I finally had time to watch the first episode of the much buzzed-about TLC show, Extreme Couponing. It left me with mixed feelings–mostly a very uneasy feeling, which surprised me. I think overall the show is a great idea because it demonstrates for people who don’t bother with coupons just how much money can be saved. Sometimes you have to show extreme examples to really get through to people. Many of my friends who haven’t used coupons decided to dive right in after seeing the show.
First, the positives. I felt inspired to try a little harder in my own money-saving efforts. I will never be an “extreme couponer”, nor do I want to be, but with a little more organization I think I can save a bit more money (I will have more time on my hands once one of my jobs wraps up in May). My favorite couponer from the episode I watched made a daily routine of taking a walk through her neighborhood and picking up un-used coupon inserts from her neighbors. She also took the opportunity to talk with most, if not all, of the shoppers in the grocery store about couponing. She enjoys what she does, and she spreads that joy. I think it’s great that her money-saving efforts are also a source of social interaction for her, and she helps others learn along the way–I loved her positive attitude. I also respected the fact that some of the extreme couponers donate products to people in need, through food pantries or other means. Being in a position to help others is one way I define wealth, and it often frustrates me that I am not able to do more.
I think the weird uneasy feeling I felt after watching was due to the fact that it reminded me of the reasons I completely burnt out a while ago and gave up couponing altogether for a few months. It was a time when I felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and generally down in the dumps. Listening to the amount of time these people spend planning their grocery shopping trips reminded me of how difficult it was trying to fit in the time to find coupons, read circulars and make shopping lists on top of my other regular responsibilities. Seeing the stockpiles of spaghetti sauce, pasta and other canned goods reminded me of how I came to resent the obnoxious colorful store flyers that dictated what I was allowed to buy and feed my family that week–how I came to resent eating the same old things all the time. I used to love creating wonderful meals in the kitchen, but now with so many various factors impeding my creativity, I struggle greatly with meal planning. Part of the uneasy feeling also came, no doubt, from being able to identify with these people on a certain level. I can relate to the thrill of saving money, the desire to outdo myself the next time, the feeling that the more I save, the more I want to save, the tendency to want to snag deals whether I truly need them or not. Where do you draw the line? When do you stop and reap the rewards of all that work? Do I know my limits?
Then there were a few things I saw on the show that just plain angered me, not because of jealousy or my own feelings of inadequacy, but because I felt the behavior was either unhealthy or just plain wrong. The first couponer admitted that she spends 70 hours per week, in addition to a full time job, planning her shopping trips. She spends little quality time with her husband and will cancel plans at the drop of a hat if there’s a deal to be had instead. Having filled up the second floor of her house with her stockpile, her purchases have overflowed into her husband’s “man cave”…so not only does he have a detached wife, but also no place to kick back and relax. One couponer had a garage full of groceries, including enough toiletries to last an average person 150 years. Who needs all that stuff? Should cashiers need to spend over an hour checking out a single customer and scrutinizing the hundreds of coupons for signs of fraud? Should stores accommodate extreme shoppers with a slew of employees dedicated to pushing around several shopping carts and filling the customer’s car(s), at a disadvantage to other customers? And whether they donate to charity or not, I have no respect for shoppers who empty store shelves in one fell swoop. Although great deals are always kind of a first-come, first-served sort of thing, it simply is not courteous to grab everything for yourself.
I have personally gotten back into my couponing groove. I am much, much more casual about it than the people featured on this show, but I have fun with the little bit that I do, and I feel good about the money I save. However, I have no desire ever to be an extreme couponer. I don’t want coupons and sales to consume my life. I value spontaneity, and I want to be available for my family as much as possible. I am glad the show is encouraging more people to explore how, with a little extra effort, they can save their family some money, perhaps get out of debt, build up a safety cushion in case of bad times, or maybe even help others in need. Couponing can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work. Make sure that it works for you by knowing what your priorities, goals, desires and limits are–everyone is different.
very well said! I can’t watch the show, but was curious about it. I can’t believe someone spends 70 hours. That’s ridiculous, it almost seems like an addiction serving only herself at that point! I also think you make good points about saving money allowing us to give more to those who have less. I always say that time is money as well, so when there are times in your life that you simply can’t devote the time to saving money, it’s ok to take a step back and do what you can. Not being frivolous, but realistic.
Thanks, Sophie! Time is definitely money. In my case it often pays more to do freelance work than to spend the time it takes to save a lot of money at the grocery store. I used to think I could do it all, but I can’t. I think many of the people on the show do have some real issues. In reading other articles about the show, I’ve also learned that the grocery trips featured were coordinated with the stores, and the stores made special exceptions to their coupon policies in order to enable these “extreme” savings. The average grocery shopper would not be able to get the same deals no matter how hard they worked at it.
Hey Jen-
I agree with you on so many points. My fear is shows like this will prompt retailers to do away with coupons and the discounts average people need.
I honestly feel like this sort of “extreme” couponing is a form of hoarding. The people on the show kept talking about the thrill of it and that is typical of someone who is addicted to something.
Also, here locally there is quite the chatter about the fraud that was possibly shown on the show. Apparently one woman was using coupons on items which were not included in the coupons.
I thought I would share a couple of links with you that I found extremely interesting…
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.jillcataldo.com/node/16258
http://www.supercouponing.com/extremecouponingquestions.html
I am just afraid that this sort of glorification of an extreme behavior will ruin it for the people who coupon and obey all the rules… people who are just trying to stretch their budget.
Thank you so much for weighing in, Sonya! I completely agree with you–I’m afraid that manufacturers will crack down and end up hurting the honest people who save about 30-50% on their groceries in legitimate ways and out of sheer necessity. Those links are very interesting.
To me, it revealed a lot about these people when they were asked “would you still coupon if you won the lottery?” and most of them answered an emphatic “yes!”. Many of them admitted that they make a lot of personal sacrifices (and in some cases make their families suffer) in order to enable their extreme savings…yet they would still continue full steam ahead if they were millionaires? Seriously? That, to me, is incomprehensible. If I won the lottery I would be enjoying time with my family and giving the economy a good kick in the pants by paying retail. You sure as heck wouldn’t find me working for the equivalent of minimum wage to get a buzz from saving on groceries. But that’s just me.
I agree. The show is fun but it is not at all realistic. Just as the Real Housewives and Jersey Shore are not realistic.
The show you are referencing is the one that aired in Dec. Did you see the more recent show from last week? I can understand using under bed storage for things but I just thought it was so sad to see the family shelves of groceries in their master bedroom to see every day. And yet they said they have three years worth of most things. If I had three years worth of anything, I would take a two year 11 month break from buying more. Sometimes more really is just more.
Thanks for commenting! Yes, I am all caught up with the episodes that have aired so far and I saw the one where they have product in virtually every room of their house. I would never be able to live that way! I know that these people hardly spend anything on their shopping trips, but if you’ve got enough to last years, why not spend NOTHING and just live off your stockpile for a while?
So true! I only watched a couple of episodes – mostly because I was curious to see what this show was all about.
I have to say I did not enjoy it at all. While I agree that donating is a selfless & great thing to do, spending so much time looking for coupons, emptying shelves and buying hundreds of cans of everything just to have a room full of things…. it’s not something that I would personally choose to do. Even if I had so much free time I think spending time with your family would be a lot more important. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a great deal but I would not dedicate so much of my time to coupons.
My wonderful mom always has a few coupons with her when she goes grocery shopping, but I never saw her buy more than she would need. At the same time, I know many people will turn to coupons in this economy, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but these “extreme couponers” are ruining it for everyone as stores are trying to change their policies because they go too far, they get a little bit greedy to say the least.
Thank you for your comment, Alexandra! I don’t have cable anymore, so no more Extreme Couponing for me. I don’t miss it. Not only are the stores cracking down on couponers, but shoppers are getting crazier too–I had my coupon binder stolen on Wednesday 🙁
Hi Jen,
I enjoyed this article. I haven’t watched this show so was glad to have your take on it (we don’t have a cable either). Coupons don’t work for me because I don’t buy the type of food they are offered for. I also don’t have (or want to devote) the space in my little kitchen to stockpiling foods, etc. By meal planning and buying what is needed, I feel like I’m saving my family more money.
Nice getting to know you through Amy’s Frugal Mama group!
Thank you for visiting, Sara! I’m enjoying getting to know everyone in the group as well. I definitely agree that couponing isn’t the only way to save money on food. I still use coupons on occasion, but I would say that meal planning is what saves me the most money. I hate feeling like I’m a slave to coupons and sales.