We welcome your opinions. These are some comments/ideas that readers wanted to share. Link to original article here.

Have to Disagree

I did not agree with the premise of this article. At least in our area, around 95% of coupons are offered for either junk/convenience foods or silly products like air fresheners. You so rarely see coupons for healthy foods or truly useful items that it is not worth taking the time even to look for them.

Teaching children to use coupons also exposes them to even more advertising than they already get watching TV, for many things the family would be better off not buying anyway. It isn't a bargain and you aren't saving money if you don't really need it in the first place.

I do not deny that there is the occasional useful coupon (such as for restaurants for a special treat once in a while), but one big thing left out of this article is the money value of the time spent keeping track of the coupons. Your time is worth money! And that goes for your children's time as well. If you're going to "do the math" on coupons, do all the math. Chances are that you will be surprised, along with your children.

Finally, the fact is that often other options such as bulk buying from your local store, warehouse clubs or co-ops, cooking from scratch, staying with the lower-priced store brands, etc. offer equal or better savings than coupons and they aren't subject to expiration dates.
Amy

Share your thoughts about this article with the editor. Just Click Here and tell us what's on your mind.

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

If you liked this article sign up for our free eNewsletter Surviving Tough Times Do it today and we'll give you our ebook featuring over 200 ways to save on groceries (a $19.95 value).

Follow The Dollar Stretcher on Twitter.

I Would like to:

• Read other articles on this topic
  
• See what else is in this issue
  
• Subscribe to "The Dollar Stretcher" free weekly email newsletter
  
• visit the Problem Solving Center
  
• visit the Reference Library
  
• browse the 'author' index
  
• search 'by date' index
  
• check out Past Issues of Newsletter
  
• go see 'What's New'
  
• "Can You Help This Reader?"
  
• drop by 'Tips, Quips & Quotes'
  
• send email to the Editor of "The Dollar Stretcher"