I get it. It can be addicting. Once you've gotten used to paying less than $1.50 for cereal, it's hard not to run to the store to stock up when you find a screaming deal. Staring at a receipt reflecting that you saved more than you spent - truly exhilirating. You think, man, I may not be bringing home a paycheck, but baby, look at what I'm saving the family! A couple of months ago, I hit a department store during their end-of-season clearance. I walked out carrying Anna's entire wardrobe for next winter (and a few token items for the other girls, too). Twenty-one items for just over $70. How much did I save? $386. Never mind that I would never (ever, EVER!) have paid full price for even one of those articles of clothing, how could I not give myself a huge pat on the back for that! It was freakin' awesome, I tell you. The Fruit Gushers I got a few weeks back for only 10 cents a box - pretty darn sweet, too. And getting Old Orchard Juice concentrate for free (after coupons and catalina savings) - not bad, if I do say so myself.
So here's the problem. Several, actually. First, as a wife and mother of four children, I cannot help but factor in opportunity cost. In order to catch all the best deals, I could visit the store multiple times per week. Should I stay home and assemble a puzzle with my kids, or should I drag them all to Albertson's, ignore their needs while I fill my cart with items I don't really need right then, organize them into several transactions, and stuff a chocolate chip cookie into their mouths to keep them quiet while I pay for my groceries? Another scenario: would I rather kiss my husband goodbye after tucking the children into bed and spend a quiet hour at the grocery store stocking up on the week's deals or relax in his company after a long day of being away from one another? I've caved to both options - the latter of which seems to work better but I still think it's a wash. I'm an every other week grocery trip sort of girl.
Second, if it wasn't on my list in the first place, can I really justify spending money on it? Will the health of my family suffer if I stockpile sugar cereal and fruit snacks because those happen to be the products for which I can score a deal? I'm all for convenience foods, believe me. I have four kids and we are on-the-go a lot. But, couldn't the time spent surfing blogs, cutting coupons, perusing weekly ads, and shopping be better used making loaves of homemade bread with my kids, growing my own vegetables, and planning healthy meals from scratch? Wouldn't our waistlines thank us?
And finally, there's something to be said for "out of sight, out of mind". If I'm only going to the store once every other week, aren't I less likely to cave to a impulse buy? And even if I stick to my list religiously, the mere frequency of multi-weekly visits to the store means more money spent. It just does.
I don't pass any judgment on self-proclaimed couponing gurus. But I can't help feeling that a friend of mine, who called herself a "casual couponer" has got it right. Sure, I've got Lucky Charms up the wazoo in my storage room. But, in my unscientific cost-benefit analysis, the jury's still out.
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6 comments:
I just love you and your blog. Simple as that.
I think I could label myself a casual couponer. I match coupons and sales. I do not make multiple trips to multiple stores. Just one store once a week. I do get five Sunday papers so maybe that puts me outside of the casual realm. I've been doing it about a year now. I think over all its been beneficial. We have cut our grocery budget by about half. I think for now I'll stick with it but I would not be surprised if I stop within the next few months.
It's funny that you bring this up right now. We recently have some guys entitled the "Grocery Guru" come and teach the ladies at our church about coupon savings, etc. I didn't go.
Our family has really turned over to eating whole foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, and I just don't see those being helped by the whole coupon mania. Instead, I've just figured out through some actual research which places have consistently the cheapest produce, (& I know exactly which produce items at Costco are actually a better deal than the grocery store), and also use a couple food co-ops to get discounted, local stuff. It seems to work out well, and I really don't have to shop very often.
Having said that, we did buy a used fridge for our garage to store some of the produce items. We go through a lot of stuff in one week and fruits and veggies can take up a lot of space in your fridge.
I find it hard to get excited about having a pantry full of cake mixes, even if they are basically free. Gotta find that balance I suppose! :)
I couldn't agree with you more!
Great to see you guys by-the-way : )
I can see how you have mixed feelings. It's just so FUN to see how much money you save. Way to go on the clothes though for winter (I have a hard time spending money on clothes).
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