Unpopular take: I stopped using coupons entirely and my budget improved

I know everyone here loves couponing, but after tracking my spending for 6 months in Columbus, I realized I was buying things I didn't need just because I had a coupon. Last month I switched to a strict list-only rule at Kroger. My grocery bill dropped from $480 to $340. Has anyone else tried dropping coupons and just sticking to a list?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_jones1mo ago

Started doing the same thing last year and saved about $90 a month. The trick was actually planning meals around what was on sale instead of just grabbing things with a coupon.

angela_harris1mo ago

Meal planning around sales is definitely smart, but you gotta be careful with that "saved about $90 a month" figure. Most people forget to subtract the cost of the storage stuff like freezer bags or extra organizational bins they end up buying. Also some stores jack up the "sale" price on non-sale items you still need for the meals, so your total bill can actually go up if you're not tracking every line item lol. Gotta download a simple app that actually tracks your spending for a few months to see the real number.

the_taylor1mo ago

Yeah about the same here, I started doing that last winter and my grocery bills dropped way more than I expected. The trick for me was checking the weekly ads first, then building the whole week's meals around whatever was on the deepest discount.