دردشة العراق
July 26th, 2011 at 8:09 am
دردشه العراق 5
19.
شات العراق
July 26th, 2011 at 8:09 am
جات العراق 6
20.
شات عراقي
July 26th, 2011 at 8:10 am
جات عراقي 7
21.
موقع العراق
July 26th, 2011 at 8:10 am
موقع عراقي 8
22.
دليل المواقع العراقية
July 26th, 2011 at 8:11 am
دليل المواقع 9
23.
دليل
July 26th, 2011 at 8:12 am
دليل عراقي 10
24.
منتديات العراق
July 26th, 2011 at 8:13 am
منتدى العراق 11
25.
منتديات عراقية
July 26th, 2011 at 8:14 am
منتدى عراقي 12
26.
منتديات عراق3
July 26th, 2011 at 8:14 am
منتدى عراق3 13
27.
burberry outlet
July 28th, 2011 at 6:09 am
thank you for sharing,this information is useful to me.good qualit
28.
شات مصر
September 14th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
great, thats very good for us
29.
Nancy Leonard
September 24th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Very informative and interesting post. This post deserves to have a lot of appreciation. Thank you so much for sharing this one.
30.
Property Marbella
October 4th, 2011 at 4:19 am
Several weeks went by where I clipped fewer than two coupons from the Sunday paper–not even enough to cover the cost of the paper, let alone the time I spent doing the clipping. Property Marbella
31.
coupons
October 19th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Fundraising companies may also provide welfare coupons for people who are willing to donate certain amounts of money or to adopt animals. These welfare coupons may come as discount coupons for various products or for buying food for the adopted animal.
32.
ماليزيا
October 25th, 2011 at 3:23 am
thank you a lot’s bro
33.
منتديات العراق
November 18th, 2011 at 11:32 am
thank you
thank you
thank you
thank you
34.
handbags
January 25th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Nice hosting! It’s my first time to read like this article.ayt
35.
replica jewelry
January 25th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Nice hosting! It’s my first time to read like this article.jutsr
36.
شات
January 28th, 2012 at 8:17 am
good man this topic very good
37.
دردشة صفا روحي
February 3rd, 2012 at 7:38 am
Good design for your site,did you I
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>Trackbacks & Pingbacks
[...] won’t argue the merits of whether coupons are a smart investment today. Instead, for everyone out there who so desperately desires to use coupons but, for whatever [...]
Pingback by Search and Ye Shall Receive: I’m Embarrassed to Use Coupons | Punny Money — March 3, 2008 @ 11:46 am