I have strongly resisted posting anything about the TLC program Extreme Couponing. Since there is so much hype about the show, I thought it was finally time for me to voice my opinion. Honestly, the show makes me sick to my stomach. It is more of a reality show than a realistic representation of a couponer.
I talk about my stockpile often and how to stockup on items when they are at a target price. I gotta tell ya, my stockpile is NOTHING like what is featured on the show. I do not have a dedicated room or a garage packed with food. Yes, I have an extra freezer and my pantry is full. What I mean when I say “stockup” is get enough of the product to last until the next sales cycle. To me “stockup” does not mean getting a life time supply of toothpaste or Maalox. If you do have a huge stockpile, I am not saying that you are wrong. I just don’t have the space or the time and energy to organize a massive haul. I think most of dedicated couponers have a comfortable several month supply but not years worth.
I used to consider myself an extreme couponer. I no longer use that term since I am not extreme if you compare me to the people featured. I really wish TLC would show a normal everyday couponer.
I can easily show you how to save 50% off your grocery bill and how to get health and beauty items for free. On occasion I have stockpiling grocery trips where I save over 80%. However, it is unrealistic to think you can buy $1,000 worth of groceries for $100 on a regular basis. Most couponers have not had a trip to the store like that. In fact most stores would not have that many of the same item in stock. Furthermore, many stores have limits on how many coupons you can use in one transaction.
In my opinion, TLC is doing a disservice. The average person does not have access to that amount of coupons. Of course you could order coupons or buy a ton of Sunday papers. But who has the time to clip that many coupons? Time is money people. Plus do you really think the store would be happy about a couponer clearing the shelf? Nope. It is already hard enough using coupons at some stores and I am afraid this show is going to make it even more difficult.
I will gladly teach you the real way to coupon. It takes time to learn the ropes; so don’t get frustrated. Follow several good blogs that cover grocery stores in your area. Read my Couponing 101 Series and feel free to ask me any questions.
I love coupons and I love helping you all! Just know that TLC Extreme Couponing is a reality show; it’s not the realistic world of couponing.
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I couldn’t agree more with this, while the amount these individuals save during checkout is quite impressive there is almost no way a regular family could go about shopping this way. Not only are you buying huge quantities that you then need a place to store but many times in order to get the deal or something free you are actually buying food items that you may not actually use in your family. For us we use the coupons we need and are happy with our meager $30+ dollar savings at the checkout.
Hi,
Thanks so much for stopping by! You are exactly right, most of the shopping trips featured do not include items like dairy and produce. As we move towards more home cooking and healthy eating habits, our grocery bill has gone up a bit. I don’t mind since I can get my household items and beauty products for very inexpensive at Rite Aid or CVS. I can’t wait until our vegetable garden is producing this summer!
Great article! I totally agree. I started using coupons to get free/cheap things in January after the first TLC show aired, I knew right from the start that I did not want to be a shelf clearer. I have lots of items now but they all fit into the spare bedroom closet and bureau and I give away 90% of it to my family and friends.
Hi Laura,
It’s amazing how quickly you can accumulate stuff! As you get more into couponing you will see that some of the same stuff goes on sale every couple of months or so. Good luck!
I really wish someone would show me how couponing works in the stores in my Northern California (Chico-area) stores. Not one store that I know of doubles. I read the fine print of all the coupons and they all either say, ONE PER TRANSACTION or ONE PER PURCHASE. How is it even possible to get any kind of deal with that? Help me! I need to save some real $$$ with 3 growing kids (9 yr old and twins who are 4)! If anyone could guide me to someone closer to me to talk to would be so WONDERFUL!
I completely agree though that TLC is doing a huge dis-service to all us real people who think this type of couponing is achievable! The hoarding is deplorable!
I will read your COUPON101 series to see if it helps.
Of course I’m a fan of Renae! But there are lots of other blogs out there. I actually started at “CouponMom.com” which is fairly commercial, but her “How to coupon” is helpful for someone starting out.
I think the number one thing is to find your own rythm. Buy what your family wants, just pay less for it whenever you can. I think every couponer would agree that the general rule would be to buy your ‘standards’ when you can save, so that you don’t have to buy them at full price when you NEED them. The goal of the coupon is to use it when the item is on sale AND you have a coupon. Not Instead of a sale.
Utah doesn’t double coupons either. But still, I save on average 40% per trip and use about 35 coupons per trip (once a week). My family of 5 could sustain ourselves with our storage for about 2 months and I prefer to donate generously to food banks. And, I shop my Kroger affiliate as I honestly believe that groceries are way more exensive at Wal Mart than at competing grocers (unless you choose to purchase less than healthy processed store brand items). Good luck, work at it and stick with it!
Thanks for the tips Debi!
I so agree with you about Walmart. Last year a new Super Walmart opened nearby. It is actually the closest store to our house. I was excited at first- Walmart low price leader right? I was so wrong! There are a few items at a good price but the rest is really marked up. I ran in for milk one day and it was marked at $4.19 for a gallon- generic brand too. Kroger has milk for about $2.89 a gallon. Anyways, I could go on and on about Walmart!
Hi Karen,
You can still learn to save money without having stores that double coupons. The biggest help will be learning the target prices for items you buy regularly. That means learning what the lowest price that item goes on sale for. Start by tracking the top 5-10 items that you buy every week. You will start to see a sales cycle. I would also encourage you to shop at the drug stores like CVS and Rite Aid if you have them. If you can save a lot on your household products and health and beauty products, you can apply the money saved to your grocery bill.
Menu planning is another idea. Plan your meals based on what is on sale that week and what is in your stockpile. Shop for items that are in season.
As far as the wording on the coupon, “one per purchase” means one coupon per item purchased. Meaning you can only use one coupon per item. it is not limiting the number of coupons you can use in the transaction. On the other hand, “one per transaction” is limiting the number of coupons. In my experience there are very few coupons that are a limit of one per transaction.
I sure hope this helps! Please feel free to ask any other questions or email me renae at howtohaveitall dot net
Thank you for writing this article. I certainly admit that the extreme couponing show is interesting to watch, however I think this show discourages regular families from saving money by couponing because it makes it seem like such a huge ordeal rather that a managable family project. It also embarasses me as a couponer to see the selfishness displayed by shelf clearing and hoarding.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks so much for your comment! I agree that the show can be interesting. I have watched two episodes because I had heard of the people on those episodes. The shelf clearing really get’s under my skin! I do stockpile- like six months worth at the most- but there is no way anyone needs 56 bottles of mustard or hundreds of boxes of cereal! Oh, I could go on and on about this!
Have a great night!