Coupon Myths and Reality

Still reading through my All You magazine - I found these coponing Myths and had to share them!

Myth: Dinky 25- and 50- cent coupons aren't worth the effort.

Reality: Maybe not on their own, but if you buy the item on sale/clearance or fom a store that doubles coupons, you could turn a 25-cent coupon into a dollar or more savings.  And there are fewer bitty coupons than you might think: The average coupon value for the first six months of this year was $1.37

Myth: Collecting and sorting coupons takes a lot of time

Reality:  Although reaping coupon rewards does require some effort, one survey showed that, per week, people who spend 10 minutes or less clipping and organizing save an average of $7.  That is like earning $42 an hour!

Myth: If I join a company's e-mail list, I'll be deluged by spam

Reality: Not always.  Read the privacy policy when you sign up.  Be wary of sites that say they'll share your data with affiliates or partners.  most sites allow you to opt out-uncheck the box at sign-up.  If you can't, you may receive e-,ail from unfamiliar companies.

Myth:  Programs you download to print coupons contain spyware

Reality:  The coupon printing program use by most major sites, including coupons.com, doesn't contain spyware, which can capture your keystrokes to find out your passwords.  But the program does limit how many coupons you can print (it's usually two) to avoid fraud.

Myth: Coupons are mostly for processed, packaged foods

Reality: In 2008, convenience foods were only the fourth-biggest coupon category - more coupons were issued for medications and other remedies, cereal and household cleaners.  If you avoid convenience foods, you can still save on ingredients such as eggs and cheese.  and everyone needs paper, health and beauty products, for which coupons are plentiful.