As most of you are probably already aware, TLC will be airing a new series tonight called Extreme Couponing. I won’t be watching…
To hear the words “extreme” and “couponing” used in the same sentence just makes me cringe. I mean the very definition of of extreme is “going to the utmost or very great lengths in action.” Anything done to the extreme borders dangerously on becoming an obsession.
I don’t know about you, but that is not the way I want my actions to be viewed by my family and friends — or you, my readers.
:: Couponing As A Lifestyle
Couponing is a way of life, but taking it to the extreme isn’t necessary to trim your grocery budget. Yes, getting hundreds of dollars of groceries for under $5 is a thrilling experience. However, take a closer look at those groceries. Do you really have the ingredients necessary to put together a wholesome family meal? I’m betting the answer is no.
I prefer to support practical couponing here on Deal Seeking Mom. A typical grocery shopping trip for our family of seven averages about $100 and consists of a variety of fresh produce and meats and the sensible use of coupons on products that complement a healthy eating lifestyle. I could be wrong, but I’d imagine this is the ultimate goal for many of you — not simply getting free products for the sake of free products — and I plan to share more of these trips in the coming weeks.
:: Our Stockpile
It may surprise you to know that I pass up a good portion of the deals that I share with you each week, freebies included. If an item isn’t something my family uses, I’m probably not going to waste my valuable time and energy shopping for it. Yes, even if it would make a great donation — storage space is at a premium in our overcrowded house, and unless I know we can shuttle something off to a dropoff immediately, I’ll probably pass it by. However, I do want my readers to have every opportunity to save available, so I post all of the offers that I can without judgment.
That said, we do have a stockpile… a modest stockpile. I buy enough to last us 6-8 weeks, and that’s plenty in my book. It makes for easier management of expiration dates while still allowing me to be generous with family and friends as the need arises.
I will say that I’m thankful to TLC for inspiring more people to learn about couponing. If you came here by way of the show and are interested in learning a common sense approach to using coupons and saving money, I hope you’ll subscribe to Deal Seeking Mom and stick around!
What are your thoughts on the show? How do you approach couponing in your household?
denis
I totally agree. I think some of those people could easily move to the TLC show Hoarding. Getting a good deal on what you need, use, and donate, prior to it expiring is one thing. Cleaning out shelves so that no one else can benefit form the savings is another. I really resent some of the people that take more than their share. Karma baby.
vanessa
People on the show do have hoarder and obsessive compulsive tendencies. They do not need the huge stockpiles. I mean most of these things have exp dates! Who wants to risk food poisoning or eat old tasting food? I think these people also see it as a game or hobby and have no other interest that suits them. If they put their energy and time into volunteering for various charities, hospitals or senior centers, I think the world would be a better place. I use coupons as much as I can without spending any money to get them, and I love getting free stuff but whatever I don’t or can’t use I donate or give to others who want it. The workers at the grocery store see me as a coupon star, and try to guess what percentage I will save before the receipt spits out, but really, I am only 1/16 as good at getting deals as these gals on the show.
sheri
Honestly, I have noticed a real backlash since that first show. Stores are harder to deal with when I use a coupon now. Policies have changed for the worse(like kroger). So, I feel like they gave ALL couponers a bad rap by not couponing responsibly.
Heather Boltz
Good Points Tara but I can’t say I will be following suit. :) The two women featured on each episode tonight are fellow bloggers. The one Mom, Tiffany is the wife of coupon blogger Paul from I Heart The Mart. She buys no more than 10 of one item plus with 7 kids at home I would not blame her for wanting to buy the entire store out. I think the first show(back in Dec.) painted a negative light for couponers in that it highlighted situations that are not always available to the less extreme couponers(unlimited double coupons, managers who will special order items, etc.). Tonight Tiffany will run into a problem with the stores policy on double coupons changing and yet she still manages to save a ton of money. I will be watching and I think anyone who is involved with coupons should do the same. Boycotting it in my opinion sends the wrong message to some of our fellow coupon bloggers(like Tiffany and J’aime) that we do not support them. Plus we may not always go and be extreme couponers out on the field, but we are extreme coupon bloggers who devote a ton of time to finding deals and sharing them with readers. ;)
AZMommaCouponer
Great point, thanks! I appreciate Deal Seeking Mom and all the other sites I follow I truly admire the people that take their time to share the deals with Mom’s like myself who are trying to maximize thier dollars. Thanks !
Gina
I have to really disagree with you. I subscribe to those blogs however, it is ridiculous and greedy to have that show. And maybe in your area you aren’t affected by those shows but where I come from we are. Several stores more for the worst have changed their coupon policy since that show came out. The biggest problem I have is always at Walmart. So they may heart him but they don’t heart me. At Walmart even the CSM’s roll their eyes everytime they have to approve my transaction. I have access to special ordering and that is on the verge of being discontinued because of greed. Why do you think companies put only four per transaction per shopping trip. I think the show should’ve been cancelled. And it doesn’t mean I don’t like to save money. But I have less respect for the KCL for her debut on the show. Great it got her more sponsors but for some of us it made coupon policies stricter. I have also seen coupons go down in value. As a military family we have VERY little money with EXTREME BUDGETING. I depend on coupons to eat. We don’t qualify for food stamps. I value coupons and take seriously those who are trying to take food out my children’s mouths. Just to fatten their wallet and get free stuff…I think not. Hope they cancel the show:)
Maria
I agree. Those “bloggers” are just looking out for themselves. Getting more readers, followers, fans, groupies lol but all they want is money. They get paid for visits, clicks, prints, and everytime you buy something from affiliates like amazon, coupons.com, survey companies and many more.
I also lost a lot of respect for KCL and the others like Nathan, Amanda, etc.
Tara Kuczykowski
That makes sense, but for me it’s not about not being supportive of other bloggers. It’s about not supporting a show that sensationalizes couponing and paints a general picture of us as being akin to hoarders.
Heather Boltz
I thought of you Tara after I watched these episodes tonight. Guess what TLC aired after the 2 Extreme Couponer shows? An hour of hoarders!
I think the “extreme couponing” series is going to prompt us all to add a new category to our websites: “Being a Responsible Couponista” :)
mindy
RIGHT ON!!!! I agree with your statements completely!! I will not be watching either. Thank you for your voice of reason. I think “those” people are a few melonballs short of a fruit salad!
Margaret
Great post.
vanessa
I wanted to add a special thank you to Tara for getting the word out about the deals; you have saved me lots of money!
cligie
There was an article about the Extreme Couponing show in today’s newspaper. Buying 62 bottles of mustard and more cereal to add to the stash you already have of 100 boxes sounds like hoarding to me. The people in the article do not appear to even be sharing with the needy. I am an avid “couponer” but I would be ashamed to show my face, never mind brag, about such greed.
AZMommaCouponer
Well said, I’ve seen the “greedy” people like that fill their cart with every bottle of dish soap in the store not leaving anything for anyone else. I always leave some on the shelf for someone else – there will always be another sale I can live without that extra bottle of Dawn! :)
Juleah
I would watch it for the same reason I watch Intervention or Hoarders; “thank god that isn’t me!”. That said however, I will be watching it while drinking a beer in my cluttered living room while updating my shortcuts.com electronic coupons! :D
AZMommaCouponer
Thanks for your thoughts, I agree with you and when I tell people I am a “couponer” they sometimes think that means I just buy something because it’s on sale. LIke you, I also pass up many deals simply because I cannot use an item or store it. I save more than half each week on my grocery bill and am proud of that. I do not agree with the people I saw on the episode I saw of Extreme Couponing where the couple with no kids bought hundreds of candy bars just because they were free – same with toothpaste it was more than enough for a lifetime and would spoile before they could ever use it. I did like the person who donated to his church lots of cereal on that show but I think it’s a show I will watch to be entertained but I do not feel it reflects anything I am doing as a couponer. Thanks for sharine.
Leanne
I often say how the extreme couponers TLC puts on their show take it far past extreme! I think it is such a waste to stockpile 1000’s of items and take every last item off the shelf and will never use it. Getting 600 butterfinger bars for free is not something to brag about when you already have a weight problem. I would sooner pay a little and get fresh produce and meat. You don’t often get coupons for meat and chicken so you do have to purchase these items. I also say if I went shopping and only bought the free/dirt cheap deals that can be found with stacking coupons then I would look like a pro too. However I combine those deals with buying the meat and chicken and produce every week or so. My goal is usually to save 50-70% depending on what I buy.
Erica
I love this post! When I first heard about the show, I didn’t think much of the use of “extreme.” I honestly didn’t expect the people on the show to be THAT extreme!
Anyway, per the encouragement of my family and friends, I sent in a tape to the producers of the show. The first thing out of my mouth in the video was that I do not consider myself an “extreme” couponer per say. I only stock up for a month or two at a time.
BUT I do save thousands of dollars every year and use that money to go on amazing vacations all over the world instead — yes, grocery money set aside for world travel!
In my first year of couponing, we saved $6,000 on groceries and dining out. And we used the money to pay for a 16-day vacation all over Egypt. We also went to Paris with our savings about six months later, and we’re now going to Greece in May. That’s why I love coupons! They have truly made some of my wildest dreams come true.
I thought the producers would be interested in my unique strategy for couponing, but it was very apparent that they were more interested in huge stockpiles and rooms full of junk. The show reminds me of Hoarders, and it just stresses me out at the thought of that much stuff in one house. LOL!
Anyway, I just thought I’d share my rejection from Extreme Couponing for not being “extreme” enough haha :o)
Falguni
I totally agree with you Erica, couponing for our family too is a good way to save money for other important things like a college education and good vacations!!
me
Thank you so much for posting this! Everywhere I turn there is another blog using the term Extreme just to get more readers,and doing posts about extreme couponing just because of this show. Im glad someone finally stood up and said how they really feel about the show. I am a couponer, I will get things cheap or free for my family, I may even donate some but I will never class myself in the same catagory as some of these people With that said I will probably watch just to watch.
Stacie
I love that — practical couponing!! That fits how I feel perfectly. We won’t be watching either — I try to feed my family well and use coupons when I can…but I’m not going to feed my family stuff just because I can get it for free!
I just wrote about people becoming overwhelmed by coupons…and I think some of these people definitely are!! Kudos to you for sharing your opinion!
Dana G.
I really have no interest in the show either. I do love the benefits of couponing and reading DSM, but I only go running to the store to get a fraction of the deals I read about, because I just don’t need most of them. I do have a stockpile of staples, and I’m pretty good at keeping it at bay. But if a deal comes up for something I love and use a lot of, then yeah, I’m totally excited! Thanks Tara!!!
Tracy
It’s surprising that the store they shop in don’t limit the sale items they buy. When something is on sale low enough to get a great coupon deal our stores limit purchases to 4, or 4 of each variety.
I have a stockpile, but I live in a large house and only keep enough to get me through until the next sale cycle for that product. I also will buy what I don’t use if I can get it free or close to free because I can donate it. It’s easy to donate here, the schools have monthly drives and our township has a Mother’s Cupboard in the township building where you can drop off.
The people they are showing on the show have an addiction aren’t couponing. It is impossible to feed a family well and get the price down to $5.00 with a cart overloaded with food. You will have to pay for meat, milk, fruits and vegetables the majority of the time. More importantly you don’t need enough toilet paper on hand that you fill your shower making it unusable.
I hope people watch this and see beyond the addiction and hope that retailers and manufactures don’t start putting in the stops because people start taking advantage after learning bad habits from the show.
Goob @ Hey, It's Free!
thumbs up
On any other network, I might consider giving this show a chance. But when it’s sandwiched between two episodes of “Hoarding: Buried Alive” and on the same channel that airs four shows about cakes, three shows about families with enough kids to field a baseball team, and the upcoming “Strange Addictions” show, you know they’re gonna do nothing but make a spectacle of couponers.
Desiree G.
I am fairly new to couponing… I have only been doing it for a couple of months… but I already have 8 boxes of tampons, 50 boxes of cereal, and 60 boxes of pasta in my stockpile. I think thyis is amazing, but I am constantly aware that I don’t want to start hoarding this stuff and I have made the resolution that any more cereal deals have to be absolutely free for me to get them, and at that I will donate any more (most of my stockpile is rice krispies and corn flakes that can be used for more than just breakfast purposes).
I will be watching the TLC show, but carefully as I do think that the people on the original airing(I haven’t seen it, but I watched follow ups on YouTube) were hoarders or at least borderline hoarders. People who stockpile do it with a purpose, unload their groceries out of the bags, and organize it. One of the ladies still had at least 10 bags full of goods in her room and I am pretty sure she was filling a child’s room with toilet paper. I think this is wrong! I also saw the host show his garage and he had over 100 men’s deodorants, which is WAY too much! I am very afraid that this show will make couponers look like crazy hoarders and I want to watch to see what other people do, but I am also preparing to defend myself (or defend them) when others ask if I am like these people.
Amy Burger
I totally agree with you. I have been couponing for as long as I can remember but I don’t want people who watch this show think that what I am about. I am so proud of my 5 bottle Tide stockpile and other freebies. It just makes good cents to buy at the best sale price and use coupons. What the people on this show are doing is something way different. Couponing and sale savings make sense. 500 bottles of Gatorade does not.
Eve
I agree! When I first heard of this show, all I thought was “Oh no”. It really bothers me that they are portraying couponers as people who like to hoard a bunch of items they will never use simply for the thrill of it as it can create problems in the future. I can just see a many retailers and manufacturers limiting the amount of coupons people can use because of this.
cheche
one thing I noticed is most of them were fat…also they were hoarding.How about donating to soup kitchens how many boxes of pasta does a family need….
Melissa
THANK YOU! i felt bad mentioning the fat couple with enough chips for 800 people and the other couple that bought 100 candy bars!
karla
I TOTALLY agree. These people cant possible use all the products that they are bragging about getting for free. Many will expire before used. I also wonder if the grocery store is making exceptions just to be on tv, because all the stores around me have limits on how many coupons you can use per transactions, and many wont even allow coupons for full value of product. It is an interesting show, but not at all practical or what I want to strive to do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this show also.
Tracy
I haven’t read through all the comments to this post but I am a personal friend of one of the ladies on the show tonight and I can say with certainty that she is VERY generous to charity with her purchases. Just because someone buys a bunch of stuff doesn’t mean they use it all for their purposes. Don’t put all Extreme Couponers in a “box” as all being the same. Watch the show and give them a chance that they might have something worthwhile to add to your experience of couponing!
Casandra
Although I will probably watch the show at a later date ( I dont have that channel) I totally agree with your point. For my family of 5, If I had a stockpile like that most items would probably go to waste and the point for me is to save money to allow myself to work part time so I can spend more time with my family. Extreme couponing like that takes to much time, and not worth it for our family. Thank You so much for your opinion.
Sarah G.
Oh, I’m glad these comments are so supportive! I’ve only been couponing for a couple months now, but I was careful at the beginning to clearly mark out goals and boundaries. My goal—to shop so that I can buy what my family needs to **eat** each week for under $150. And I have achieved it greatly every week since I’ve started. I am diabetic and our meals are full of fresh and frozen vegetables (never canned), fresh meat, seafood, and non-processed food. I prepare every meal from scratch, and there aren’t many ways to save there.
Hubby & I watched those clips on TLC.com the other day (we don’t have TV anymore) and we were appalled. The Butterfinger girl—how rude! Oh, my. Clearing the shelves of worthless items just because you have hundreds of coupons for them. How do you clip 2500 inserts? Thirty hours a week to coupon? I have a life!
I love your site, I have your feed in my Google reader. And I have to say that I pass up 9 out of 10 posts because they either don’t apply or would be too time-consuming to delve into. I do what I can when I can, and I enjoy the savings.
I think everyone else has said it well. Extreme Couponing is like watching a train wreck. Relationships, time, families, and diet and nutrition all suffer with that obsession. It’s an addiction like anything else and is certainly not to be commended.
Molly
I watched it once & loved it. It’s not about average couponing, its about a hoarding disorder basically. I will watch it again, it was a GREAT show. After I saw what these people put those checkers through, I sure didn’t feel guilty handing over my pile of coupons ever again! Can’t wait til it’s on!
Leahw
I could not agree with you more. That is one show I will not waste my time watching. There is not a single store in my area what will allow a person to use that many of the same coupon in one purchase. Who really needs that many tubes of toothpaste anyway?
Fortunately, I have noticed a few coupons lately with a line stating no more than four like coupons per transaction. This is going to help with the whole clearing of the shelves.
Diana
Except that those people who want to buy 40 of them will do so in 10 separate transactions. While you stand behind them.
carol lambert
Many of the stores are already feeling the pinch of excessive coupons and eliminating doubling and stacking. If it becomes to cost prohibitive, coupons will go the way of rebating and free merchandise. Free and far between.
Yudith Spire
i like saving money. being an ARMY wife i need all the savings we can get. especially since the gov is suspending my husbands paycheck starting friday.
Lynette (my3sonsmom)
I agree with you Yudith! Hoping your husbands paycheck won’t be suspended.
Bonnie Emerson
Love this ENTIRE read!
All the posts/replies have something of value, and make some great points!
I too am of the mind set that this has caused us regular Mom’s & Dad’s, trying to provide for our families some more hardship, as many stores couponing policies are changing due to this Telivision ‘show’. I live in Canada, and in the last 3 months, I can tell you that 3 out of 6 stores have put MUCH more organized policies together to prevent the sort of shelf clearing & hoarding goin on.
I believe also, that any more that 2 months of stockpile is just silly… and to have 10’s of thousands worth of food / beauty products that needs to be insured independant from my own dwelling, well, just why?
I help where I can, donate all I can to those who need it, as I have been in their shoes….this is why I started my page on facebook as well..(Canadian Coupon & Freebie Links) …to do my part to help every average person that needs or wants to save some money.
I have also struggled with addiction, and have been blessed to be free of that for years now…but more & more, I have people asking for my help due to everything from drug addiction, sex, shopping, etc…
and this, is the reason I will watch this display on TV, as I always seek to understand, rather than to be understood.
:) And, I’ll always appreciate my coupons …lol