What started off as a means to survive, in a tough economy, has blossomed into a hobby and a means to save extra to flex the monthly budget just a little bit today. Couponing has gone from being an obsession to today being a great way to get the full worth of your dollar. Now that the couponing fever has plateaued, do you think that couponing is really that worth your time, energy and effort.While getting a great deal or a coupon with Sears is always a welcome, but do the 60 cents off on this juice and 49 cents off on that really make a difference to your monthly budget?
The Pros
Starting on the brighter side, no one can deny, that if you are in a crunch for money, then couponing does help you stretch your grocery list just that extra bit, especially in times where we are surrounded by inflated economies and increased unemployment. Couponing when done alone can get overwhelming, but when you have a group that collectively collects coupons such as Payumoney Coupons and shares them depending on the needs of the person; it can be a life and budget saver.
So if you are looking to seriously take it up, look up couponing groups in your neighbourhood, its simple logic, the more hands and eyes, the more coupons you will manage to cover. Even if you are not couponing obsessively, some coupons are ridiculously brilliant that come with ‘I can’t believe my luck’- kind of offer, so don’t give up on couponing completely, sometimes the bargain really pays off.
The Cons
While no one tires of talking about the pros of couponing, you have to admit, there are some pit falls to the couponing systems as well. For starters, the time and effort that goes into collecting and preparing for your shopping day is incredible. Not only does it take an unbelievable amount of time to look for coupons and deals, many a times what you land up with is just a handful of coupons that are usable, with just a fraction of those that are useful to you, the rest, well, it’s just fodder for your coupon pouch.
For those doing this all by themselves, let’s face it, it does get a little overwhelming, and you have to have a pretty high tolerance and motivation to get you going with the whole couponing thing. Another factor to take into consideration is that to be a good coupon-er, you have to be good at organizing. Going through a huge list of coupons and collecting them, storing them and keeping track of their expiration date is a lot of work, this is excluding the number of hours you are going to put looking for the coupons. So bear in mind, if you are not someone who is organised with your stuff, and are sort of the wait for the last minute kinds, couponing may not reap you any benefits (but may be a good way to change your ways, maybe).