Couponing is a trend that many have gotten on board with over the last few years. And while clipping coupons can be very worthwhile, there are a lot of situations where using coupons won’t actually be beneficial. Take a look at some examples from Five Cent Nickel:

When the Coupon Doesn’t Give You the Best Deal

In most cases, stores know when merchants of brand name products in their stores offer coupons. And since they want you to buy the store brand item, they’ll likely offer a better deal to entice you to buy theirs instead.

For example, a quarter off a can of Del Monte green beans is not bad, but a buy-one-get-one-free deal on the store brand green beans is probably a much better deal. And sometimes the product with the coupon is simply much more expensive than other brands, and the coupon doesn’t make enough difference. So don’t let that coupon you’re clutching blind you to the other options!

If the Coupon Compels You to Buy More Than You Need

Remember, something is only really a deal if you’ll make use of what you’re buying (and you were planning on buying anyway). Getting 50 cents off of the purchase of 2 perishable grocery items, for example, may not be real savings if you aren’t going to make it through the items before they go bad.

When the Fine Print Requires Some Purchase You Didn’t Want

Restaurant coupons are classic examples of this. You get a free pop if you buy a foot-long sub… But you really only wanted a six-inch sub! Or you get a double cheeseburger for only 50 cents more than a single burger…But you only wanted a single burger! You’re not saving money if you buy food that you’re not going to eat, no matter how inexpensive it was.

Read more over at Five Cent Nickel’s Seven Times NOT to Use Coupons.