Extreme couponing on TLC

[almburr]

I do use coupons but not to this extreme. If I had the coupons in hand and saw what a great deal the item would be and I had a use for the item I would do it. But I would not hoard the items I would donate them to care packages, schools, church, heck Id give them to friends. There is no need to have 500 tooth brushes.

I do like to have extras on hand but I dont need a lifetime supply. These people feel safe with all the extra around them they are just organized hoarders.

 

[sydneysmom]

I've started couponing very regularly now since everything is creeping up in price. We're trying VERY hard not to have to increase the food budget, and couponing helps tremendously. I cannot fathom how the "extreme couponers" get $1000 for $ 6.00, but I think part of it is what everyone else said....they're ONLY buying in bulk what they have coupons for. All of the rest of us are also buying meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. And if your DH happens along, well you're buying stuff that wasn't even on your list !

But I will say this, I've learned how to shop CVS with coupon matchups and getting the extra care bucks. We've got a great stock of shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, toothpaste, floss, deoderant....all for pennies. So I'm VERY happy about that because those expenses add up.

I'll never be the "$ 1000 shopping trip for $6.00 person" because we won't buy things we won't use. And I'm not going to buy 50 boxes of corn flakes when we eat Special K. So, what I take from the shows is the "how to do it" and how to match coupons with sales. And I've learned a tremendous amount.

The other thing, if you haven't seen this, on The Krazy Coupon Lady's website, she has instructions for sending your out of date coupons for the military. Apparently the military bases will accept coupons up to 6 months out of date. If anyone's interested , here is the link. http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for-military/
I've got my coupons, that I never used, and packed them up and they're all ready to send out....

 

[ELLE-TN]

I disagree. I don't think the Extreme couponing show has anything to do with Houston area Krogers discontinuing D/T coupons. And each region, and oftentimes each store manager decides the store/region coupon policy. So, what happens in the Southwest Kroger region, will not likely affect me here in the Louisville Kroger region.
QUOTE]

I guess time will tell! I sure hope you are right but from my experience other rules and stipulations and changes that have taken place in the corporate Kroger started in Houston and trickled down nationwide. Usually took about 3 months to start affecting me

I tried couponing yesterday for the first time in a couple of years. I saved $20 in coupons and got $10 is store gift cards back. This was all for things that I will use, not 50 boxes of pasta or toothbrushes to last my entire life!

Good Job! Feels great to save money of things you need

Noticed yesterday that I had 13 tubes of toothpaste that I got for free with coupons (that my husband doesn't even like he said) so I bagged them up and sent them to school with my daughter. They are creating care packages for our troops and toothpaste is one thing that they need.

I wish the extreme couponers like the ones we saw on the show would do something like that. I'm sure that they would love to have deoderants too!

Nice! Alot of couponers do donate to homeless, battered women, food pantrys, and soldiers. Me included!

This show is going to ruin coupon use for all coupon users.

You are exactly right!

I didn't mean that he was a great guy, I don't know him, but he was at least making an effort to help others rather than hoarding it all. But yes, he should have taken it to the food pantry instead of unloading and making somebody come pick it up. I don't have time to research what people have done and to judge whether it is right or wrong

My point about him hauling it home and unloading was that he probably didn't donate it. Why go through all that extra trouble? I think he was just saying he donated to make him look good because he realized what a kook he looked like buying 600 boxes of cereal. Oh well, like I said I think .... but why else would you load a trailer haul it home and unload it IF he were donating it?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I'm sure another key to successful extreme-couponing is to establish relationships with certain employees at the store that you know are willing and able...I always seem to go to the register where the clerk either has an attitude when I hand them the coupons, or act like I'm trying to pass a counterfeit bill or something. It's almost humiliating the way you are treated (and that's not even taking into account the way the people standing in line behind you are acting).

 

[ELLE-TN]

I'm sure another key to successful extreme-couponing is to establish relationships with certain employees at the store that you know are willing and able...I always seem to go to the register where the clerk either has an attitude when I hand them the coupons, or act like I'm trying to pass a counterfeit bill or something. It's almost humiliating the way you are treated (and that's not even taking into account the way the people standing in line behind you are acting).

You are exactly right. Alot of cashiers get aggravated by coupons. I think they just don't like having to scan them. LOL When I worked as a cashier in a grocery store I had to enter them each by hand. Even better, when I worked as the til clerk I had to add ALL (with an adding machine) the coupons every day and make sure they matched each registers report.

You're right about the customer behind you too. They either act agravated about having to wait on your transaction or amazed. I don't understand why they have to act so ridiculous sometimes. I stand in line to do my transactions just like everyone else.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I just watched a few clips from this show on the website. I am all for saving money, but dumpster diving, and buying so many things in bulk, like the candy bars and all of those drinks, seems insane to me. Not to mention spending 20 hours a week working on coupons. I say more power to them, but it's not for me. Not that extreme anyway. It looked like hoarding food instead of junk.

 

[momof2intx]

You are exactly right. Alot of cashiers get aggravated by coupons.

Yeah I had to give the ladies at Walgreens a math lesson the other day when my final purchase came to $.10 for about $50.00 worth of items. I took the time to clip, sort and figure out the deals....then they treat me like I'm stealing. It drives me nuts sometimes but I keep going back because....well, it was 10 cents for $50 worth of stuff!

 

[Coll0610]

I remember reading when the show was first on that the couponers had to do things a little different than they normally would because of the tv cameras. For example, one of the people that they showed clearing the shelves had actually worked with the manager to order a large quantity in advance. But it made better tv to show him sweeping everything off the shelves. And the guy who brought all that stuff home? He normally takes it straight to the food pantry (or wherever he donates it) but the show wanted him to take it home.

Think about it, some of that stuff has to be staged. Have the cashiers ever gathered around and applauded for you when you used a bunch of coupons and got stuff for free?

I try to tell people that they can take some of the principles and apply them to a few items and save a bunch of money without much effort. For example, I eat the same cereal every week. So when it goes on sale, I may order some coupons off ebay and buy 10 or 15 boxes really cheap. That could save me $30 over the regular price, and I think that's worth the effort. Plus, then I don't have to buy cereal for a few months!

 

[MEM]

I'm sure another key to successful extreme-couponing is to establish relationships with certain employees at the store that you know are willing and able...I always seem to go to the register where the clerk either has an attitude when I hand them the coupons, or act like I'm trying to pass a counterfeit bill or something. It's almost humiliating the way you are treated (and that's not even taking into account the way the people standing in line behind you are acting).

That is exactly right! We are hardly extreme couponers, DH and I, and our stores limit shoppers to 6 like coupons per day, not per transaction. Even so, we have had managers come over and interrogate us "HOW did you get SO MANY coupons!!" The first time it happened, I complained to Corporate HQ and they gave us a $10 grocery gift card for our humiliation. Still, we tend to seek out the same cashier every time because she compliments us on our use of coupons.