OK - so who is watching Extreme Couponing?

[nuttylawprofessor]

Why so judgemental? The show did not show you what happens the other 364 days in the year. You were shown 1 shopping trip that was to be their most extreme ever trip. Several couponers (myself included) donate extra items to their local food pantries. There is no way I could donate the items I have at full price.

Last year before Christmas my BIL was collecting items at work for the Ronald McDonald house in Indy. I filled a box with items from their wish list on their website. I had mens razors, womens razors, shaving creams, body washes, soap, toothepaste, toothebrushes, floss, Kleenex, shampoo, conditioner.... For all that stuff I paid very little because of combining sales and coupons at CVS, Walgreens and Kroger. So the "crap I didn't need" helped some families staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Indy. If that makes me a freak or a hoarder or whatever nasty name I've seen in this thread then so be it! Label me a freak....a freak that loves to help others!!

Right now in my laundry room I have 14 mens razors and 4 packs of blade refills. Is that hoarding? Is that taking advantage of someone? IMHO I don't think so. I have 3 males in my household, the razors don't expire, I donate regularly, and they were bought usually 1 at a time over a period of time. ohhh and those razors that usually cost in excess of $10 were either free, $.99 or I was "paid" to buy them at CVS/Walgreens.

I'm judgmental because these people invited me into their home to "brag" about their lifestyle. Gluttony is not something I admire. Out of the 4, only 1 stated that she would donate extra canned goods to charity when they were near expiration. None of them were clearing the shelves in order to put together care packages. And I can't imagine that they would have passed on the opportunity to get the pat on the back for doing so.

 

[FergieTCat]

I heard the same thing so I don't think you misunderstood.

I thought the same thing. Jaime made it sound like she made a deal with the newspaper distributers.

I was reading the things people were posting about her on the couponing sites. I wouldn't want to be her right about now.

CajunDixie -- I figured out my logic was backwards. The coupon lists the UPCs for which it's valid. Jaime writes down the numbers on her list so she can mix and match the coupons and items.

 

[Imzadi]

Now, I will rarely buy something if it is not on sale, lol. And I want it to be on sale and have a coupon for it too. DD and I joke about it and last week I did buy a few things that were not on sale.

There are very few things I do not buy on sale. Heck, I even get Groupon coupons for haircuts now. My family grew up poor, and my parents were from the depression era, so I learned the value of a dollar back then. People should be saving money, no matter how much they have. Even Donald Trump likes cutting a good deal at his level. I do have my splurges, but I save on other items for those splurges.

I have a rewards/loyalty card for Rite Aid. The register routinely spits out a coupon fro 10% off a non-sale purchase. But, I always throw those way, as I never buy anything at Rite Aid full price. Why get only 50 cents off a $5 item, when, if I wait for a sale, it is 50% off and I can get it for $2.50?

Anyone with a loyalty card would save a certain amount even if they use no coupons. (of course by using coupons the couponers save even more). If you just buy the loss leaders and good sale items you can do well with just the loyalty card.

This Rewards/Loyalty card concept is only several months old at Rite Aid. So I don't know all the ins and outs of it. I do use it to get sale items and Free After Rebate items. Last month, I was shocked when the register receipt spit a $20 coupon (yes, twenty dollars, no typo! ) to be used to buy anything in Rite Aid! Even the cashier, who recognizes me by now as a 'sale only shopper,' was amazed. I don't think she had ever seen one before.

Of course I used it at the next sale, on sale items I needed to get anyway.

I thought Jamie said that when the circulars are inserted in the newspapers, there are leftovers and someone drops them off at her house. I didn't think she meant individual friends or families. I might have misunderstood though.

She probably made a deal with her neighborhood newspaper person or the truck driver who drops off the papers. The inserts usually have to be manually inserted into each paper. So they probably have a big pile of leftovers. Heck, if she is getting that much free stuff, she can afford to give someone a few of dollars each week (or some of that free stuff,) for all the extra inserts.

I'm judgmental because these people invited me into their home to "brag" about their lifestyle. Gluttony is not something I admire. Out of the 4, only 1 stated that she would donate extra canned goods to charity when they were near expiration. None of them were clearing the shelves in order to put together care packages. And I can't imagine that they would have passed on the opportunity to get the pat on the back for doing so.

What really annoys me, when I hear that these extreme couponers clear off a shelf of 72 mustards, is that they do not leave any for others who would only get a few free bottles, and have a right to get them, too. Not only are the extremists being wasteful, if they aren't giving the excess away, they aren't being eco-friendly to their fellow shoppers who also deserve some free items.

There really is something to the Circle of Life, song,
"But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give."

We are one of the richest nations on the planet. We have manufacturers and retailers who can afford to give away "free abundance." But, we have people wasting those resources. Other people who could have used some of that free abundance lose out. Finally, the abundance turns to waste in landfills.

 

[ilovejack02]

Sorry to go off topic, but how is the Barilla Plus pasta? I've been using Ronzoni Smart Taste, but it's not whole grain, it's just got some added fiber and nutrients. Will my picky eater like Barilla Plus?

Im going to have to try the Plus . I usually just buy whole wheat, but maybe my guys would like this better.

 

[CajunDixie]

I found this tv show disgusting. Most of these people are just hoarding food, I mean, who needs 150 candy bars?

It will be nice if some of that "free" food goes to a homeless shelter or any other organization that would actually use it.

I'm not a fun, won't be watching any more.

They DO DONATE!!!! The show was just showing you a very few minutes of their lives. Amanda from the original show first shares with her extended family then shares with others. Her FB page has a video of her stash....most of it is NOT food. And she has a video of donating quite a bit of stuff too.

I was wondering something about Jamie. She said someone drops off "leftover" coupon circulars at her house. I wonder what she meant by that and how she arranged that?

I thought Jamie said that when the circulars are inserted in the newspapers, there are leftovers and someone drops them off at her house. I didn't think she meant individual friends or families. I might have misunderstood though.

She has probably hooked up with a newspaper delivery person. The delivery people have to "stuff" the ads and coupons into their papers themselves.

I'm judgmental because these people invited me into their home to "brag" about their lifestyle. Gluttony is not something I admire. Out of the 4, only 1 stated that she would donate extra canned goods to charity when they were near expiration. None of them were clearing the shelves in order to put together care packages. And I can't imagine that they would have passed on the opportunity to get the pat on the back for doing so.

No the show only chose to show you 1 person that donates. Amanda in the original show was made to look like a hoarder when in reality she shares with her family and does donate quite a bit of her food. She does keep a large stockpile of non-food items that at full price would cost her $$$$$ And the show didn't choose to show the fact that some of these people called the store ahead of time to pre-order what they would be buying. The show prefers to make it more dramatic by clearing the shelves.

I make no excuses for J'aime...she's Trouble. But the others are doing what they can to save money and give back to their community. Amanda even states on her FB page that 6 years ago she went thru a bad time and now loves the fact she can give back.

 

[tlbwriter]

She has probably hooked up with a newspaper delivery person. The delivery people have to "stuff" the ads and coupons into their papers themselves.

Not in my town - they do that before the paper is distributed to delivery people. But the leftovers are probably trashed or recycled, so it probably wouldn't be difficult to get your hands on them.

 

[beaucoup]

I had asked our newspaper delivery person to leave me the extra each week. I would only receive 2-5 extras and only when he remembered. Not piles like she did. She must be getting them from someone at the newspaper office or distribution stuffing center.

 

[graygables]

I was thinking about this thread last night. When I was not-quite-extreme couponing, someone said something to me about didn't I feel like I was cheating. My response was, I'm just a smart fish. I can take the bait without getting the hook. I don't see anything wrong with being a smart fish. What they do with their money and the product they buy with it is their business.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

I found it interesting how many of these extreme coupon people have anxiety issues at checkout time.

 

[stashbin]

It seems like gambling to me. It's almost like a high they get when they beat the register.

I would love to learn how to do this for toiletries and cleaning items. But I would love to learn how to do this so I could donate the extra items to the food bank and to the local group homes.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I just watched the first episode in its entirity. The first lady is crazy, and I know there's a lot of evidence out there now that suggests she commits coupon fraud, which is not cool.

The second lady I don't think is as bad, seemed to buy some generally better stuff, and does have a family of nine, so I get why she'd want to have a stockpile. Though I could never live with groceries stored in every room. And it said she had enough stockpiled to last three years, why not stop shopping for a couple years then?

 

[Imzadi]

I would love to learn how to do this for toiletries and cleaning items. But I would love to learn how to do this so I could donate the extra items to the food bank and to the local group homes.

I routinely donated to battered women's shelters when I was heavily couponing. I said in an earlier post that I donated FREE: shampoos, conditioners, trial size antiperspirants, tampons, pads, nail files, nail clippers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps. (These can also be sent to the female TROOPS in the military, in care packages. They often request these items.)

Trial size items, (so the people don't have to share items,) can be bought at Walmart & Target & Kmart. Call the shelters to find out if they prefer full size or trial size items.

One Thanksgiving, I donated 12 Mrs. Smith's pumpkin pies. (I called ahead of time, knowing they would accept unopened, unexpired, prepackaged boxes and had space to store them in their own freezers.)

When there are canned food drives, you can donate free canned fruits & veggies.


To get the MOST savings with coupons you ALWAYS COMBINE COUPONS WITH A SALE. Go back and read my long post. I even worked out the math. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=40640767#post40640767

Never use a coupon by itself, without a sale. Using a coupon on a full priced item would pretty much be the same as just going to a sale with no coupon. Coupons are often less of a savings than an item on sale. So what would be the point? It would be a waste of time gathering inserts, cutting and sorting coupons. I'll say it again, people need to combine a coupon on an item when it is on sale to get the MOST savings. You can literally get items free or nearly free.

Another thing not mentioned earlier: you always buy the SMALLEST size of the item on sale. If a small box of cereal is $4 and the larger size box is $5, and they go on sale for 50% off, dropping the prices to $2 and $2.50, and you have $1 coupons, you buy the smaller boxes.

A $1 coupon doubled = $2. That is the price of the smaller box on sale. So the smaller box would be FREE. People's normal inclination is to buy the larger box as they think they get more. But, you'd still be paying 50¢ per box. FREE IS ALWAYS BETTER. If you get 6 larger boxes, you'd pay $3 (plus tax.) If you get 6 smaller boxes, you'd get them all for free (and pay less tax.)


Also, in my long post linked above, that no one seems to read, except the people here who already know how to coupon, I used the example of buying 12 Barilla PLUS pasta on sale with a coupon. (No this isn't another ad. ) What I didn't mention was, if the pasta sauce isn't on sale, you do NOT buy it that week. You'd also wait for a good sale + coupons. That might be the following week, or in 2 weeks. Then you'd buy 12 jars of sauce.

It seems illogical, as you'd normally buy your pasta and sauce and normal fixings together. But, to create a small stockpile, remember you are not going to eat all 12 boxes at once. They are supposed to last you 12 weeks to the next sale, where you'd again get them free or nearly free. The same would apply for the sauce. So you'd wait till the sauce is on sale, even if it is a different week. You'd maybe buy 1 or 2 jars to eat some pasta immediately. But, for the bulk of the jars, you'd wait for a good sale and use your coupons.

Yes, when you come home, your spouse will look in the bags and think you are crazy. YOU might even think you are crazy

as you have 12 boxes of pasta, one jar of non-sale sauce and 6 packages of nearly free toilet paper. You used some of your weekly budget to get the nearly free toilet paper, PLUS you still paid tax on all the free or nearly free items. That really cut down on what else you were able to buy that week that you still need to make for dinner that week. You can't eat 6 packages of toilet paper.

It may take you a full 4 weeks before you have enough of a variety in your stockpile to be able to mix and match and start effectively using from mostly your stockpile. You have to trust the process once you understand it.

By week four, maybe you finally have a variety of (nearly) free pasta, sauces, frozen veggies, canned fruit, cereals, other frozen foods, and free Fantastic, free shampoos and toothpastes. You are paying full price for pretty much only the perishables and items that never go on sale. Of course you keep building and replenishing your stockpile each week. Never stay brand loyal, if another (nearly) free item works just as well.


There are a couple couponing forums if you are interested in learning more about it. Some even have separate threads for supermarkets in your local area and what the sales are and which coupons to use that week. Some people, who are really good at organizing and accounting have already done the math and the matching of sale prices & coupons. They LOVE finding and matching the deals. It is a high and a fun challenge for them. It's a game of "Beat the sale price." So someone else has done that work for you. You just gather the coupons you need and get the items from your local supermarket, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.

No one discussed getting rainchecks and how that works. Online rebates and the Buy one, Get one, we lightly touched on.

Couponing is an art and a fun game, if you do it well and not to screw over the system and other people who also deserve some of the free abundance. You end up with more money that can be Disney dollars.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Also, in my long post linked above, that no one seems to read, except the people here who already know how to coupon,


There are a couple couponing forums if you are interested in learning more about it. Some even have separate threads for supermarkets in your local area and what the sales are and which coupons to use that week. Some people, who are really good at organizing and accounting have already done the math and the matching of sale prices & coupons. They LOVE finding and matching the deals. It is a high and a challenge for them. It's a game of beat the sale price. So someone else has done that work for you. You just gather the coupons you need and get the items from your local supermarket, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.

I read it and you are inspiring me! First I am going to get the Barilla Plus pasta and try it (coupon/sale or not!). And I want to try this whole coupon thing for at least the non food type items: paper goods, cleaners, shampoo, razors, toothpaste etc... I would love to hear about the forums you would recommend-- especially ones where people have done all the work for you!

My big question would be, can I do this successfully without getting the Sunday paper? I know I can get the store ads online, but are there sources for coupons online that I can use? We don't get the paper and I really don't want to be running out to buy it on the weekends. Is it possible to be an "internet only" couponer?

 

[eliza61]

sorry couponers this was imo, the most simple minded, ridiculous bit of tv since watching the log burn on christmas eve.

1) Maybe I'm lucky in that my area pasta sauce is always, always on sale. No need for me to buy 59 jars of it. I live in a populated area, not the north pole. It will be on sale waaay before 2014 which is pretty much how long it will take to eat 59 jars of sauce.

Imzadi, I did read your post but like I said in my supermarkets, Barilla plus is on sale every other week. some times every darn week so I just not feeling clearing out the shelves.

2) 4 hours at the checkout to check out. Really? that's considered smart?
not to mention the hours wasted collecting the coupons. maybe it's because I work but I'd rather spend the time at home.

3) I know it's tv so they probably are getting the most extreme cases but when will I ever, ever in my llife need 48 jars of mustard?

I still can't figure out how buying stuff I don't need or will not use is "saving" money simply because I have a coupon for it.

Question in my area, stores have a max number of items you can buy when they are on sale? for example tide is on sale here for 16 bucks for the jumbo 200 oz but you can only buy 4. does anyone else have this in their area.

 

[Imzadi]

I read it and you are inspiring me! First I am going to get the Barilla Plus pasta and try it (coupon/sale or not!). And I want to try this whole coupon thing for at least the non food type items: paper goods, cleaners, shampoo, razors, toothpaste etc... I would love to hear about the forums you would recommend-- especially ones where people have done all the work for you!

My big question would be, can I do this successfully without getting the Sunday paper? I know I can get the store ads online, but are there sources for coupons online that I can use? We don't get the paper and I really don't want to be running out to buy it on the weekends. Is it possible to be an "internet only" couponer?

Thanks.

Maybe one of the coupon forums would know more about this area. I don't know much about Internet coupons as most of the stores around here will no longer accept the printed coupons as they said there has been too many people altering the coupons and fraudulently presenting them to the stores. The retailers get reimbursed by the manufacturers for each coupon they turn in. But, they need to be legitimate coupons.

I guess what some people have been doing is what someone posted earlier about submitting different coupon bar codes that will scan for a higher price. I guess people have been using photoshop to replace the bar codes to one that will scan higher.

So it would be a good idea to ask at the stores you normally shop at if they will even accept Internet coupons and how many of each coupon they will accept per shopping trip, to see if it will even be worthwhile for you to print off coupons.

Of the Internet sites that will allow people to print out coupons, they usually limit the number of coupons one can print to like 2 - 4 coupons. Each coupon has a unique serial number encoding, so that you can't just make copies. 2 - 4 of each item doesn't sound like much, but the coupons still add up. You wouldn't throw a dollar away that you found on the sidewalk.


Also here is a link to one forum for totally free samples, usually directly from the manufacturers. When you get the free samples, they usually include a couple free coupons. Notice, many manufacturers are now using Facebook. When you "like" them, they will send you either free samples or coupons.
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/free-stuff/

When you request samples, they usually want an email address. Go to Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail and make up a free email address to use only for the spam sent from these places. Also, of they request a phone number simply use (area code) 555-1234. So any telemarketing calls go to the telephone company's phony number.


Here is a super old thread that lists places that will let you print out a limited number of coupons:
http://www.couponforum.com/printable-58479.html


Lovetoscrap, I know you use a scooter to get around, so it might not be very feasible to go around and get real coupons every Sunday at Starbucks. If you buy one Sunday paper, you'd only get one coupon for each item. Plus you don't need each coupon. A better use of that $2, than to buy the Sunday paper is to use various, reliable coupon trading sites, or pay some long-time coupon swappers on a couple forums, for their time of collecting, sorting and mailing off some of the coupons for items you use most, or have the best sales. Most accept PayPal for payments.

On some of the coupon forums, there will be posts of an advanced scan of next week's sale fliers or a list of what will be on sale. Armed with this info, you can order the coupons you will need from coupon traders/swappers, so they will arrive in time for the week's sales. If you pay $3 for coupons and save, say, $15 that week in nearly free stuff, you are way ahead. Also, different regions of the country may have coupons in different values. Your own region may only offer 50¢ off, meanwhile that same item may have $1 off in another region.

One coupon service that has been around for a long time is: taylortownpreview.com. this page is her Master list, in which every coupon that is currently unexpired in on. Each week, she puts out a preview of the upcoming week's coupons that will be in the Sunday inserts. People can order from her in advance, or if there are no good coupons, they can skip getting the Insert that week.

http://www.taylortownpreview.com/id20.htm

(I have never ordered from her, but I know she's been around a long time and other people have gotten coupons from her.)

Alternately, you can get whole coupon inserts off eBay. Do a search for "coupon inserts." As always, check a Seller's feedback.

 

[Imzadi]

I would love to hear about the forums you would recommend-- especially ones where people have done all the work for you!

LIST of some Coupon Forums:

One of the best couponing sites I've ever been to is:
Hotcouponworld.com/forums/

Couponing Basics - make sure your read the stickies.

They are message boards by people who've already done the work of figuring out the sale + coupons deals for double or triple coupon deals. They are always posting which coupons to use each week at specific stores to get things free or nearly free each week from the combined savings of using coupons with the store's weekly sales!

Forum threads broken down by Local Supermarkets & Stores in Your Area:
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/store-deals/

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?sduid=0&f=38

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/grocery-coupons/


Read about these terms so you can understand the forums better:
Catalinas - cash register coupons combined with manufacturer coupons + sales.

The Art of the Raincheck - extending a "sale" on out of stock items, or until you get coupons for items.

B1G1 or BOGO = buy one, get one. Depending on store, and how the computer rings the sale up, you might be able to use 2 coupons.

Rebates: Rite Aid, Walgreens and Staples has Internet rebate programs. You enter your store receipts online. No more mailing receipts and having them say they never got your receipts.

Coupon Master List of all available unexpired coupons:
http://www.taylortownpreview.com/id20.htm

There are three different coupon inserts by different companies:
SmartSource
Red Plum
P&G (usually only comes out on holiday weekends.)
Depending on your newspaper, you may get both inserts or only get one insert.


Miscellaneous FYIs: (Very old threads but still useful info. )
Do you actually leave the store with a $0 balance? - actually DON'T. Some registers can't process a zero balance and can't override to complete the transaction. Or the cashier goes freaks out thinking they've done something wrong. OR, the store manager starts scrutinizing your purchases, coupons, and gives you a hard time each time you come to the store. Add on a pack of gum so you pay for something, and you can fly under the radar.

Turning your stockpile in to Gifts

Donating from stockpile



Also: Many Commissaries on military bases will take expired coupons. There are some coupon forum threads which discuss this more in depth. Some people will still be able to use or trade for expired coupons.

 

[tlbwriter]

My big question would be, can I do this successfully without getting the Sunday paper? I know I can get the store ads online, but are there sources for coupons online that I can use? We don't get the paper and I really don't want to be running out to buy it on the weekends. Is it possible to be an "internet only" couponer?

Some newspapers offer a Sunday-only subscription.

 

[FergieTCat]

I was thinking about this thread last night. When I was not-quite-extreme couponing, someone said something to me about didn't I feel like I was cheating. My response was, I'm just a smart fish. I can take the bait without getting the hook. I don't see anything wrong with being a smart fish. What they do with their money and the product they buy with it is their business.

I just want to preface my response by saying I have not read your previous posts and I have no idea how you shop, what you buy, or how you use coupons. That being said ...

Just because you're a "smart fish" who can "take the bait without getting the hook" doesn't mean what you are doing is ethical. It just means you are getting away with it. For now, anyway.

 

[Imzadi]

Some newspapers offer a Sunday-only subscription.

She would only get the one coupon insert that way and one coupon for each item.

This week, I was only able to get a hold of the NY Times, which only has the Red Plum insert. I barely found TWO coupons I was interested in. Hardly worth spending a couple dollars to buy the paper for.

I guess the NY Daily News had been sold out at the newsstand near me, which is where I'm able to grab the few Sunday papers they toss out. According to the Taylortown Coupon Master List, (which I linked to in a previous post,) it had far more coupons this week, that I could have used, as it has the SmartSource insert instead.

It can be a crap shoot week to week, whether there are any good coupons for what one normally buys.


Also, a PP said earlier that there are grocery sales every week. While that is true, not everything can be gotten (nearly) free each week. And not necessarily the things one may want.

Someone mentioned they prefer Prego sauce over Ragu. I'm a Classico sauce gal. As much as I said not to be brand loyal when possible, there are those times when we want to be. Another sauce/item won't do for us. So, we'd have to wait for those specific sales to stock up.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

It can be a crap shoot week to week, whether there are any good coupons for what one normally buys.

I agree, that's why I look at the coupons at the store before I buy any papers. And usually I only get one, but depending on the coupons I'll sometimes get a couple.