Five reasons couponing is not for my family.

I keep falling into the coupon trap. It usually starts with an Extreme Couponers episode where I envy the $5 receipt for $600 worth of groceries. My family's food bill takes a huge chunk of our budget and I'm always battling to keep it in check. Unfortunately, home cooked dinners just don't happen every day. Either traffic was horrible and everyone doesn't get home until 7pm causing baby hunger tantrums or I have a nasty flu and can't sum up the energy to cook. I have turned to couponing a couple of times in hopes of offsetting our grocery bill to accommodate the occasional take out meal. Coupons are not for me and here's why.

1. They tempt me to buy junk food I wouldn't normally eat. My couponing binges usually end with my kitchen full of chips, soda, and cookies. The majority of "good deals" in my Sunday paper consist of high calorie treats. I am a soda addict who has to keep her caffeine addiction in check. For years we didn't keep soda in the house and I only had it at the movie theater on occasion. I couldn't resist the BOGO soda call and my pants quickly showed the results of my coupon stacking. 
2. It takes a lot of time to coupon. You have to find the coupons, cut them out, sort them, figure out how they can stack against other sales, read up on store coupon policy, and plan how to incorporate the deal into your weekly meal plan. I was pulling my hair out trying to put together a coupon plan book. I'm a very organized person but I'm also a very busy person who hates to waste time. Couponing was like having a full time job and I already have one of those. 
3. My Sunday newspaper costs more than the savings I made from coupons in it. My Sunday paper costs about $2 a week. My paper was bloated with retail ads and only had two tiny grocery coupon inserts. Some weeks I cut no coupons at all. I know some people get around this by searching recycling bins or buying old papers in bulk on couponing websites but this adds more time and effort into the coupon monster. 
4. There's more to check than just the Sunday paper. To thoroughly coupon you must check not only your local newspaper but also manufacturer online coupons, in-store sales ads, your store's mail ads, your store's online digital coupons, your store's competitor coupons, competitor prices, and your folder of previously clipped coupons that you archived for later use. This is how you can stack sales and it takes a lot of concentration and effort.
5. I end up with too much of the same products. I have five containers of the same hair gel and I'm so sick of using it. I don't even like the product that much but it was BOGO and I had store coupons as well as manufacturers coupons. I'm also over the smell of my deodorant but I have six sticks left! It's nice to have your own personal grocery but it's also nice to be able to buy something different from time to time. I feel too guilty buying another hair conditioner when I have two bottles left (first world problems). 

I envy the people who make couponing work for their families. Unfortunately, coupons tempt me to buy more than I want and they take up too much of my time. I'll stick to the basic store sales ads and might clip some digital coupons to my store card but that's all I can handle.