A Case Against Coupons

“American food-and-beverage producers spend $36 billion annually to advertise and market their products, but practically none of this goes to promote fruit and vegetables—a few million dollars a year compared to the tens of hundreds of millions used to promote any single soft drink, candy bar, or breakfast cereal.” ~ Marion Nestle, What to Eat

I admit it; there is a frugal side to me. In graduate school, I not only read the SundayNew York Times, but also read the local paper just so I could clip coupons. And I used those coupons too for everything from toilet paper to canned soup (ick—I can’t believe I used to unknowingly consume MSG). Anyway, you would think that I would ditch frugality once I learned how to eat healthier, but I did not do so immediately. I did refrain from clipping Sunday paper coupons because I didn’t eat that stuff anymore nor did I use chemically-laden beauty products. Instead though, I would jump at a product in the natural food section of the grocery store that had coupons on the box (and I confess, I’d grab a couple off from other boxes as well). I’d also readily grab those little booklets of coupons that highlight organic foods (not just one or two booklets, but like five). I did this up until about six months ago.

I would look through my coupons every time I wrote my grocery list. I’d add two boxes of Kashi cereal to my list because I HAD A COUPON! I’d add two boxes of Cascadian Farms granola bars because I HAD A COUPON…and so on. Then one day, I reflected on this and decided to ban coupons from my life. You never see coupons for produce (okay, maybe once in a while you’ll see one for bananas, but first you have to buy a sugar-laden cereal that is made with genetically engineered corn. No, thank you.). And those organic food-focused coupons, those are no good either. Why? They get you hooked on processed food. Do you notice that you usually have to buy two or three of something to get a discount? I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t have a coupon, I certainly wouldn’t buy two or three boxes of granola bars!

Since I’ve weaned off my coupon addiction, I rarely crave processed food. I’d take homemade granola over boxed cereal any day! And fruit and veggies have become my favorite snacks. I kid you not. Am I still frugal? Yes, I am when I have to be; hey, I’m not rich! In my next couple blogs, I will share with you ways that you can eat outstandingly healthy and still SAVE!