You’d think I would love the new show by TLC called Extreme Couponing, right?
I do not.
There, I said it.
It would make sense for me to love it though. I’m a self-admitted Coupon Snob, and I love saving a buck wherever I can. This show, however, isn’t about saving a buck or using coupons. It’s about over-using coupons and getting all you can for free or cheap. Sounds good in theory, but again I will just say it, I’m not a fan.
I also want to say right up front that I have not watched a single episode. Yet. I might at some point, but not right now. I don’t feel the need.
Let me explain a few things…
This show is not realistic.
Hence the name, EXTREME Couponing.
The show is about people who take using coupons to the extreme. It’s not about those of us who use coupons in a more “normal” manner and do just fine with what we save and spend. The folks on this show are buying multiple newspapers each week, buying coupons from eBay or other coupon-clipping services, and then they use these mountains of coupons at stores with very lenient coupon policies.
You might also not realize the TIME it would take to do what the folks on this show do. It doesn’t just happen overnight that your coupon organizer gets full to the brim and your store inserts get marked up with matches for sales. It takes time to find coupons, clip coupons, watch sale ads and figure out the best way to use your coupons to save money. Not to mention actually going to the store. Oh, and don’t forget putting it all away when you get home, and finding a place to put it all. The folks on this show are spending sometimes 4-6 HOURS a day on this. Is it really worth it? I’m not so sure.
I feel I am an average coupon user. Really folks, I am. I do NOT buy coupons. I do NOT buy extra newspapers. I do NOT try to push my store’s coupon policy to the max. I also don’t by more than I need for my family and our small, very small I should stress, stockpiled pantry at home.
But, it isn’t just how unrealistic the whole show is…
This show gives coupon users a bad name.
I really think it does.
For all the fans out there that feel inspired to learn how to use coupons from this show, good for you! I am glad you have been turned on to saving money. But, I see just as many comments, blog posts and Facebook statuses about how horrified people are at the people on the show, and the show itself. I know I am not alone.
They’ve produced this show in a way that depicts people operating with a hoarding mentality, and others who don’t care how many cashiers they piss off at the store when they wheel in 6 carts of food and a stack of coupons.
I stockpile food. I use coupons. Sometimes I use a lot of coupons, but I don’t get all I can for free, just because I can. I don’t want my garage piled so high with toilet paper and cereal that I can’t park my car inside. I don’t want so much food that I can’t properly monitor the expiration dates or possibly eat it all.
Ugh, there are sooooo many things I could rant and rant and rant on about this show, but my point to all this is that the show is really, really skewed and far from reality for those of us that use coupons in appropriate ways.
The show presents very specific situations which are hard to replicate.
Most of us are restricted to shopping at the stores we have available in our city. We’re at the mercy of their coupon policies, their cashiers and their sale ads. Some stores are crazy lenient with their coupon policies, and it is clear that the stores these people shop at fall into that category.
None of the stores in my area would allow the things on that show to happen because they have limits like the number of total coupons you can use at once, limits on the number of each kind of coupon, and more. When you pair the types of stores the people on the show shop at with their stockpiles of coupons that they bought or obtained through other methods…well, that’s a perfect storm of shopping that not everyone can achieve!
Did I mention this show is not realistic? Oh yes, I did. Pardon me.
I fear coupon policies are going to change as a result of this show.
I am not doing anything wrong when I take a coupon that P&G puts in the Sunday paper and stack it with a CVS store coupon to get a deep discount on diapers at CVS when they’re running a special. Companies knows when stores run ads for things, and the stores know when companies are putting out which coupons. They communicate folks. This is their their industry! Nothing is a secret, and they know people are putting deals together in the best way possible to save the most money. That’s fine. That’s cool.
But don’t abuse it folks. You don’t need 600 boxes of cereal, just because you can get it for under a dollar or for free.
Man, do the people on the show donate any of it? That’s the only thing that might make me feel better about it all.
I don’t know. I am conflicted. I feel like I want to welcome any readers to my site that want to learn how to use coupons and save money, but I also want to warn them not to use that show as inspiration.
It’s so unrealistic! (had to say it one more time)
So tell me folks. What do you think about the show? Love it or hate it?
P.S. if you have not seen any of the show, you can watch clips on their website.
Coupon Network Coupons (the PRINT COUPONS tab up top has more!)
Check out these related articles!
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for saying it so well! I also will not be going out of my way to watch this show because that is not the person I want to be–I just want to use coupons as well as I can. Many of the coupon sites get all caught up with those who get 50 bottles of whatever for nothing! Uh, except for water which I do buy in bottles (live in hurricane country), I would be hard pressed to use 50 bottles of anything! I like to see the realistic coupon buys–where you might have 2 coupons–but not 10 to get a deal. Sometimes I am blessed with many coupons (friends, neighbors) but most of the time I have one set and that is what I have to work with and so I do my best. Thanks for being a reality coupon place!
I am often blessed with many coupons, but I don’t USE most of them, which is why I give them away each month. I like to clip and collect them when I see them so I have them “just in case” but I just can’t see myself operating the way these folks on the show do. I’d rather save on what I need plus a little for my pantry. Thanks for sharing!
I was curious about the show and after or family movie last night, I put my vote in to watch it. Travis and I were horrified! We felt the people shown are hoarders in the worst possible way
Hoarding is typically a psychological disease. These “hoarders” don’t have a disease, their just gluttonous. I’m glad they referred to their coupons as cash, but who needs 60 bottles of mustard? Especially when their husband says; “I don’t even like mustard”!? He asked her after 30 bottles if she thought she had enough, he asked if she thought they should leave a few on the shelf… Greed. Her husband doesn’t even like mustard. Why aren’t they donating HALF their haul to a food bank? Why aren’t they teaching a group of church pantry workers some if their tricks so the church can stretch the congregations community dollar? I won’t go on about the woman who spent an hour putting her face on before her shopping trip. She admitted dressing up to promote her image, wearing too tight jeans tucked into stiletto healed boots. I’m done with my rant. I could keep going, criticizing these people. Bottom line? The show made me sad.
Nancy, you said it perfectly: they aren’t hoarders, they’re just gluttonous!
Now I wish I had watched it LOL But, then I would have been more furious about it than I already am. They’ve taken the most extreme people (hence the name of the show) and exploited them in the name of saving a buck.
Once my husband asked me if I had enough of something, and I took an honest look and said YES, and stopped buying any more until the stuff I had ran out. That’s being responsible.
*sigh* I totally support using coupons. I totally support matching coupons to sales. I totally support getting an item or two or even three for free if you can and NEED it, but this show goes so far beyond all that.
I’m just disappointed.
I am so glad I never heard about the show! I have watched the reality show about hoarders and it makes me ill. My mother is a hoarder. She came from an extremely poor family during the depression; She was a hoarder even while I was growing up in the 60s.
I remember when there were only a few items on the grocery shelves and we could choose from one or two types of any food product…
Do you remember Hal’s mom? She had all that food in those pantries? People that grew up then and lived through those difficult times viewed food in such a different way than people do now…
I was going to comment but it turned into something so long, I’m going to just have to make it a blog post, hahaha!
I can’t wait to see your post Kimmy! Let me know when it’s up so I can go see it
OK…I normally wouldn’t find myself here but I saw a link from Doug’s site and read this post. I did watch one episode of the show. One guy did donate a boatload of cereal to charity as it was his intent going in.
What happened to manufacturers coupons saying one per customer. Wouldn’t that stop the extreme couponing?
Hah, well thanks for visiting Bearman! I’m glad there was some donating going on.
As far as the one per customer, many of them do say that, but that usually means one of that coupon for that specific item. Some stores allow you to stack the manufacturer coupon with their own store coupon, but generally you can use 12 coupons if you have 12 items…1 per item. I’m probably not explaining it well, but store policies should stop extreme couponing, yet apparently…they don’t!
WOW!! I had no idea so many people dislike this show,while I have to say that some of these folks go extremely overboard,I can appreciate and understand where they come from. Some of those folks have big families or a tight income or both where they cant spend $500,$600 a month or whatever or grocery,so if theyre able to stockpile because of coupons and live comfortably without having to worry about food,more power to them. It seems like alot of people are taking this show so seriously and personal.
What bothers me is that it seems like they bring home 125 boxes of pasta, 100 candy bars, 40 bottles of soda etc. AND the only one I saw give anything to help other people is the guy who gave 1,100 boxes of cereal to his church food pantry. While it might be fun to be in love with your stockpile…most of these items have experation dates so why not help out people who need it. Just sayin.
I was disgusted by the show…these poor people have an illness – just like hoarders. The racing heart-rate at the checkout counter is an adrenaline rush and is a “high” as potent as any drug. It was all so wasteful and obsessive…I just can’t even get over how awful it was to watch this program. I won’t watch it again.
I think some of them probably get nervous because they know they are committing coupon fraud! I just think the reality of the show is so FAR from reality…it’s sad and gives legit couponers a bad name!
I was so excited to learn how to coupon so I could save so much money and give to the foodbanks. But, they are stealing (papers from foreclosed homes = how do they know if those people come for their paper to hunt for a job, as they maybe homeless now, it might have been different if I seen 20 papers but they were just one-that is stealing. Also, they dumpster dive, just to hoard. I wanted to learn, but I have learned enough, as always, someone has to pay. I have RA so I go to the store about twice per month, when they are out of something, I am out of luck, but I’m glad they are clearing the shelves so they get free stuff. I wouldn’t be on the show if you paid me. The ideas of coupons is wonderful, I love to save 30%, I will just keep doing it my way. Shame on them! Unless they are helping, if they are I’m sorry and thank you as you know the largest growing population right now is families so they really need help.
I know what you mean. Coupons weren’t intended for one person to have 10-20 copies of each one. I suppose if you bought that many newspaper subscriptions, you would be entitled to them…maybe? I prefer to use my coupons in a way I KNOW is ethical, and I’ll do just fine. Thanks for sharing!
I meant the largest homeless population that is growing are families.
Although many may not like it, I love it. With that said, it is a show, and would not be as entertaining if they only used coupons as most people do. Most of them do donate a large portion, but unfortunately that part usually gets edited out. I love saving money for my family and coupons allows me to do that on a tight budget.
Hi, everyone. I am watching the show as I type. I was specifically looking for someone to say: stores, please prevent people from using 10′s of coupons at once and a very common phrase ” “this coupon cannot be combined with any other deals or coupons”. I agree, most stores do say so, and this “perfect storm” is only available in not-so-reality show. Let’s face it, it looks attractive to poor people making less than minimum wage or feeding families of multiple people. Another thing: most of the discounted products are at the end of their shelf life, and if you stock them, you’ll potentially be poisoning yourself and your family with spoiled food. People become hoarders and having a good cause in the beginning turns for them into a mental sickness. I don’t think even donating to charity justifies this sort of behavior. This show promotes craze of turning people into CRAZY COUPON ROBOTS instead of promoting productive use of their time to help society.
I’ve been watching this show in horrified fascination! Only once have I seen someone donate any of the food, the rest have what I can only call a ‘supermarket’ in their pantries or basements!?? The one that really baffled me was the guy who got 300 toothbrushes for free… WHY?? You don’t HAVE to get that many of something just because it’s free! I always find myself wondering who is losing out… is it the stores, is it the suppliers?? Someone has to lose out somewhere for these greedy people to get all this stuff virtually for free! And as for poor families… if you can’t afford a family, don’t have one! It’s called being responsible!
{ 2 trackbacks }