Extreme Couponing show...... I don't get it!!

[*Seanaci*]

It seems like organized hoarding.

Exactly. Organized and justifiable (in their heads/minds/opinions at least) hoarding.

I can save on average, at least $20 per shopping trip (between my coupons and my Target debit cards automatic 5% savings every time I shop at target). The other week, I bought $150 worth of groceries, and spent only $102. I had coupons, bought several items that were on better sale then even the generics I usually buy, used my Target Debit card, and had a Target Prescription bonus 5% off card (when you fill 5 prescriptions, they send you a one day use card for 5% off any and all trips to Target on a day of your choosing). So, I saved 10% between my cards, and another $5-10 in coupons and buying sale items versus the generics I usually buy.

Since we live with my parents, we take turns buying groceries. Ever since I started couponing, they make me go to the store with them to help them save money as well. Plus, if I gave them the coupons they needed for their trip, they'd either lose them, leave them in the car, or forget about them altogether. lol

 

[SnowWtch]

I'm not an extreme couponer and the most I've ever saved is $30 in one visit. However, my grocery store tends to do a lot of BOGO sales. So, I keep my coupons for when they do BOGO and it saves me a lot on things I use a lot of. I also watch for sales at places like Target when they put the bulk items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and cleaning products on sale. They tend to do this a few times a year around the college student semesters. Thanks to all of this, I've been able to stock up with enough of some items to last us a year.

 

[EllenFrasier]

Even with double coupons (our store only allows below $1.00, so $1.00 off coupon would not be doubled) I do not see how anyone could buy $400.00 worth of groceries for $5.00. No way. I think the show is a scam and it gets people riled up to try it.
Some woman was arrested for stealing peoples Sunday papers out of their driveways to get the coupons.
I cannot imagine buying coupons - it kind of defeats the savings aspect of it.
I guess I'll just stick to clipping the Sunday coupons from my paper and saving on the products I use, not just buying stuff because there is a coupon.

 

[JennyKS]

These I don't get these extreme couponer threads always make me chuckle. Have we all forgotten its for TV? Does nobody listen when they say, its their biggest haul? Do people really not understand they are doing it for the wow factor for TV?

I coupon. Not so much food, but house cleaning products, paper products, personal products. I can not imagine paying the normal price for those things anymore. I get enough things now for under a 1.00 I give to my parents and I donate to the goodwill in the small town I live in. They definately have enough volunteers, but not nearly enough food/supplies.

I also watch clearance items to donate. Last year when Target clearanced out their school supplies I bought 5 bookbags for 1.15 each. They were donated this year to the school supply drives.

I'm a single mom, money is pretty much always tight, but this way I can get what I need, and enough to donate so my daughter will grow up realizing how lucky we are to have what we have, and help others who are not as fortunate.

These shows do not bother me at all. I know they are doing it for TV. And they donate. Good for them.

 

[lttlmc3]

I may have to figure out Walgreen's. I don't shop there but I suppose I can start figuring out their system! Do they have Rite Aid? I know there is a Wal-Mart because I checked before buying the kids their going away gift card!

It is gorgeous around Anchorage - she has sent pictures.

Wow, there is a system for both of these stores? Can you help me learn them?

 

[21yankees]

These I don't get these extreme couponer threads always make me chuckle. Have we all forgotten its for TV? Does nobody listen when they say, its their biggest haul? Do people really not understand they are doing it for the wow factor for TV?

These shows do not bother me at all. I know they are doing it for TV. And they donate. Good for them.

Every few weeks a thread like this pops up on this board and it almost always goes the same way. People say it's a scam because their grocery store doesn't allow what they saw on tv (they forget that there are over 300 grocery store chains not to mention independent ones that all have their own policies in terms of coupons). Many complain that empty shelves are due to these extreme couponers but forget that there were empty shelves before this show, now they have a person/group to blame for it. They also forget that several of the couponers had their items ordered so they wouldn't clear the shelves (most of them recommend ordering instead of shelf clearing). These people gloss over this though.

Just wanted to say I agree with you.

 

[PatsMom]

Wow, there is a system for both of these stores? Can you help me learn them?

Rite Aid is easy - works pretty much like CVS. A combination of sale prices, store coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer's coupons, and money back through Plus Up Rewards and rebates. www.southernsavers.com has a pretty good list every week of what's on sale, what coupons are available and where to get the printables. I've never come across a questionable link to a printable on that web site. She also has the Walgreen's match ups but I haven't paid attention to them.

Wal-Mart doesn't have sales hardly ever but they do have a pretty good coupon policy. I just find I do better at the drug stores for that type of merchandise. Rare to get something free or almost for nothing at Wal Mart. And I hate that store on general principle so I try not to ever go there.

I buy my on sale, with a coupon groceries at the store that doubles coupons. There prices are high for stuff that isn't on sale, so I usually also stop at the other local grocerty store to pick up produce, meat, etc that isn't on sale. Doesn't take much longer.

It can be worth your time. Don't expect to do what the people on the show do though. As others have pointed out, they are setting up themselves and the stores are bending the rules. I expect that some of them are also accumulating catalina's. A catalina is one of the coupons that print at the register - a few weeks ago my local grocery had a lot of stuff on sale that if you bought an item you got a catalina for cash. And you could use a coupon to buy an item. So I stocked up on cereal (my husband's favorite multi-grain Cheerios for those who say couponers don't buy healthy food) and plain old boring Nature Valley granola bars which are my "snack on the run" breakfast choice. I ended up with cereal costing around $1 a box when you consider the cash back. A total of $35 in catalina's for next week's grocery trip. If I were doing a show, I wouldn't mention that the catalina's should really be reducing the cost of the prior week's groceries if you are tracking that kind of stuff.

 

[LovesTimone]

I have been couponing for about 22 years, some years more aggressively than others. I started when I was a single mom, for diapers, and baby needs. It just became part of my shopping routine.
Now I do have a stock pile of what I know that we will use before it will expire but nothing like what is shown on TV. I never clear a shelf, I know how I feel when you go to buy something and it's gone. The store's that I do shop at does give out rain checks, and I do use them. Sometimes the deal is better than when the AD was running.
I also have 1 DD and boyfriend and 1 DD with Boyfriend they just had a baby my 1st grandchild and the boyfriend has a 5 years old. So I do buy a lot of extra stuff and I do stock up for them. So I will buy 6 jars of mayo when they are bogo, with coupons, I keep 2 and each of the DD's get 2 and so forth. I have had people stop me and say are you one of those ladies on TV. I just smile and says nope I'm just a mom with kids out on their own trying to help them out. I have had people stop me and ask to see my book and how it is set up. I only once have had someone be rude when I was checking out. I simply smiled and said, You must be so lucky to not to have to worry about the cost of groceries, if you like you can pay for mine and I will save my coupons for another day. He went and got in another line and the cashier started laughing. She said he is always so rude, and you were so nice, Thanks for putting him in his place.
I do think that they bend the rules for the show.