Coupons and Vouchers – Friend or Foe?

Do you love them?  Or loathe them?

Have discount coupons and vouchers become a normal part of your family’s life, well-managed and providing great value?  Or do they sometimes drive you mad?

For families in Sydney or families planning a visit, there certainly are some great deals.

I am still kicking myself for not getting a grip and joining family friends who went on a whale watching cruise last weekend.  That’s usually an expensive trip that our friends just wouldn’t have done. AND they still have coupons for the SeaLife Centre and some fish and chips. Cool deal!

And the next time I see a deal for a jetboat ride, I am so getting it as I think my older boys and I would absolutely LOVE that.  And… must keep an eye open for some deals to use with the twins in the October school holidays.

Here’s my take on the good and the bad of coupons and vouchers:

Coupons and Vouchers: The Good

There are some awesome deals, so can save you cash

Lets you know about places and items you might not have heard of 

Usually reliable and quick was of shopping

Again, the save you cash so you can do things the family might not otherwise be able to afford

Coupons and Vouchers: The Bad

There are too many! They clutter up my email inbox something dreadful

And I find that very harassing… makes my head explode!

You need a PhD to work out how to still be a member but not get the emails

You don’t always use the vouchers, so can be a waste of money

Sometimes the deal is very poorly managed

Sometimes you don’t use the voucher, so a waste of cash

Encourages rampant consumerism

I’m still very annoyed with myself for not using one for Calmsley Hill Farm, which we really wanted to visit!

And I’m grumpy about a kids’ fishing one which was just impossible to book, I have wasted so many hours on that and decided to just let it go… hold on, off to give booking another try right now!

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed meals out and cupcake decorating classes enormously.

What I haven’t done yet is to book any hotels or holidays using vouchers, it’s an area I will be looking into much more closely.Do you use vouchers and coupons?

Do you always use them?

Any top tips to share?

I’d love to write a post on ways to make coupons and vouchers work best, do share your secrets!