Extreme Couponing...did you watch it? Did it help you? Tell us!
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17797)
United States
April 7, 2011 10:03am CST
Those people are working hard and wasting. I mean so much of that will go bad before they can possibly eat it. Where's the savings in that? Why does a couple need 150 candy bars, 218 boxes of the same pasta etc. IT seemed that most of them were over weight...to much food in the house? They didn't have nice clothes, nice home, nice furnishing, nice vehicles...so where is the money they are "saving' going"
But it was pretty cool anyway
They don't include their "expense" in all that like gas to and from the stores, the time they spend doing that when they could be working when they are only cutting their grocery bill,not like they are earning any extra money. The cost of creating their storage areas, buying coupons, and the stress of it all...that one lady bought 35 bottles of Maalox! And not just the time to "clip" the coupons and go to the store but time to haul it in the house and put it all away!
I was hoping they'd give online sites to go to to get the coupons and things like that. I also noticed that the stores they went to (or the area) they don't do that in my stores. They talked about always having double coupons...Ralphs is my store and they do that about 2 times a year for a week each and you only get to double 10 coupons...more are just at face value. THe cost of buying the newspapers or buying coupons at a coupon outlet thing on line(one lady said she paid $70 for some coupons) They give 5 cents per bag returned and used...Ralphs only give you 10 points (turned into cash each quarter) and youonly get iton the first 10 bags. After that..nothing. I also notice that in my looking at coupons...they are like 25cents off 3 cans of something. Where are they getting those big 75cent or more off one item coupons!
I see the coupons in newspapers, and I dont' even use most of the stuff and if I did it is to expensive even with the coupon, but if I could get it for free or cheaper than the rest, I'd coupon it, but even with the coupon...it is more expensive, so how are they getting all that name brand stuff coupons to make it worth the work of couponing it? No, I'm not dumpster diving for coupons, and no I"m not walking streets to ask for them.
I have a few online places to get them printed, I watch the newspapers, and years ago I did great as the coupons were so much better than they are today, but still...most coupons are for things I don't buy, need or want. I used to work with a coupon exchange...but again... people only putin there what they didn't want...which was usually same thing I didn't want!
So what are your comments on this Extreme Couponing! Share your thoughts, tricks, and ideas for how you "extreme" coupon..or just what you do to make ends meet on your grocery bill!
2 people like this
6 responses
@cher913 (25781)
• Canada
7 Apr 11
i did watch it and here in Canada we are not allowed to do things like that and i find that more often than not, the store brand is cheaper than the brand name with the cents off coupons. i do use coupons occassionally but i wish i could get paid for bringing bags in (they charge 5 cents per bag) and no store credit. its very different here.
as for these extreme couponers, they are obsessed which is not good. i agree with you in the fact that these people will never use half the stuff they get. that one lady who shops 3 times a week and that other lady who says how pretty her boxes are and that she arranges them to look nice....seriously? i am all for saving money but these people are a little over the top (unless they donate it).
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
8 Apr 11
Yeah, these kinds of people are "hoarders", not what they show on the current tv show about same. Those are nothing but lazy, slobby, trashy people. Real hoarders are like these ladies...neat, organized, orderly, specific. Granted they keep theirs immaculate, while others just stack on the floor...but hoarders keep things specifically and orderly. IN the show they mostly just have trash everywhere.
But I guess if you have to hoard something...might as well be usable stuff!
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
14 Apr 11
I will not say that these people are wasting money. I think that in tough times the extra's will come in handy for bartering or helping out family members. I do, however, find things wrong with the show that are misleading. The just touch on the fact that several of the clippers are purchasing coupons from websites. On the very first show one of the shoppers bought $170 worth of coupons from websites but that was not added into her total at the end of the purchase. I think that this is misleading. Now, I am sure that the people who got their coupons for free really saved that much money but the one's who paid for the coupons I think their totals should have been included into the end total.
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
7 Apr 11
I did and although I coupon and do get many things for free I am not a hoarder like those people. I buy what I need maybe two or three to stock up a bit but my kids do not have to play around my stash of toilet paper. That though is why they call it extreme. They are organized hoarders and for this they are glorified. Also those trips are a bit skewed. They where buying only what there was coupons for. I would need to buy many items that never have coupons like apples and other fresh produce. Our store doubles up to a dollar on the coupons but only the first one used (of the coupon I couldn't get 4 of the same coupon doubled) and ours does not give the overage back. Like that one lady got 10 cents cash back per coupon for something in our store it would just be free. I on average save about $50 a week in coupons some from papers some from sites, many from writing to the companies. But like I said I buy what I need not just to buy and get the deal.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
15 Apr 11
Yeah, that guy was cool. And if they do it like that, I think that is great. But to keep 100 tubes of toothpaste in your "hoard" is just stupid really...might not have cost you any money, but look at the space it is using that could beused for something else, the time they spent getting the coupons and all when they could have been doing something more productive and on the list goes. They will never use that many in their own life time and even stuff like toothpaste expires. It dries up or liquifies or just hardens up...so where's the profit?
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
8 Apr 11
Stores here don't give the overage either...just free. And only double the first 10 coupons you use...and only offer that once or twice a year! And yeah, so much of that they don't even use! Why does one guy need 100 toothbrushes? They are hoarders which isn't exactly bad. I wonder how they organize their cooking of meals with what they have? Or do they cook at all? And...they aren't really saving as saving goes. They are just not spending what they would normally spend on groceries every month so they are just saving that. Granted, good in theory, but still...why collect so much of what will mostly go to waste.
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
8 Apr 11
Well I guess if it is organized hoarding isn't too bad. I just cannot see spending that much time on buying things you just don't need. Now if you need it go for it. I did like the guy on the one show who donated what ever the family didn't need. He got the thrill of getting a deal and gave to those in need. I did like that.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
27 May 11
Personally it has made me wonder the same thing... Where and how do they tend to get the coupons that they do, and why purchase so many of the same item? I watched the one just the other night where it would have been like over $800 and she was able to get it down to live $47. Where do you store that much food, and like you said how much $$ did it cost to build the storage space for it all as well. Personally to be able to save $$ would be one thing, but to me this is almost like hoarding, unless you are like the couple that gives the things to the poor.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
28 May 11
Yeah, kind of like hoarding. Thing is....they have no use for most of what they buy, or it will go bad long before they can use it and things like that so where is the savings?What is the purpose of doing all that...for things you haven't even got a use for or want? IT just messes things up for those of us needing couponing to make ends meet and make the manufactures not put out as many or as high a value on future coupons. Stores have already stopped doubling all coupons all the time...whats next...you can only use a maximum of 50 coupons per visit/household?
@carolscash (9491)
• United States
14 Apr 11
I have seen this show and I found it very interesting, but very misleading as I really don't know of anyplace that will allow you to have so many discounts on a item and I really wonder where they are getting coupons for free items. Most stores here will only allow you to have a certain number of coupons and I never find any for free stuff.
I also do not know of any stores here that will allow double coupons anymore and never over 50 cents. I would like to shop where they do and see what I could do with some of these things.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
15 Apr 11
That's exactly what I am saying! Where do they get those coupons that make the item free? A dollar off and doubled still often isn't enough to get it free and best of my knowledge...stores only allow you to use one coupon per item. Buy 10 items and they will let you use a 10 coupons but not 10 coupons on one item. I have searched everywhere I can think of for toothpaste coupons and found none and today had to pay FULL PRICE for 2 tubes of toothpaste....while they buy500 at a time for free!!!! What is wrong with this picture!!! I sure don't know!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
24 May 11
The first thing that I am going to say is that I am not going to be the person that buys just to buy things. I think that for me the greatest savings is going to come from the fact that I will be able to save on the things that our family is eating anyway. I've got a single subscription to the local newspaper and if I need more than that of a certain coupon, I can ask my mother and sister if I can have theirs. I've also heard (although I have yet to try it) that our newspaper will set out their extra coupon inserts in the office on Tuesdays for people to pick up for free.
In the last two weeks I have spent $0.00 on groceries, but I have grocery shopped. We transferred two of my husband's prescriptions from Wal-Mart to Kroger when they had a $25 incentive to transfer presciptions which has saved us a week's worth of grocery money. Combined with in-store savings and my coupons, I've only spent $42 of the $50 of incentive that we had. Our store does double coupons and I keep track of deals on couponmom.com
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
25 May 11
I agree with you. Why take what you don't need? I saw one where two girls were doing it and they had like 100 boxes of diapers...neither had a child or even married. And she says "so when I do have one...I'm prepared".Okay fine, but still...
And they are only saving on grocery expense. They act like they are making ton of money to pay bills with! Unless they take their stuff they have in abundance and sell it at yard sales, craigs list or ebay or something like that. But again..still... the time nad energy and effort they all saya they put into it...up to 60 hours a week...just think of what they could earn in that time if they had a job!!!!
Sounds like you did great! I did that to..the transfering the perscriptions. But they put a end to it...saying that only one prescription per type can be transfered in or out. Meaning, if I have one at Target, and transfer it to Rite Aid and aget the $25 gift card at Rite Aid....and in a few weeks Target has that same special...they won't allow me to transfer it back! I did this and they keep records of it and told me that it was transfered out and I can transfer it back, but would not qualify for the gift card promo.
@wiggles18 (2506)
• Canada
7 Apr 11
I saw some parts of it when others were watching it. I don't know whom exactly needs that many bottles of mustard....
It did help me- help me to see that it would be a waste of time :D.
Like you said, it takes a whole lot of time- it IS their full time job. Why wouldn't they just work instead of doing the coupon thing, and they would still be able to buy things. And not just what they were 'allowed' to buy (50 bottles of mustard, 20 bars of soap, etc..). They would actually be able to buy something they 'wanted' and felt like having. If I want some carrots, I am not going to wait until I can get them for practically nothing, I will buy them then!
I think the whole extreme couponing thing is ridiculous. I'll pay 5 dollars for a steak and keep my 1 hour of spare-time, thank you very much....
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
8 Apr 11
Yeah, over board is right. the one rather over weight lady, buys 150 candy bars...just cause they are free...maybe she shoud rethink that one! Halloween is far off! And yeah, 15 bottles of mustard for 2 people..it'll sour/go bad before they can use them. Even the 200 botles of gatorade...it'll go flat in time. Granted it is all free..but at the same time...donate it or something like that instead of just letting it sit and sour.
And I noticed that either they didn't show it or they didn't buy it...no fresh foods, meats, dairy stuff....one couple got 150 packages of slice lunch meat...and that is freezable, but tastes terrible once thawed - I've tried that! But no veges, fruits, cheese, meats etc.
1 hour? THey were spending 5-6 hours IN THE STORE...from the time they got their cart till the time they checked out!
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
7 Dec 11
DO the math for at least minimum wage (or more) for the time they spend doing this and they could probably have enough money to buy the food they need and have some left over for other things. Just having ton of free food doesn't do much for the budget!
@wiggles18 (2506)
• Canada
8 Apr 11
I wouldn't even classify it as 'free', because it takes them so much time, effort, etc.
Yeah- you may save on the 'food'. But, when you get so unhealthy, you'll have to pay up for the hospital.
Oh I know how much time was involved- just with my scenario, looking for a single coupon for steak or something would be an hour.
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