Money-off vouchers, do they really save money?

On the way to our local Waitrose yesterday, my wife told me she had a "£5 off £30" voucher to use. She also collects vouchers from all the "expensive magazines" she buys, so I'm not sure about the actual savings she achieves.

The conversation continued like this;

"I've got another for next week and also a £5 one for M&S at Handforth the week after."

We occasionally go to Handforth but since they made the two-floor M&S at the Trafford Centre into four-floors, that's not much more in the way of textiles and clothing at Handforth her main reason for wanting to go there.

"Handforth? at 24 miles to the gallon? It'll cost me a fiver in petrol to get there and back!"

She came back with; "How can I save money if I can't use the vouchers I save?

I just sighed.

Keeping a straight face she continued.

"Tell you what, give me £5, I'll throw the voucher away and you won't need to take me there!"

I'm still trying to work that one out.

 

Similar to money saving experts who suggest you should drive a bit further afield to get petrol at a slightly cheaper service station. The money that you would save is spent in petrol getting to the service station in the first place!

 

They can be a real con. Recently I think she said she had a voucher for £3 off the large size Fairy dishwasher sachets, yet the half size were "buy one get one free" so were much cheaper than the large size even with the three pounds off.

The best vouchers she says are those for a pound or two off expensive magazines, young check-out operators will often let you use them on anything, whereas the older ones will insist that you have to buy the magazine.

 

I only use a voucher if there's money off something I'd buy anyway, but by and large those I get are useless. Tesco for example, have recently along with my 'Clubcard' vouchers, been sending me money off coupons for things I never buy - OK so they want me to try some organic, free-range breakfast cereal or whatever and I suppose a voucher might induce some to do so, but what - with 3 grown up daughters - am I supposed to do with £3 off 120 Pampers nappies?

On the subject of 'cons' - this in my local Tesco yesterday (and, I notice, on Mysupermarket.co.uk):

R Whites Lemonade (2L) - 80p. each or ........ 2 for £1.60 Bargain!!!! :yho:

 

Somehow or other I came across a quiz the other day entitled 'How chav are you?' I scored quite highly on account of my propensity to shop at the local Co-Op, eat own-brand beans and save coupons.

http://chavstest.com/quiz/index.php

 

Do you mean the weekly magazine? 'cos that's free anyway.

If you mean a "periodical" to be honest, we've never seen one.

No she doesn't have a Waitrose credit card, but she does have an M&S one so she gets their magazine free..

 

I'm only 26% 'chav' - proving what I always suspected, that I'm out of step with 74% of the population!

 

I've always been out of step...and I really identify with the remark by Groucho Marx; "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member!"

 

I'm the same as you Fidgetsmum{26%}but then I always knew I was a bit different from everyone else:yez::D