3 Reasons Extreme Couponing Probably Won't Work for You

"My friend brought home six bottles of shampoo and conditioner for just $4."

"My neighbor paid $0.16 for seven boxes of instant macaroni and cheese."

It's stories like these that could drive you to try to mimic the habits of extreme couponers.

In a nutshell, extreme couponing is the practice of seeking out deals so you're saving big or paying next to nothing for your drug store or grocery store trips. And to be clear, there are people out there who manage to enjoy massive savings on different products by sourcing coupons and taking advantage of in-store promotions.

But while extreme couponing may seem like a good thing to try in theory, it may not work out for you in practice. Here are some reasons why.

1. You may not have the time

Extreme couponers don't just spend five minutes a day seeking out coupons. Some of them spend hours upon hours each week looking for deals. If you work full-time or have a busy schedule, you may not have time for that.

Also, remember that in addition to spending time finding deals, it could take time to actually capitalize on those deals. You may, for example, have to visit six different stores in a given two-day period to take advantage of the coupons and promotions you've found. That's a tall order when you're spending most of the day at an office.

2. It may not be worth your time

As just mentioned, extreme couponing can take a lot of time. But it may not be worth your time if you're self-employed and can use those hours to earn more money instead.

Let's say you typically earn $60 an hour doing what you do. You might spend three hours of your day looking for coupons that save you $40 in total. But if you were to spend those three hours working instead, you'd bring home $180.

3. You may not get deals on the products you actually use

One problem with extreme couponing is that you might commonly end up with discounts for products you don't really use. To not waste the time and effort you've put in, you may be tempted to buy those products very cheaply, even if they're not ones you want. The result? You might end up hurting your personal finances rather than helping them.

Let's say you're able to score a box of granola bars for $0.50 when the normal price is $3. At first, you might think you've done a great job of saving $2.50. But if no one in your household eats those bars, guess what? You've just cost yourself $0.50 plus the time it took to find that deal.

A better alternative to extreme couponing

If you're someone with lots of free time on your hands and you want to give extreme couponing a try, by all means, do so. But try to be mindful of what you're spending to reap savings. Also, tell yourself that it's OK to let some coupons go. There's no sense in spending money on products you don't really want or use, just because you can get them for almost nothing.

Meanwhile, if you're realizing that extreme couponing isn't such a great fit for you, as an alternative, one thing you can do to save money is map out a household budget, review your expenses, and find ways to cut costs. For example, rather than spend three hours a week looking for coupons that might save you $20 on groceries and household products, cut a $20 streaming service from your budget if you can do without it.

Extreme couponing is something you may find fun. And it works for some people. But don't be shocked if you end up chalking it up to a failed experiment.