Community Corner

Is 'Extreme Couponing' Worth It?

Join the debate.

Extreme couponing is a huge trend. Those who comb newspaper circulars and online sites for coupons say they can end up paying next to nothing for groceries while geting a thrill out of the deals. It's why sites like Groupon and Living Social are taking off. Another daily deal website, Saving Star, based in Waltham, Mass., just launched -- offering deals on basics at stores like the Westford and .

Other argue extreme couponing makes you buy stuff you don't need and can get a bit obsessive.

We asked our experts for their opinion. Here's what they said. You can join the debate by leaving a comment.

Find out what's happening in Westfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sally Rosenthal:

In my own life, I’m trying to simplify and consume less. When possible, I like to buy food directly from farmers or small businesses. As a result, extreme couponing at the grocery or drug store just isn’t for me. Besides, there are too many other ways I want to spend my time than planning extreme couponing shopping trips!

Find out what's happening in Westfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But I can understand the lure—I imagine it’s quite a rush to get a hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for just a few bucks. I know many people employ extreme couponing to get items for food banks or other charities, a worthy use of one’s time in my opinion. But for those who spend hours each week to buy tons of stuff they’ll hoard and never use, I wonder if it becomes an unhealthy obsession.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here