Waste-not-Wednesday

Don't waste money on coupons.

WHAT?!?!?! But I thought coupons SAVED money! Not always.

How often do you have a coupon for something you don't necessarily need, but since you have it, you use it? Or use a coupon on a name brand item, when the generic (which is just as good) without a coupon is still cheaper? Sure you saved $1, but you also spent $1 that you didn't have too.

This really hit me hard this weekend. I had a coupon for 30% off at one of my favorite clothing lines. I have a closet filled with clothes, so I didn't NEED to go shopping. Sure I WANTED to, Spring's right around the corner and I would absolutely LOVE to freshen up my wardrobe. With all my busyness this weekend it wasn't easy for me to run to the store and check it out, and it was killing me. I had a COUPON! I could have gotten a $30 skirt for only $21! Sure I shouldn't be spending $21 on a skirt, but still, I saved $9 on it!

Coupons are the manufacture's way of making us spend money. They are great, as long as you don't fall into their spending trap. One of the biggest traps is "Spend X and get Y off". If you are already going to spend X, then good for you, but if you have to spend more, it's not worth it.

Be careful when shopping with coupons, and check your motives behind using them. Don't waste money that you could be saving.