The Tragedy of Coupons

There are some fabulous deals floating around, out there in the world—bargains on everything from toothpaste to furniture. Unfortunately, there can be quite a stigma against taking advantage of such discounts. In response, consumers can be wary of seeming cheap.

This idea persists most in the grocery store. Imagine if you will, standing in line for your weekly grocery purchase. Directly ahead of you in line is a woman with a child or two. After emptying her kart onto the conveyer belt she begins digging in her purse and eventually extracts a fistful of paper. Do your eyes roll? Are you suddenly more aware of how long it will take you to get through the line?

Everyone’s pockets are a bit tighter these days. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a steady paycheck, it’s still important to be mindful of the certainty of future income. None of us can afford to spend extra money on everyday items simply to avoid a bad reputation with grocery store co-consumers—who, I remind you, are perfect strangers. Taking advantage of coupons for groceries may save you a considerable amount in the long run, depending on how diligent you are in finding them and how brave at the cash register.

Finding these coupons may not be as difficult as expected. There is, of course, always the newspaper to peruse and clip from. But now the Internet is a valuable resource for money saving. Case in point, ShopAtHome.com is an excellent online coupon service, with free sign up. Their site has offers for everything you could possibly need.

I suggest one of two tactics for using online coupon sites: write your grocery list, then visit the site and save on as many products as possible; or, visit the site first and create your meal plan around the best bargains available. There are arguments to be made for either plan of action. The first may be the most frugal and the least likely to take you from your comfort zone. The second offers the option to experiment a little and try things you might not have otherwise.

Something else worth mentioning, if you cannot overcome the feeling of embarrassment when you prepare to hand your coupons over to the clerk, ShopAtHome.com has coupons for groceries that can be loaded directly on to your store savings card. If you feel the absolute need to avoid the paper, there are still ample savings available through this method—stigma free.