All these new couponers everywhere.

[jspoole]

I was just curious if anyone else that has couponed for awhile has noticed all the new couponers out everywhere. They have these stuffed binders, you would think they had been doing it for years. Every store I have been into lately I always run into at 2 people that notice my binder and they start telling me that they have just started couponing and love it.

Do you all think it is because of the Extreme Couponing show or people have gotten where they can not afford to feed their familes because of the economy and finding ways to make ends meet? Just curious at everyone else's thoughts on this.

 

[Zhoen]

I've been wondering something along the same lines, actually.

I've been wondering how long this "frugalista" thing will last. Obviously it's big right now, but how much of it is a fad, and how much of it will go away when/if things get better?

I know some folks raised in the depression or raised poor stayed frugal all their lives, others became "allergic" to anything that reminded them of the bad times.

I wonder how many people who used to sneer at sale papers and coupons and are now newly-minted coupon queens will still be at it 10 years from now? Hopefully at least a few, and hopefully for the right reasons...

anyway to answer your question,

I think the couponers you're seeing now ARE being influenced by the shows on TV and the fact that frugality in all forms is a trendy topic right now... that doesn't mean everyone's GOOD at it, but hopefully most folks are getting good deals and saving money, not just buying a bunch of stuff they'll never use just because they have a coupon...

hopefully anyone who truly can't feed their family is tapping into community resources like SHARE and the food banks. Hopefully.

 

[GatorMama]

I was just curious if anyone else that has couponed for awhile has noticed all the new couponers out everywhere. They have these stuffed binders, you would think they had been doing it for years. Every store I have been into lately I always run into at 2 people that notice my binder and they start telling me that they have just started couponing and love it.

Do you all think it is because of the Extreme Couponing show or people have gotten where they can not afford to feed their familes because of the economy and finding ways to make ends meet? Just curious at everyone else's thoughts on this.

I think it is a combination of both. I am a new couponer. I used them a lot when I was in college and didn't care about the crap I put into my body as much, but since I had my son, I'm much more picky about the food I buy (We don't totally cut out processed foods, but I have definitely cut back A LOT).

We had been meal planning for a little while and I used coupons when I saw them in the store. We were trying to do better on our food budget, but I didn't think I'd be able to find coupons for the foods we buy. When DH saw Extreme Couponing he urged me to try it out. Now- I'm in no way Extreme. I will ONLY use a coupon for a product that I already use... and I'm picky... I walked right past the coupons for Macaroni Grill meals in a box. The thought of eating those makes me want to puke. The produce portion of my grocery list is almost always longer than the "canned foods" section of my list. I'm also picky about cleaning products and health & beauty aids because I'm trying to limit the number of chemicals my son is exposed to... so all those facts considered, I don't think there's any way I'll ever buy 300 bottles of Axe and Caress body wash. I just won't. If I saw a coupon and knew I could get FOOD products for free, I would get it and include it in my next foodbank donation...

But I do have a binder that I take to the store... it's just not gigantic and bulging. It's a 1 inch binder with 1 sheet protector for each of my major grocery categories. The single sheet protector has all of the coupons for that category in it and they're organized by expiration. I also have 1 sheet protector each of store specific coupons for the three stores I shop at most frequently (commissary, Target and Kroger). I have a work-in-progress price list that I keep in there too where I can note sale prices and regular prices of items I buy regularly so I know where the best place is to buy an item that week. It is very rare that something will be cheaper at Target or Kroger. If it IS cheaper there, it's probably because I can stack coupons there or double a coupon at Kroger.

 

[Frannie115]

I guess I am new to this too. I did use coupons before but just never took the time to match sales/stores. The difference is amazing. The stores I go to are CVS, Lowe's Foods, Kroger & Harris Teeter. All of these are local for us.

I stopped by Harris Teeter last night (they are running their triple coupons event) and almost everyone I saw had a binder. OP, you are right. New couponers everywhere.

 

[GoofyFairie]

I ran into a couple of new couponers yesterday. They thought it was "fun" and something to do since school was out. I will be a couponer always.

 

[stich1fan]

I have also seen many people walking around with the huge binder of coupons, thought it was pretty funny! I have always used coupons even as a kid setting up the food shopping for my mom.

 

[C.Ann]

In the past (once my children grew up and were no longer living at home), I was only the occasional couponer.. There were/are very few items that I am brand-loyal to and the coupons I needed or wanted just weren't all that readily available.. Then when Aldis came to our local area, I was doing at least 90% of my shopping there and since I was purchasing no-name products, I didn't have much need for coupons..

Now I have gotten back into couponing for a few reasons.. One is that there are medical needs (both food-wise and pharmacy-wise) that require I purchase name brand items, so if I can find a coupons for these items I'm thrilled to death - since they have to be used on a daily basis, 365 days a year..

Then there's the issue with the only kind of coffee I can drink (which I drink a lot of (Folgers), so I'm always on the hunt for coupons for that as well..

But I think the real push for me was the cost of food (and other items) literally going through the roof and the discovery (thanks to the BB ) that I could find and print out all kinds of great coupons via the internet.. Our local papers never really had anything decent - or anything I needed - so I just stopped buying them and therefore didn't have access to much in the line of coupons.. Being able to find them online is wonderful - and if the expiration date is far enough out to wait for a really good sale, sometimes the name brand product ends up being less expensive than the no-name brand (especially with cleaning supplies; paper products; laundry needs; etc.)..

I don't see myself wandering around the stores with a big binder any time in the near future (since I live alone 7 months out of the year - then with my DD and her family for the other 5 months) - but since I know their eating habits and the products they favor, I always print out coupons for them as well when I find them online..

Speaking only for myself, I would say it's a combination of having access to coupons now that I didn't have before and trying to save as much money as I can at a time when absolutely everything is skyrocketing..

One thing I'm pretty sure of though is that I would never have 150 tubes of toothpaste - or 100 jars of mustard - or 90 bottles of Tums - unless I planned on donating them somewhere - which I would be more than happy to do..

I think people who use their coupons to stock pile huge amounts of items to donate are wonderful! I'm sure they are very much appreciated..

 

[WDW4TheGirls]

I'm convinced that the people shown on "Extreme Couponing" are next going to be on the "Hoarding: Buried Alive" show!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

One of the positive things about the new shows is the reaction from others. I find that the cashiers and baggers now watch my totals eagerly when I hand over my stack of coupons instead of rolling their eyes or sighing heavily.

One of the negatives I have noticed is that the printable coupons seem to run out much faster than before. Either manufacturers are setting a smaller number of prints or more people are printing them. If a hot coupon goes up then it is gone within minutes or hours instead of days. It has gotten very competitive!

Couponing can be an excellent way to save your family money. I hope more people are learning the benefits!

 

[PudgetteD]

I'd always been what I call a casual couponer (envelope with a few coupons whenever I remembered to take it with me to the store). I had to rethink that and begin using coupons more since March when I lost my job and my husband got downsized to a lower paying position. I ALWAYS take my binder with me now. I don't scour the internet for coupons or check websites every hour, but I don't want to happen upon an unadvertised sale on something we use/need and not have my coupons . We've not changed our eating habits much because most of what I save is on non-edibles (pet food/supplies, toiletries, cleaning, etc.). I've cut our grocery bill in half. I start a new job tomorrow but will be making less money so I'll probably continue to coupon.

 

[Kycha]

I am in no way an extreme couponer. But I have been a serious couponer for the last 5 years or so. Started out saving at CVS and that just naturally extended to grocery stores and Walmart/Kmart. Honestly, I saw more couponers 2-3 years ago than I see now. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw someone walking around with a binder. In fact, I don't even use a binder anymore. Now I just check my store forums and coupon matchups on afullcup and hotcouponworld, print and clip what I need and I stick to my list.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I have always used coupons (occasionally) but I now try to use them on a regular basis. I find that all these blogs that do the work for me, showing me what coupons to use, where to find them, and where to use them, makes it really easy to get those great deals!

Free stuff can be addicting... And yes, I have found myself saying I've saved this amount of $, even though I probably bought items I would have never purchased without these deals...

 

[TreysMomma]

I love my coupons! My mom got me into couponing when I was in college and it stuck with me. Plus we are lucky enough to have a grocery store that doubles our $1 coupons to $2. I actually have been running a coupon blog since 2009 to share my love of it with others It's definitely picked up since the airing of the show....I think the show made most of us look bad though since they definitely picked the most EXTREME people out there. Nathan from the show did an interview with me for my blog and he's awesome...he donates tons! It feels great to be able to donate so much without having to sacrifice more than a few dollars and a few minutes of your time.

 

[tomthebarncat]

Necessity, is the mother of invention. I do not have money problems, but I do use coupons for products that I buy. It makes sense, so money I save on my groceries can be spent on something else, actually, it just sits in checking collecting interest.