Extreme Couponing Special on TLC

[AnninIowa]

Anyone else catch the "Extreme Couponing" special on TLC? http://tlc.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=2.15911.56445.41059.0

While I am all for combining coupons and watching specials to get what you NEED, a couple of those people were crazy! The first couple, where the woman was hoarding supplies? Nuts! Just because you can get it free or nearly free doesn't mean you NEED it. 150 Butterfingers?! The show was facinating, though - would be neat if they made it into a regular series!

 

[NYCDiane]

Pretty cool that they got over $1000 of groceries for $50. On the other hand, what a waste!! They purchased 200+ boxes of pasta. They will never be able to eat that much pasta --- it will either expire or get infested with bugs. 150 Butterfingers? For what? All those juices? They will also expire before they can drink them.

The sad part is that probably 75% of that stuff is going to go to waste.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if they said they were taking a large part of the stuff and donating it to a food pantry, homeless shelter, or something like that.

 

[HM]

I was glad to see that the last guy was donating to the Food Pantry. Even still he had way more in his garage than he could ever use of some products.

 

[here757]

i was thinking the same thing.
the one guy seemed annoyed at the fact that he had to carry all the pasta upstairs to the spare bedroom.. LOL

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

I haven't watched this yet but many people have told me about it since it made them think of me while watching it lol. However, I do not waste things. I only buy what I need but try to get it for the lowest price possible.

 

[gator75]

Don't get me wrong i'm all for saving money and i also use coupons although not to that extreme, but the more i wathced the show the more i found myself annoyed. I just can't justify buying that much that isn't needed just for the sake of them saying that they saved x amount of dollars. Its a waste imo. If the rest of them would donate the excess to those who need it it would be much more worth while.

 

[starwood]

I'm half way through watching it and have 2 problems with it:
1. She paid a coupon clipping site $70 for coupons. So that has to be added into her total.
2. With her buying that much stuff there isn't anything left for the other couponers who just want to get one.

 

[Ericandjenng]

There's another thread on here from last week about this show. It had some really interesting info on the people featured on the program.

ETA: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2622234&highlight=extreme+coupon

 

[alyssa810]

I saw this too- and to the OP- you took the words right out of my mouth!!
I certainly can appreciate getting stuff for free too, but what do you do with 150 candy bars!!???
And what about all the deoderant? How do you they use it all before it goes bad??

 

[daughtersrus]

None of the stores in the Chicago suburbs double or triple coupons so it's not a possibility for us to save anywhere close to this amount. Years ago, Eagle would double them and I loved that. Boy do I miss that store!

 

[ilovepete]

I coupon and get extremely good/free deals at the store, but I only buy what I will use or can donate to someone, not crazy amounts like these people! My stock pile fits in my (small) pantry and that's it!

 

[~disneydiva~]

I'm half way through watching it and have 2 problems with it:
1. She paid a coupon clipping site $70 for coupons. So that has to be added into her total.
2. With her buying that much stuff there isn't anything left for the other couponers who just want to get one.

This is what I didn't like about it.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

To me saving $1000 does no good if the entire cart is soap and butterfingers. You can't live on that. I would much rather see a show that helps someone pay $100-200 for a family of say 5-6 a month on groceries and get decent food and toiltries.

It's hoarding and greed and it's not saving, it's insanity.

 

[Belle0101]

Amanda, the first shopper, I think she may have a few issues. Who misses plans with their family or friends to get a shopping deal? She even says shopping is "like a high".

I read somewhere else where she states that she donates quite a bit of her purchases. Really? Why then do they carry extra insurance (35K I think the number given was) for the stockpile? It was mentioned on the show.

Here's an interview she gave - (and some clips)
http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/26803/extreme-couponing/

"...slightly different form the others though, her obsession with saving and stockpiling stems from her fears of Armageddon."

"There is no way that that 2012 movie is a lie. Roland Emmerich is too altruistic to lead us astray. Just like Jim Jones, God rest his soul” said Manders."

(Wasn't Jim Jones the guy that got all those people to drink Kool-Aid in Guyana?)

"When I look at my toilet paper the feeling it brings to me is just absolute joy,” said Manders, “I feel great knowing that my derrière will be clean when there is nothing left behind."

Nathan, I've read that he does donate to his church and a food pantry. However, he also holds garage sales from his stockpile. So the 150 toothbrushes, pasta or whatever isn't all for his personal consumption. It's a way to make extra cash. Right or wrong? Not for me to decide.

The big huge orders, 1100 cereals, toothbrushes, etc., that was a special order is what I've read. He asked the store to pre-order the items so that he wouldn't clear the shelf. He said the TLC producers asked that it be staged to look like he was shopping from the shelves.

I think the last lady seemed the most normal. She shared her coupons with other shoppers and tried to point out savings for them.

 

[RangerPooh]

i was thinking the same thing.
the one guy seemed annoyed at the fact that he had to carry all the pasta upstairs to the spare bedroom.. LOL

Not to mention that he lost his "man cave". Id' be a little miffed at her need to hoard items. He needs to cut her off at some point or else we'll see them on hoarders.

 

[RangerPooh]

I wuld like to see them feature normal people who use coupons, coupons at stores that do not double or triple ocupons to boot. Then show us to save money. Like many I clip coupons, combine them with sales, and do the best that I can do to get the lowest price. But when your stores don't double coupons it's hard to save that much money.

If I was shopping in their stores I would be miffed to put it politely to find that one person cleared the stores stock of a particular sale item. I kept thinking about the limit that is often placed on sale items. It doesn't appear that anyone enforces them.

 

[ilovepete]

I just read they are making a series out of this show with 12 parts. This should be interesting....

 

[hpfan100]

ok I don't et how they can use that many coupons on items. the Safeway and Fry's in my area only accept three of a coupon. I wish I could get my groceries that cheap...man that would be cool. But I don't want to stock pile them up.

 

[frzndaqiri]

Most groceries don't have a limit around here on how many coupons in a transaction - and it's not always doubling/tripling - it's simply having the same number of coupons as items in your cart and getting an item on sale and THEN a coupon too. So 1.00 item - on sale for 80 cents, plus a 50 cent off coupon kind of thing.

I don't think most stores expect people like this to show up!

I would love to watch my bill go down like that but couldn't manage 1. getting "whatever" brand had a coupon I admit I'm picky/loyal to certain ones and 2. shopping only when I had a coupon for a sale item.

Plus we're a big veggie/produce house here - and you never see coupons for that.

 

[AnninIowa]

I just read they are making a series out of this show with 12 parts. This should be interesting....

Yup!

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/06/tlc-extreme-couponing-series/