Couponing show on TLC right now!!

[mommaU4]

We'll see her on hoarders next week.

LOL I said exactly the same thing!

Exactly. How much stuff do you really need to stockpile? That food has to go bad at some point, and since it's free, why not let someone else who really needs it have it? Besides that, it looked to me like the whole couponing completely consumes their lives which can't be healthy either.

It was sad to hear that one lady talk about canceling dinner plans, time with her husband and such to go shopping.

One of the people featured had a chest freezer full of frozen veggies.

I haven't bought veggies in a few weeks, but I have a stash in my freezer, so there is no need.

I saw that part and wondered how long frozen veggies last? Don't they get freezer burn even if sealed? Mine always seem to. But maybe I am doing something wrong.

I use coupons for things I'm already going to buy and occasionally try a new product but I work fulltime and have two kids...who has this kind of time? And how much $$ do they spend running from store to store?

Then who has this much space to commit to something like this?

I was shocked to hear that one lady spent something like 70 hours a week doing this!! Wow.
It seems that this becomes an addiction and some of these people could easily have been featured on the other show about strange addictions. imo

 

[Shmily1]

He also said that the items were in the back, but in several cases the producers asked the store to put items on the shelf...so the shelf grabs were staged.

If amber (which one was she) is also on the same website as he, I wonder if she also donates items and they just didn't mention it.

Amber is on the same website and she also donates her excesses to food shelters, churches, etc. She also does not neglect her husband, but might have the day they were taping the show since they had her in Kroger for 10 hours.

Neither of them clear the shelves but Kroger did have it staged to appear that way at the show's request. Both of them had preordered cases of the items they were to buy in multiples.

 

[Swimalie]

--me too!

I use coupons for things I'm already going to buy and occasionally try a new product but I work fulltime and have two kids...who has this kind of time? And how much $$ do they spend running from store to store?

Then who has this much space to commit to something like this?

I agree with PPs about these people have an addiction or OCD.

ETA: Why does Nathan think that you need to "beat" the store?

I was amazed at the space. I don't have the space for all the stuff they were buying. I do bulk buy from Costco if they have a coupon on something like Ziploc but that is something that can go in the garage. Food can spoil or get bugs or worse. I just don't have the space to stockpile food.

I didn't watch all of the strange addiction show because the toilet paper woman just grossed me out.

 

[hulagirl87]

As soon as I saw the woman with her son in the dumpster and then high fiving him when she had on gloves and he didn't I was like "oh heck no!" that's taking it a bit too far in my book. I'm all about saving money, and I do get all proud of myself when I get a great deal, but I'm not about to get down and dirty for it I guess

It was impressive to see the totals before and after though!

 

[herdtoDisney]

--me too!

I use coupons for things I'm already going to buy and occasionally try a new product but I work fulltime and have two kids...who has this kind of time? And how much $$ do they spend running from store to store?

Then who has this much space to commit to something like this?

I agree with PPs about these people have an addiction or OCD.

ETA: Why does Nathan think that you need to "beat" the store?

I agree! They also didn't show the cost of the coupons from the 'service' he bought, and all those papers arent cheap. He did save a ton, though, for sure! I just don't have time to do all that. And I know if I got started, I'd get all obsessed and neglect other important things, like my family and church and health.

But I like that they donate items to those in need. I'd do the couponing for that, if I had the time-maybe someday. For now I just do $ or a couple bags at a time.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Just finished watching Extreme Couponing. I thought that it was fascinating! There are no stores around here that double coupon values, so no extreme couponing around these parts. I have to agree that the "hoarding" aspect is a little strange. Nobody needs enough deodorant for 150 years - donate some already.

That is the first thing I thought of too. Dang! A lot of that stuff looks like it is going to expire, as it looks like it is only the two of them.

Although, knowing "tv", they were probably not supposed to donate anything until they could film their "treasures".

 

[Belle0101]

I didn't catch this part at first but I guess the first shopper, Amanda maybe, spent $70 buying coupons?

http://www.examiner.com/budget-groc...he-tlc-show-extreme-couponing-didn-t-tell-you

You could look at it as an investment. She spent $70 and turned it into hundreds of dollars of food. That's a good thing I suppose. But for those folks just scraping by, realistically do they have $70 to spend on coupons and hope they arrive before the sale is over and before the shelves have been cleared?

I've been reading over at the coupon site mentioned on the show and it doesn't sound like the first shopper, Amanda, is none too pleased with the way she was represented on the show. I found a post where she said things she said were taken out of context. She also says she said stuff forgetting that they were filming and asked those things not to be aired but they were.

I mean I don't know. TLC has quite a few show where they feature hoarders and weird addictions. Seems to me going in you had to have had an idea it was going to be slanted. Then again if you actually talked before thinking (referencing above paragraph) that is how you felt.

It's probably a combo of both - saying something and wish you could take it back (who hasn't) and then TLC's editing for good ratings.

If you go to youtube.com and search "Frugal TV" you can catch some of the video clips from the shoppers answering questions.

 

[momrek06]

OK, I watched. I want to know what these 4 people highlighted in the show are going to do WITH.ALL.THAT.FOOD. ???

I cut coupons allot but I do not buy LIKE THAT at all. I buy just what my family needs for about a 2 week period. Plus, I do buy allot of store brand items and you rarely get coupons for the store brand.

Amanda, in the first segment was way over the top ... giving up allot TO SHOP as she said herself. In the beginning of her story her DH appeared to be into it with her BUT at the end he seemed disgusted, as Amanda's "stockpile" was taking over his "man cave". Amanda, to me, did not seem healthy at all. She seemed overwhelmed by her addiction to shop and get food for almost nothing.

I totally think they are on the OCD level. It is an addiction.

 

[mommaU4]

I didn't catch this part at first but I guess the first shopper, Amanda maybe, spent $70 buying coupons?

You could look at it as an investment. She spent $70 and turned it into hundreds of dollars of food. That's a good thing I suppose. But for those folks just scraping by, realistically do they have $70 to spend on coupons and hope they arrive before the sale is over and before the shelves have been cleared?

I picked up on that too, and I know I for one do not have $70 to fork over ahead of time like that. That's a lot of money.

In the beginning of her story her DH appeared to be into it with her BUT at the end he seemed disgusted, as Amanda's "stockpile" was taking over his "man cave". Amanda, to me, did not seem healthy at all. She seemed overwhelmed by her addiction to shop and get food for almost nothing.

He was definitely not happy when he was putting things away. He even said something like this is ridiculous. It's sad because I wonder how long their marriage will last if she keeps on this way.

 

[mommaU4]

I have a question regarding the couponing they did that maybe someone here can answer.

First of all, my stores here do not double coupons so I'd never be able to get the same deals they did. Unfortunately.

Secondly, they were using identical coupons over and over in one transaction for the same items.
But just today I printed out a store coupon (Target) for $2 off Scott bath tissue, and a manufacturers coupon (Scott) for $1 off. I can combine the two for a total of $3 off a pack which is normally around $3.59 to bring my cost down to 59 cents. Not bad.

BUT it says very clearly on both coupons that there is a "limit of one coupon or offer per transaction". I know it's common for a lot of coupons to say that. So how were they using identical coupon after coupon for the same things in one transaction? Does that make sense? Anyone know how they were able to do that?

 

[angierae]

When I go couponing, I might go into a store for specific things and walk out with 4-5 bags of what looks like crap. But that isn't what I'm eating that week. That's rotating through my stockpile - I eat out of my pantry. What I'm buying on any given week, other than fruit/veggies is not what I'm -eating- that week.

 

[ziggystardust]

The second lady on the show is the Krazy coupon lady (the one with the yellow sweater). And I have to say her and the other lady from Philadelphia seemed to be perfectly normal.

According to her site, the krazy coupon lady will only "dumpster dive" in paper recycling bins, after she's gotten the ok from the the recycling plant and will only grab from the front. She basically said she "dove" b/c of the tv show.

She donates her stock pile often and has a program running to collect expired coupons for military personnel to use on army bases. A fact that they didn't mention.

She also had a bunch of fresh strawberries and other produce in her cart, to go along with her 18million bottles of ragu

Now on the other hand, that first lady was a hoarder. Edited or not, she fit the characteristics of one. I feel bad for her.

 

[vicki_c]

You have to watch the language on the coupon and sometimes there is interpretation (right and wrong) on the part of the cashier or store. Some are per "transaction" - meaning each individual order (i.e., transaction @ the register). Some are per "customer" - one per customer. Some are per "purchase" - meaning if you buy 5 of that item, you can use 5 coupons. It can be fairly complicated, which I noticed they mentioned a few times when the people were at the registers.

We coupon but every week DH or I often end up paying more for something than we intended - just an error in matching up the coupon to the product, or sometimes our local stores don't have all the exact same sales that the blogs report, etc. And we don't do rainchecks because I found that we just never use them, so sometimes we miss out on things that way if they are sold out.

Manufacturers coupons do not normally say "one per transaction," but one per "purchase" in my experience, but that's more common for store coupons. We buy many multiples of things with multiple coupons.

 

[ziggystardust]

Secondly, they were using identical coupons over and over in one transaction for the same items.
But just today I printed out a store coupon (Target) for $2 off Scott bath tissue, and a manufacturers coupon (Scott) for $1 off. I can combine the two for a total of $3 off a pack which is normally around $3.59 to bring my cost down to 59 cents. Not bad.

BUT it says very clearly on both coupons that there is a "limit of one coupon or offer per transaction". I know it's common for a lot of coupons to say that. So how were they using identical coupon after coupon for the same things in one transaction? Does that make sense? Anyone know how they were able to do that?

its per purchase, which basically means per item. so if you have 10 $1 off coupons for TP and you buy 10 rolls of TP, then it counts 10 times.

 

[mommaU4]

You have to watch the language on the coupon and sometimes there is interpretation (right and wrong) on the part of the cashier or store. Some are per "transaction" - meaning each individual order. Some are per "customer" - one per customer. Some are per "purchase" - meaning if you buy 5, you can use 5 coupons. It can be fairly complicated, which I noticed they mentioned a few times when the people were at the registers.

Wow, they do make it a bit tricky. At least for me since I am not much of a coupon user.
I did see that the Target one I have says one coupon per transaction and the Scott coupon says one coupon per purchase. Ugh, I have a headache already trying to figure this out.
Thanks for the info though.

its per purchase, which basically means per item. so if you have 10 $1 off coupons for TP and you buy 10 rolls of TP, then it counts 10 times.

Thanks!

 

[Belle0101]

I have a question regarding the couponing they did that maybe someone here can answer.

First of all, my stores here do not double coupons so I'd never be able to get the same deals they did. Unfortunately.

Secondly, they were using identical coupons over and over in one transaction for the same items.
But just today I printed out a store coupon (Target) for $2 off Scott bath tissue, and a manufacturers coupon (Scott) for $1 off. I can combine the two for a total of $3 off a pack which is normally around $3.59 to bring my cost down to 59 cents. Not bad.

BUT it says very clearly on both coupons that there is a "limit of one coupon or offer per transaction". I know it's common for a lot of coupons to say that. So how were they using identical coupon after coupon for the same things in one transaction? Does that make sense? Anyone know how they were able to do that?

I just looked at a coupon I have and it says, " LIMIT ONE COUPON PER PURCHASE of products and quantities stated. LIMIT OF 4 LIKE COUPONS in same shopping trip."

In that example the first line means, I think, that for each Pringle can I have I can apply 1 coupon. The second line limits me to using only 4 Pringles coupons no matter how many Pringles I buy within that trip.

Transaction and purchase tend to trip me up. I know most people say that they have 2 different meanings. They say that a purchase of Pringles, a purchase of cheese, a purchase of Pepto-Bismol and a purchase of Kleenex all together equals a transaction. The goods are the purchase and the exchange of money for the goods is the transaction.

I think the TLC case they were purchasing 1000 boxes of Total using 1000 Total cereal coupons and that was a single transaction. But then if your coupon says "tranaction" that throws that theory out the window.



ETA: Oops, I was posting while others were too.

 

[OhMari]

I have a question regarding the couponing they did that maybe someone here can answer.

First of all, my stores here do not double coupons so I'd never be able to get the same deals they did. Unfortunately.

Secondly, they were using identical coupons over and over in one transaction for the same items.
But just today I printed out a store coupon (Target) for $2 off Scott bath tissue, and a manufacturers coupon (Scott) for $1 off. I can combine the two for a total of $3 off a pack which is normally around $3.59 to bring my cost down to 59 cents. Not bad.

BUT it says very clearly on both coupons that there is a "limit of one coupon or offer per transaction". I know it's common for a lot of coupons to say that. So how were they using identical coupon after coupon for the same things in one transaction? Does that make sense? Anyone know how they were able to do that?

The only thing I can think of, is the store allows them to purchase that many. They did say, they go to a few different stores for different items. I know a local grocery store that doubles their coupons on the last Wednesday of the month. So maybe these couponers know when to go to a certain store on a certain day.

I can't fathom how they keep straight the product and the coupon. The one guy said, he stays very viligant and watches. But when you have a case of toothbrushes vs. coupons-how in the world does he really do it.

 

[kacaju]

Doesn't everyone need a 33 year supply of toilet paper?

The lady that eats toilet paper does!!

 

[Kycha]

I didn't catch this part at first but I guess the first shopper, Amanda maybe, spent $70 buying coupons?

You could look at it as an investment. She spent $70 and turned it into hundreds of dollars of food. That's a good thing I suppose. But for those folks just scraping by, realistically do they have $70 to spend on coupons and hope they arrive before the sale is over and before the shelves have been cleared?

What these people are doing is extreme. For her $70 worth of coupons, she is getting thousands of dollars worth of product. Just think of what you could get by just spending $7 on coupons. Wouldn't it be worth it? And I think most people could probably afford $7. Especially if it will save them hundreds of dollars in the long run.
For example, I ordered 50 $1off tidy cat litter coupons from a coupon clipping service. Cost me about $3 total. My grocery store had tidy cat on sale, buy 1 get 1 free(reg price $3.99/bag). My store allowed me to use a coupon for each bag of litter. So, after sale prices and coupons, I effectively paid $1 per bag of litter. So, by combining sale items and coupons I saved $200.

Oh, and just an fyi for everybody...if you ever have a question about a store's coupon policy, just go to customer service and ask them. And a lot of the "Super" stores have them right on their website. Here is targets coupon policy:
http://www.target.com/Coupon-Policy-Store-Merchandise-Information/b?ie=UTF8&node=2223357011

Target Stores Coupon Policy


Coupons are a great way to save even more when shopping with us, and it's easy to use them at our stores.

• Target accepts one manufacturer coupon and one Target coupon for the same item (unless prohibited)
• Super Target coupons can be used in any Target store if the store carries the item
• We gladly accept valid internet coupons

Because of the variety of coupons available to our guests, we do have some guidelines for how coupons can be redeemed at Target.

When accepting coupons, we use the following guidelines:

• We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued coupons and manufacturer-issued.
• We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits it.
• Coupon amount may be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied.
• We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item.
• We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
• All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier while you're checking out.

Most couponers will keep a copy of the store's coupon policy on hand for the stores that they shop at. Honestly, most cashiers(and a lot of store managers, as well) don't really know what their store policy is. And it's nice to have the policy in writing in case there are any problems. I know I have had problems using coupons at Walmart in the past. When that happens, I just show them the copy I have in my coupon binder or I direct them to their own website so they can read it themselves.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I stockpile when things are on sale like Toliet paper, toothpaste, pasta, soaps, etc.
But these people have things that will last them YEARS and yes toothpaste, pasta, cereals all have expiration dates. So it just doesn't seem logical to get THAT much when it may take you 5 years to use all that pasta, yet pasta's shelf life is only 2 years, KWIM.

And dumpster diving? You saved all that money but in a few days you'll be paying a co-pay when your kiddo gets sick from touching all that garbage.

And the kid just wanted the spiderman fruit snacks, really, c'mon you paid $6 for like $800 worth of groceries but you won't buy the kid $3 fruit snacks? Oy!