Most of us have seen the television show where these people go into the stores and get hundreds of dollars’ worth of groceries for free. I was one of those people who was completely intrigued by the thought of saving all of that money and getting things for free. I grew up in a very poor family and the idea that I could have what they called a stock pile, made me want to learn how to use coupons like they did even more.
I immediately started researching how to coupon like these people on the show did, I wanted to know all of the secrets. I also started collecting coupons like they were gold. To me they really were, after all I would be able to buy stuff that I wanted with them. I spent time clipping and organizing, thinking about couponing and reading about couponing. I was so excited when I went on my first trip to the store with my coupons in hand. I was on a mission to get enough razors to last for a year as cheaply as I could.
My first trip to the store, I saved 70 percent. I was disappointed though. Why was I not able to save 90 percent like the people on the television? I was even more determined than before, but here is what I have learned. First, most of those people buy high valued coupons. They also get people to donate coupons to them. I also found out that some of the coupons were actually fake. One of the stores complained that they never got paid for hundreds of the coupons used because they were not real.
So the answer to the question does couponing really pay off is yes. You can save money by using coupons. You can save over 50 percent by using coupons. You are not going to get hundreds of dollars’ worth of products for free using coupons. You may occasionally find coupons for free products, for example I found a coupon that was one dollar off of any BIC product. At my local dollar store, BIC pens sell for one dollar a pack. I obviously used every one of these coupons I could find and stocked my office up on ink pens. Those are rare finds. I have however been able to get all of our shampoo and conditioner for less than a dollar, and can get toilet paper for free on the occasion that it goes on sale at my local store.
Couponing does pay off but not to the extent that you see on the television. You can save money and it is definitely worth the time you spend on it. You have to make sure that you don’t get discouraged like I did when I realized I could not get everything for free like they do on the television show. Remember, this is real life anything you do to save yourself money will benefit you. That is nothing more than a television show written and produced for entertainment. It is no different than a movie about possession, “Based On A True Story.”
