Consumers share the common 'money-saving' habits that actually cost them more over time

Erik Barnes
Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:03:12 +0000
Budget realization, Bulk buying, Clipping coupons, Couponing group, Debunking, Discounted furniture, Dollar tree, Financial experts, Saving money, Saving money hacks, Budgeting

Most of us are trying to find ways to stretch our dollars. This can mean buying store brands instead of name-brand items, clipping coupons, and using other tried-and-true money-saving tactics. But sometimes you look at your budget and realize you didn't actually save much at all. In some cases, you may have even spent more.

What happened? No need to feel foolish if it happened to you. You're in good company, actually. Many regular consumers went on Reddit to share which "tricks" and money-saving methods they fell for or just didn't work out for them:

@martikatruchon
Here’s how buying at a discount will her hurt you. #learnontiktok #makemoney

“Buying ingredients in bulk at Costco to ‘save money’ then throwing half of it away when it expires. Realized I was spending $80/month extra just replacing stuff I forgot I had.”

“I've been gardening for about four years now and I think I finally broke even due to my raspberry harvest this year. It's a hobby that produces something, but definitely don't get into it thinking you'll save money on veggies.”

“Getting into a hobby because ‘I don't have to buy that thing, I'm sure I can make that thing!’ But then the materials and learning curve make it a worse result with way more time, money, and frustration baked in.”

“I joined a couponing Facebook group a couple months ago. I spend more money now than I have before.”

“Spending ten dollars driving to save five dollars.”

“Filling up my Amazon cart with $25 to get that free overnight shipping.”

“When I was a kid, we had wood-burning stoves in the house (the heating kind, not the cooking kind), although we had electric heat. My parents were wild about how the stoves saved us money. But man....we worked like slaves chopping wood, and recently I started to think of all the time and effort, entire weekends lost to chopping wood, chainsaws purchased, gasoline burnt, wear and tear on our pickup truck....and I wonder, was it all worth it?”

“Unless you only require a tiny amount of something, Dollar Tree is not competitive with other stores. A 12 oz. bag of brown sugar is $1.25 at Dollar Tree whereas I recently purchased a 2 lb. bag at Ralph’s for $1.79.”

“Buying things because they are on sale to ‘save money’ when it's something you wouldn't normally buy or something you don't need. You're not saving money if you wouldn't buy it in the first place.”

@millennialmoneycanada
dont follow this advice #badadvice #budget #tfsa #personalfinance #savingmoney #money #budget

Some insight from financial experts

Some finance and budgeting experts told Upworthy about their "favorite" money-saving tactics that don't end up saving much, echoing many of the sentiments shared online.

"Strategies such as clipping coupons or chasing sales often feel like a good use of time, but they can lead shoppers to buy things they did not need or plan for," said Clay Cary, senior trends analyst at CouponFollow. "Instead of reducing spending, such behaviors can quietly add extra items to the cart because they appear to be a good deal."

Melanie Musson, a finance expert with Quote.com, said that you may want to reconsider discounted or inexpensive furniture.

"You may find the look you want for a quarter of the price on a low-end website, but you're going to get what you paid for, and your nice-looking couch will be wobbly and frayed within a year," said Musson. "You will then need to purchase a new one."

Bobby Ghoshal, CEO of the shopping tool Dupe.com, also touts looking for quality first to see if the expense is worthwhile. He noted that generic grocery items aren't always the best deal compared with name-brand products.

"Sure, some items like store-brand medicines have the same ingredients and can save you a couple of bucks vs the name brand pain reliever," said Ghoshal. "However, there are some items–like paper towels for instance, that will cost you more in the long run if you aren't careful about quality. If you need ten sheets of a generic paper towel versus one sheet of Bounty, you're going to be paying significantly more for the product than you would have if you bought the name brand. Just be mindful of the quality before shopping generic. It can save you money, but not always."

@amycinnyc
Being cheap can be really expensive #scarcitymindset #frugal #money #nyc

Overall, the experts recommend that consumers who want to save money shop with intention rather than out of scarcity or impulse.

"Just because your favorite store is having a 40% off sitewide sale does not mean you have to partake in the shopping," said Ghoshal. "If you don't actually need the item that you're buying, you're overspending regardless of the price cut."

"If you weren't already planning to buy the item, buying it at a good discount means you spent money you didn't need to spend," said Musson.

"The bottom line is that saving money has less to do with seeking discounts and more to do with intentional buying," concluded Cary. "The most effective money-saving habits are rooted in realistic planning, honest self-awareness, and selecting purchases based on long-term value rather than short-term financial incentives."