As I was checking out at Target a few weeks ago, the cashier said something interesting to me.
He scanned all my items and was very pleasant. Then I handed over my (large) stack of coupons. He laughed and said, “Okay, let’s see about your savings. Or perceived savings, anyway.”
Perceived savings?
I knew what he meant. By that tone.
He meant that the value of coupons is just in my head. That I don’t actually save anything by using coupons. Maybe that I’m spending more on the national brands just because I have coupons when the store brand would have been cheaper anyway. Or maybe he thought I was buying a lot things we didn’t need just so I could use the coupons. No matter his reasoning, he thought the money I was saving with coupons was not true cost-cutting, budget-lowering savings.
Humph. “I’ll show him”, I thought, as he began scanning his way through my coupon stack.
And I like to think I did. I walked away with over $130 dollars worth of items (including baby formula, a life jacket for my daughter, and plenty of other needed items) for just about $35. He looked startled when he looked up at the register screen and saw my grand (and gloriously low) total. That part was probably just as satisfying as my savings that day!
Perceived savings? Nope. Think again, buddy.
No, I see a real, tangible difference in our household’s bottom line when I shop with coupons. Our cost of living is much less than it used to be in our life before coupons- and we didn’t have two children then. Plus, our quality of life has not suffered one bit.
Why wouldn’t I use coupons?
I can think of much better ways to use our money than buying toilet paper at ridiculously high shelf prices. Coupons free up more money for us to do with as we wish- give, save, or even splurge.
So, in case my Target cashier has found his way to Mrs. Moneysaver after being floored by the value of coupons, I would love to hear how coupons have made a real difference in your family’s budget. I know there are plenty of skeptics out there reading this too. Let’s show them the value of coupons! :)
I started using coupons last year when a friend suggested I try out the grocery game. Let’s see Mr. Perceived Savings….
1. Our grocery budget went from $800+ mth to $600 (with splurges like crazy to go out to eat)
2. My mom watched me and my 6ft long register tape and two grocery baskets FULL OF FOOD walk out Kroger paying LESS THAN HALF price. (savings of almost 70%)
3. When we were snowed in before Christmas, and several weekends afterward… I didn’t have to run out for things. We had our nice little stockpile.
4. Most of the stuff my husband eats for lunch, I ‘purchased’ for free… Free is not a perceived savings.. it was FREE ;)
I *HEART* COUPONS!
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I think the “perceived savings” is a perfect definition for people who just start cutting out coupons from the Sunday paper. They start buying things they wouldn’t normally buy, tend to spend more money than before, and use their coupons on non-sale prices instead of combining coupons with other grocery-saving techniques such as shopping with a list, meal planning, matching to the weekly ad prices, etc. In that case, YES, using coupons is not really saving you money.
I think couponing is a lot of work and I’ve actually stopped recommending it to beginners; I’d rather see them employ the other techniques which will save them plenty of money without coupons. Even when I’m sick or all three kids or sick or whatever, I can skip couponing and not break my budget. Those are techniques that work for everyone. With couponing, I spend about $400/month on groceries, and that’s for a family of five good eaters.
.-= Gina´s last blog ..Harris Teeter Triple Coupons =-.
I have seen a huge difference in our monthly budget on groceries. Over a year and a half ago we were spending 600.00 a month easily between Costco/Target/grocery stores. It was so easy to walk in Costco and drop a $150 and you didn’t walk away with much. Then last march my husbands company was hit hard by the economy and our income took a hit. In order to pay our bills I had to cut costs on groceries and extra’s. By couponing I was able to feed our family on a strict budget and have extra money for treats like going out to eat. I often get responses from cashiers and or costomers waiting in line behind me that aren’t that nice. But if they truely knew what a savings this was they’d be asking for tips! Thanks a lot for the website I love coming and getting tips and coupons each day. This is a hobby now and I try to get better each week.
I was as skeptical as Mr. “Perceived Savings” when I first heard of couponing, thinking I would be spending more money on name brands when I would normally buy generic or store brands. I started out just menu planning and shopping with a list and saved a good deal of money that way. But when I really looked carefully and without bias at the idea of couponing, I could really see the benefits of shopping sales and stockpiling. After discussing it with my husband, we stepped out on faith and began couponing in earnest. By the time three months had past, I had a nice stockpile of items we always use and I had cut our grocery budget in half! I can now easily feed our family of four for $300 dollars a month, and I literally spend nothing on household and hygiene items anymore. I am now working toward lowering our budget even further by using some great tips and ideas I have gotten from couponing friends and wonderful, informative blogs like yours, Dana. Thank you, and God bless your efforts!
That cashier probably does see a lot of people who only have perceived savings…the ones who use a coupon on a full-priced item, when buying generic without a coupon would be cheaper.
I don’t always have time to coupon shop, but that’s OK. I stock up when I have the time, and then when I have a crazy week, I live off my stockpile, which really saves time!
Excellent post!
.-= Lynnae´s last blog ..Inexpensive is Not Inferior: How to Homeschool on the Cheap =-.
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