3. I use coupons to the most of my advantage. Friend says I go too far. Who is righ...

I use coupons to the most of my advantage. Friend says I go too far. Who is right?

OP, I'd advise you to consider the cost of your time when figuring out whether or not it's worth it.

Keep in mind that the discounted price is only part of the reason why people clip coupons.

The truth is - well, it gives you a little "rush" of dopamines. It's that feeling that you beat the system. Let me tell you, that rush can be rather addictive - and it can actually lead you to make decisions that don't actually make financial sense.

It all starts out innocently enough - you grab a coupon from one of those dispensers at the grocery store. "Oh neat, 10% off a carton of eggs." No harm done, right? You were going to get eggs anyways. Might as well take free money if it's offered.

Some time later in the day, or maybe next week, you start thinking about that rush. You check the back of your grocery receipt for coupons. You feel a small rush of satisfaction upon realizing that you can save 25 cents on a gallon of milk. The behavior is reinforced further.

It's a slippery slope, though. When that desire comes back - and it always comes back - it's going to be even stronger. Despite the nagging feeling in the back of your mind, you might steal newspaper from your neighbor's recycle bin to see if there are any deals you missed..

It's all downhill from there.

You might find yourself in a convenience store, arguing with the manager about a "Buy One Snack-Size Yogurt, Get One 50% Off" coupon - if you're lucky, that is. It's not even about the discount, at that point. It's about the rush. You don't even like yogurt. It'll probably just sit in your fridge until it spoils. But you're going to get it anyways, all in the name of "saving" a few cents.

Next thing you know, you're giving a stranger a handy in a truck stop bathroom, all for the "Discounted Spam" coupon on the back of the magazine he was reading. When you regain consciousness, you're standing at a grocery checkout with no recollection of how you got there, holding a clerk at knifepoint and screaming, "IT EXPIRED YESTERDAY, NOW GIVE ME MY CAN OF FREE BEANEE-WEENEES!"

All for that rush, and 15 years of therapy can't take it out of you.

It's a slippery slope. A slippery slope indeed.

Coupon clipping: Not even once.

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