Passive, Active and "Hyperactive" Tightwaddery

[ceejay74]

I enjoyed this blog post from "Less Is Enough." It illuminates the main reason I don't do much couponing--I stay away from meat and a lot of processed foods, and there aren't as many coupons for fresh fruits, vegetables and tofu.

[Broken Arrow]

That is a really good read! Thanks for sharing!

[kork13]

Good article, and well-said. I totally agree as well--I'll go out of my way to save money on something only so far as the opportunity is readily available, like the "$2 off 10 yogurts" coupon stack hanging right next to all the yogurts. I'm good with that! Otherwise, I'm FAAAAAR too lazy to hunt for ways to save with coupons/discounts!

nah, I'll stick to just getting the basic stuff anyways, like you said... I don't get alot of stuff that normally you find coupons/discounts on.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I thumb through the coupon flyers once in a while but rarely find anything to use, for the same reasons you and the author mention. I find coupon searching really boring as I find a usable coupon too rarely as to even amount to intermittent reinforcement

I liked the quote from Dacyzyn about passive frugality. A large part of saving money is just that: not spending because your life is simply not rooted in, not organized by, and not energized by being a consumer.

[GREENBACK]

I really liked that. I've always believed coupons are designed to get people to buy things they otherwise wouldn't. There are exceptions to that rule I know but the companies providing those coupons aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. If they didn't come out ahead they wouldn't offer them. I completely ignore coupons and just buy generic most of the time. As the old tired saying goes..... "the best way to double your money is to fold it in half and stick it back in your wallet". Brillant marketing has caused the word "sale" to be a magic buzzword for so many people who don't even think about the money they're spending as money that may not be so well spent.

[swanson719]

DW makes her grocery list then goes thru the paper looking for coupons that correspond. She loves to do coupon cutting because she feels like she's contributing more because it saves money obviously. She likes it, but I can't stand it. I'd rather spend the extra 50 cents than sit and cut out a piece of paper. Then again, when I catch a sale on non-perishables, my pantry all of a sudden gets full again.