Couponing Is Not For The Healthy

Like many people out there, the rejuvenation of the couponing craze has hit me. The thought of checking out with a 98% savings is addictive. For stay-at-home-moms especially, saving hundreds of dollars is validation. “Yes, I may not be bringing in a paycheck, but the $600 I save in groceries a month is as much of a contribution to my family as a part time job.”

Well after several months of attempting to achieve similar cost-saving levels as these “Extreme Couponers” I’ve come to a realization. Couponing is not for the healthy. If you follow the rule that most of your time should be spent on the outer perimeter of the store – where the fresh produce, meat, and dairy products are located – and less time in the center aisles – a Mecca of processed foods – you’ll be hard pressed to find any significant savings. There are no coupons for fruits and vegetables and the periodic store discounts are a.) not that significant and b.) usually for items that are losing their freshness and about to expire.

And we haven’t even begun to discuss those with Organic diets and environmentally friendly households. While some “natural” companies are beginning to offer coupons, they are not as widespread as mainstream groceries. Add in several kids and you’re talking about a huge chunk of your monthly allowance spent on a very costly, yet worthy, cause. What’s a girl to do?

I’m never one to give up. So the search for healthy cost savings continues. Hopefully one day I’ll be “earning” that part-time job while maintaining a (mostly) healthy diet. In the mean time, maybe this is where growing your own organic food comes in.