May 4th, 2008
Ask the Readers: Do You Clip Coupons, and Do They Actually Help You Spend Less?
This month’s Costco coupon book arrived yesterday. There isn’t as much that is appealing to me (well, practically; for fun there’s tons!) as usual, but a couple of items that are in use here regularly (like laundry soap) are featured.
The day before, however, an Ann Taylor catalog showed up. This is addressed to me and comes about once a quarter, because one of my friends loves Ann Taylor and I usually get her a gift card for her birthday or the holidays. On the rear cover was a 25% off coupon.
The contrast of the two catalogs got me thinking: do people actually clip coupons, and do the coupons actually help you spend less?
For some of us who have been practicing frugality–sometimes extreme frugality–on a regular basis, it seems that we were born with a scissors in one hand and an envelope in the other. Clip, clip, clip! I search far and wide for coupons, both online (thanks Kyle and others!) and in the Sunday paper, and use them whenever I can. But does a coupon for a high end clothing store like Ann Taylor really help you spend less? Could you get comparable clothing for less than 25% off Ann Taylor’s prices from somewhere else? Or does this kind of coupon really help you spend money? You tell me!
