Previously I wrote about my opinion about TLC’s Extreme Couponing. However, after getting more e-mails recently and reading some recent news articles, I thought I would address this subject again.
I really feel that Extreme Couponing is doing a disservice to people. They show people being able to buy a fortune of items for only pennies. This is NOT real! It is set up and staged. Stores do not allow you to come in and buy hundreds of items and have your coupons doubled for those hundreds of items. There is a limit of 20 at most stores. I have NEVER been to a grocery store that had 100 tubes of one type of toothpaste in stock. Have you? Those had to be specially stocked for the show.
So, really what they are doing is not possible. The stores are “bending” their rules, which they won’t do for people not on the show. AND, the stores are stocking up in preparation for this show. In “real life” that is not going to happen, and I think that it is causing people to expect too much.
I can see the appeal of getting $1,000 worth of stuff for $1. But, really where would that end? Who needs $1,000 worth of items every week? What would you do with 100 tubes of toothpaste that you bought in a week? Do you really want to be like these people? This reminds me of the verse. “”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19.
I used to use the word extreme couponer to describe myself (before the TLC show), but I now have been removing that phrase, because that is obviously not what I am.
Why would I want to wake up every single day and clip coupons? Why would I want to come up with a 50 page spreadsheet of things to buy for my family? Why would I want to fill up my entire garage with free items that I had gotten from couponing? That just seems a excessive and like hoarding to me.
Do I love a good deal? YES! Do I love getting items that I can use FREE? YES! But, am I willing to spend 40 hours a week on it . . . uh, NO! (Now, that does not include this blog, which I spend quite a bit of time on each week, but I view this blog as a ministry to help others.)
So, here is my take on a more realistic expectation . . .
When I first started couponing, I pretty much got every deal each week. I spent 2 hours getting my coupons ready each week, and I hit 4-5 stores which I could get into and out of in about 15 minutes each. So, with travel time, I usually shopped for about 2 hours one day a week. I cut my coupons while I was riding in the van, so that I wouldn’t take time away from my family, and really 2 hours a week for shopping did not seem too excessive especially since I was saving money to stay home with my kids. 2 hours of my week was more than worth it. For those of you that are just starting out with couponing, I recommend that you read my couponing for beginners post.
I usually saved about 90% on my grocery and toiletry bill each week. Yes, there were some weeks that I made a profit from shopping, but this was not EVERY week.
I had a goal for saving money. I knew that I wanted about six months worth of the items that we use most frequently stocked up so that I would not have to pay full price. This did save us a ton of money. I quickly stocked up on everything that we needed. I have a full pantry, a walk in closet that has a section for toiletries, and a 3 foot wide shelf packed with our freebies that is next to the pantry. Yay!! (Notice, I did not say that my entire garage, all of my closets, under my bed, all book shelves, and kid’s rooms were filled.)
Once I was stocked up, I stopped couponing for a month or two unless there was an incredible deal that I could easily do and donate to others. Why? I didn’t need to keep couponing. I had everything that my family needed for six months that I could buy with coupons. So, why would I want to keep piling items in my house?
I want a clean, uncluttered house. I don’t need or want 1,000 tubes of toothpaste. I make sure that I have enough toothpaste to last for my family (and extended family) plus I donate them each Christmas in shoe boxes. However, I don’t need 1,000 tubes of toothpaste for myself!
I have heard that there are people that feel like they should be able to do what these extreme couponers do, but that is just not a realistic expectation! AND, why would you want it to be?? Don’t be discouraged thinking you want to be like these people! You don’t! Even they can’t do what is being shown on the store without breaking the rules, and who doesn’t want to be honest?? Honesty is so much more important than a deal!
There is so much more to life than couponing. You have your family, friends and church. These things need to be a priority as well. I have taken off as much as six months from regularly couponing over the years and just hit the really great sales, and I have still saved my family a ton of money! Any money that you save is helpful.
Also, I have four kids. They need me; not coupons. AND, they don’t want to spend hours each week in stores. Here are a few tips for shopping with kids.
Don’t set your expectations too high. Everyone can not be like the people on the show. There are not enough items in the stores, the stores won’t break the rules for you, and seriously . . . do you want to spend up to 60 hours a week coming up with spreadsheets and clipping coupons? I can tell you right now what my answer is – NO!
AND, you don’t have to. When I am couponing and hitting sales each and every week, I can easily buy everything that my family of six needs for very little each week spending 2 hours cutting and 2 hours shopping. However, I don’t choose to do that every week. And, now that I am only maintaining my stockpile, I can easily clip coupons and shop in an hour each week. (Also, we raise the majority of our produce in our organic garden which means that I do not have to buy fruits and vegetables. We also raise our own chickens meaning that we do not have to buy chicken or eggs. This really reduces the amount of money that I have to spend.)
Could I probably only spend a few dollars a week on groceries and toiletries by spending an extra 40-50 hours. Probably so . . . Is it worth it to save that extra extra savings to me . . . definitely not.
AND, just so that you guys don’t think that I am perfect . . . there are plenty of weeks that I don’t coupon at all, and we might spend $100 on food and toiletries, especially when I am pregnant or have a newborn. I am not superwoman, and don’t have the energy to coupon all the time. There have actually been a couple of weeks that I have probably spent closer to $200 with 2 in diapers right now, and my ever diminishing diaper stockpile. However, I am happy with just doing what I can, and saving what money I can save without spending my life doing it.
The point is, that I could spend almost nothing AND therefore be able to do almost nothing with anyone . . . OR I could spend a little more and enjoy life. We have the money to spend right now, and I still have quite a bit, so I limit the amount of couponing that I do. If my husband (God forbid) ever was to lose his job, you’d better believe I would be hitting every sale, but for now I just do the best I can, and that is all any of us can do.
So, my whole point is, don’t compare yourself to others and have unrealistic expectations. Everyone is different. Any money that you save your family is a huge plus!! You can be a casual couponer and still save quite a bit. AND, after the show I might just want to start calling myself a casual couponer . . . or perhaps a “real” couponer.
What do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinion!
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i agree when ever any one asks if i am an extreme couponer i say no they are hoarders yes i stock pile but i have 2 small shelves in my basement and i do not buy it if it does not fit on those shelves
I couldn’t agree with you more! Very nicely said. The show is horrible and it is disappointing to see it being spewed as “reality TV” (of course along with many others). It is so far away from reality it makes me sick! It is also unfortunate how it has damaged the world of couponing for those of us who are legitimately trying to live a frugal and faithful lifestyle.
I agree with you and the other comments above. I hate the show Extreme Couponing and what it is doing to couponers. Lots of sick people on that show. With respect to the toothpaste HOARDER…you know who he is. Everybody knows that food has an expiration date, but be aware that even toothpaste has an expiration date. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU DONATE YOU STILL HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF. There is no justification for hoarding this much stuff whether it is food, toothpaste, paper products, etc.
I do agree with the above, but I also find someone saying they can feed their family for $20 a week totally unobtainable by me. I spend $20 a week on produce and dairy alone. So how in the world could I feed my family of three and two cats on that? I couldn’t, no matter how much I couponed, if I desired to feed them lots of fresh produce and milk. I find the extreme couponers show does a disservice to couponing. It makes it seem doable, but not doable if you know what I mean. IE if I watched the show as a non-couponer, I would think the people doing the couponing were crazy and buying lots of junk and stuff they don’t need. Yes, I do buy stuff I don’t need, if it is free and I know who to donate it to. But not that many, as I rarely have enough coupons to buy a lot and don’t have the time to make multiple trips in and out of a store with all the limits they place. (My store doubles only 5 coupons on Wed. and Saturday.)
Very true, Skinir. I should have mentioned the fact that we raise our own chickens and therefore have free eggs. Also, we try to grow almost all of the fruits and vegetables that we eat year round. We do have to buy apples once a year, and a few other produce items, but in general since we live in the south I can grow fresh vegetables about 10-11 months out of the year and fresh fruit for about 8 months out of the year. This really reduces the amount of money that we have to spend on food. I will update that in the post. (-: And, our dairy usually comes from a local farmer. . . . So, it is just the staples that I need from a grocery store.
I loved all that you had to say. I agree that show is fake. I have a pantry of stuff stocked and thats it. When theres a good deal for something I use I buy it. I used to buy off brand diapers and wipes since I started couponing I buy huggies and pull ups and lots more name brand stuff for next to nothing. But I do not go extreme like the show. Thanks for you input.
I think this show is getting to a lot of long-time couponers Rene.
Clearly you and I were on the same wavelength!
Yep, we were definitely thinking along the same lines today, Ann! I look forward to reading your posts about it. (-: Rene
Totally agree with this post. Thanks
This show has been driving me crazy. The greed and poor reflection on couponers is horrible. I agree completely with everything you said. Its about saving some money not revolving ur life around couponing
Glad to hear someone say what we are all thinking.
I agree with all the comments above. Actually learning how to garden from you has helped me save just as much as learning Couponing. I came to one of your classes and my expenses have dropped by about 80% it is about saving money nit hoarding. Gardening and being creative in ways to save
Brenda – so glad that the class was helpful! I agree, gardening is so important if you want to save money and eat lots of fresh produce.
I completely agree with you. That show would have been better if they would show what it really takes to coupon & do it realistically. Sure, throw in a hoarder every once in a while for entertainment purposes, but on a regular basis… they’re making people who use coupons for good deals look bad. It’s ashamed.
Great post! I live in Chicago where it’s impossible to grow your food, you can’t keep chickens for eggs, and I have yet to find a store that doubles coupons. Most stores here won’t take internet coupons either, so I shoot to save 30% on a trip and just have to be happy with that.
Lisa, sounds like 30% is doing great where you live! (-: That is what I am talking about. Everyone can only do what they can do. Great job saving 30%! That is definitely savings. (-:
Thank you for your post… I have just started couponing about a month ago because of the Extreme Coupon show. I really appreciated reading this and saved it to a word document to remind me what my priorities are.
That is great, Mary! Let me know if you need any help with understanding couponing! I am so glad that the post was helpful!! Rene
Thank you so much Rene for your post. I am a stay at home mother of a 7yr old, 2yr old and 1 month old and I started couponing in August of 2011 because I watched TLC’s Extreme Couponing. While I have been able to save my family money, I was frusterated by not being able to save 99% every shopping trip. I wasted so much money at first getting every deal available but luckily God has blessed me with commonsense that finally kicked in after just a couple of shopping trips. I still clip every coupon and organize in my binder but I only buy what my family needs for the week and some stockpile items that we go through alot. Thank you for helping me to realize that I do not need as much as I thought I did. While free is great, so is time with family and time spent sleeping. Staying within a budget and saving money to get more out of that budget should be the goal, not how much can I get. Bless you.
Yes, time with family is very important. (-: And, so is sleep especially with a 1 month old. You can still really save money without dedicating your entire life to it. (-:
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