Couponing can save money, but only when it lowers the cost of things you were already going to buy.
Where couponing goes wrong
People often save 20 percent on a nonessential purchase and treat that like smart finance, even though the correct savings number was 100 percent if they skipped it entirely.
Bottom line
Couponing works best as a targeted grocery or household-goods tactic, not as a hobby that justifies extra spending.