Comments on: Coupons Make You Fat

By: Kristen

Kristen — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:18:29 +0000

I think coupons *could* make you fat. The majority of my grocery list is fresh produce. But I still check online for coupons for a few things – seventh generation laundry detergent, toilet paper, deoderant. The key is, I plan my meals and my list FIRST, and then see if any coupons match up. Sometimes I have zero coupons, sometimes I save a few bucks. But a few bucks here and there adds up! And they definitely aren’t making me fat. ;)

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:46:27 +0000

Hm, I think this is a little misleading. Of course coupons encourage you to buy processed foods, but just about everything you see in the store, on TV, in movies, etc encourages you to buy processed foods. I rarely spend more than 20 minutes (usually less) a week dealing with coupons and I generally get most of my toiletries for free or very low cost, and often get big discounts on dairy products, frozen veg, and pantry items like canned tomatoes. (All the coupon blogs tell you exactly how to do it and what coupons you need–it’s not like I spend much brain power figuring it out.) I think coupons are super valuable and save me lots of money…which I then put towards buying the real food I prefer. Most people still don’t use coupons, so it’s certainly not what is making most people fat. It’s the food system and a misinformed public that are doing that.

By: A

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:04:57 +0000

They turn ordinary people into hoarders too! (Even if you do use clorox wipes, daily, how many do you need for a lifetime? You probably went over that magic number already.)

My store gives produce coupons too, but I have to buy $10 worth of produce to use them… I prefer to buy less (or I buy the cheaper stuff) at a time…

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:33:25 +0000

Bingo! You are absolutely correct about coupons, sales, and other clever marketing tactics. A coupon for $2 doesn’t actually save me money. Instead, it’s supposed to get me to *spend* money! Like you, I haven’t bought processed foods in almost a decade and despite never using coupons, I spend very little money on food…and it’s all healthy! A bag of brown rice and whole wheat pasta is far cheaper – and healthier – than some pre-made Rice-a-Roni or Hamburger Helper junk. Too bad people will never learn the tricky psychology behind marketing.

By: Chrissie

Chrissie — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:42:48 +0000

My local grocery store gives you coupons based on what you buy. So while I never get a coupon for free celery, I could get one for $5 off $20 of produce, or something like that.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:00:53 +0000

I shop the PERIMETER of the store. All the processed foods are in the middle. Sometimes, I’ll totally get some canned meat, olives, dressing in the middle though!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:30:20 +0000

It’s so true! I watch all the major “deal mom” sites and the deals are always for non-healthy items and are never a better deal than other brands, especially generic brands so why buy?

Jessica