Extreme Couponing-MM thoughts?

bmo88 · January 2016

See post below...the wonky formatting from posting on my iPad drove me nuts so I logged onto my computer to fix it, but it wouldn't let me change the formatting

bmo88 · January 2016

We just got back from our trip late last night and I am flat out exhausted. So I am lazying around today and watching a marathon of Extreme Couponing episodes.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good deal and I am not above using coupons. But when I watch the shows on extreme couponing, I notice a few things:

-It's an obsession for many of these people, to the point it's all consuming and some even buy stuff they don't need because they are "saving" money on it

-While some get necessities, a lot of the "huge savings" are on unhealthy junk food or condiments

-I wonder how much of their inventory goes bad before they use it

-Some spend 10-15 hours a week just preparing, that's like a part time job!

I will say, one couple was pretty cool because they didn't stock pile, they used theirs coupon skills to stock a local pantry.

I have tried to increase some couponing, but our circulars in our area don't have great coupons and its mostly for stuff we wouldn't buy otherwise. I have used online coupons too, but run into similar challenges.

So fellow MMers, what are your thoughts on extreme couponing? (Sorry on iPad so formatting sucks)

PurpleBookmark · January 2016

I'm not sure about extreme couponing but I've found that regular coupon use actually hurts my grocery budget. I prefer buying store brands as I seem to save more consistently. I have some exceptions like Cover Girl cosmetics and Yoplait yogurt. We buy those brands anyway so it works out.

When I watch that show so many stockpiles are in basements and garages, I would worry about mice or bugs!

bmo88 · January 2016

PurpleBookmark said:

I'm not sure about extreme couponing but I've found that regular coupon use actually hurts my grocery budget. I prefer buying store brands as I seem to save more consistently. I have some exceptions like Cover Girl cosmetics and Yoplait yogurt. We buy those brands anyway so it works out. When I watch that show so many stockpiles are in basements and garages, I would worry about mice or bugs!

SITB...

I hadn't thought about the mice or bugs, that probably happens! I agree about the brand issue and coupons. If I were to use some coupons, I would be buying a brand I usually don't get or a product I don't normally buy.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

I think extreme couponing is a waste of time and money - time you could be doing other things and also. I looking through our sunday papers and clip coupons, visit coupons.com, target red card, cartwheel, ibotta, checkout 51, ebates. When we go out to eat we look for coupons first and if I buy items like clothing I never buy full price. That's the best I can do and I'm happy with that.

lbonga1 · January 2016

I coupon, but not to an extreme amount. When I first started, I was going to CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Target so I could get the best deals. But once I built my base "stash" of things (mostly toiletries, and it really isn't even that much because we live in an apartment), I started only shopping at Target. The other drug stores have good deals because with some purchases you receive a coupon back to use within a certain time period, but if you don't need to go back and buy anything else by that time then it's a waste. Target has a similar thing, but they give you gift cards, so they don't expire.

For non-perishables, I usually wait for a good coupon/sale combo then buy what we'll need for the next 3 months or so, and by then another good deal will usually come around. For food, I just look at the grocery store's ad for the week, decide what I need, then look on coupons.com for anything that matches. If not, then oh well.

MommyLiberty5013 · January 2016

I think it's a waste. I had a "friend" on FB who did it. One week she ended up with 25 bottles of ketchup. Seriously!

I do use coupons, but I have found that buying store brands versus name brands saves more money anyways. We do all our grocery shopping at Target and use the Red Card as well as their in-store coupon program called Cartwheel.

Regarding spoilage, the "best if used by dates" on canned or bottled goods are just that..."best if used by." As long as a can or a bottle is not damaged and its contents are not exposed to air, the contents remain safe to consume even after the "best of used by date." Mice and bugs would be a different issue if they're chewing into packaging.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

MommyLiberty5013 said:

I think it's a waste. I had a "friend" on FB who did it. One week she ended up with 25 bottles of ketchup. Seriously!
I do use coupons, but I have found that buying store brands versus name brands saves more money anyways. We do all our grocery shopping at Target and use the Red Card as well as their in-store coupon program called Cartwheel.
Regarding spoilage, the "best if used by dates" on canned or bottled goods are just that..."best if used by." As long as a can or a bottle is not damaged and its contents are not exposed to air, the contents remain safe to consume even after the "best of used by date." Mice and bugs would be a different issue if they're chewing into packaging.

see I think that's wasteful! I think this extreme couponing would go along perfectly with the hoarders.

hoffse · January 2016

I've never been able to get into couponing to a serious degree. It's just way too time consuming. We used to do more of it at Target, but since buying our house we tend to supplement our Costco runs at Publix (walking distance) and Walmart when we need to do a very large run. Unfortunately, the Target near our house has a pretty piddly grocery section, and nearly every time I'm there for groceries I have to go to one of the other two stores anyway.

We do pay attention to the Costco coupons, and I have a sense of the sale rotation for the things we buy all the time. When some of those items are on sale we stock up because we can go through them at a rate where we will just be running out before the next sale. Otherwise, we don't do a ton of stocking up.

The extreme couponers save a lot of money I guess, but they are also basically doing a part-time job for what I would guess works out to be under minimum wage.

csuave · January 2016

I am a couponer. Love to use them and started clipping with my mom as a kid.

Sometimes I will be enticed by a coupon to try a new product or to splurge on a treat and I think that is a way for us to have a little bit of fun since we are pretty mundane with our groceries. Overall we buy the same things all the time and get most at Aldi so my couponing is limited to a few things. My main store doubles up to 99 cents so I do most of my couponing there. Using a 75 cent coupon to get 1.50 off makes a big deal on the total bill.

Usually I don't buy multiples of things, just what we need. We moved to being just in time with most groceries because we ended up having stuff expire when we stockpiled. The stuff I remember getting a lot of most recently were salad dressing, toothpaste and cereal.

I got about 6 salad dressings for either free or about 20 cents each. I stopped at 6 because I wasn't sure that we could use many more than that before they expired. But we eat a lot of salad in the summer so I know we will use them eventually.

Toothpaste I get for free with double coupons. It is not the kind I use but H does. We only get it if H needs it or if we are going to the store anyway. When I get more than we can use I give it away to family or to the shelter.

I eat cereal nearly every day. Typically I buy Aldi brand Cheerios but I also watch at the other store for sales and coupons. When sales and coupons are available I'll get 10 or so boxes at a time. This usually branches me out into some less nutritious kinds of cereal. Like during back to school sale I was able to get many boxes for about a cost of 1.50 each before coupon. I had a 75 cent coupon for Trix so that box was free after doubling. Not the kind of cereal I would usually buy but it was free so I went for it and it added some variety (although not very nutritious) to my usual.

I'll also keep an eye open for pouches of cookie mix to go on sale for 2.00 and then buy if I have a 75 cent coupon and I'll keep it on hand. I did this to get a peanut butter cookie mix for 50 cents and then I had those available to bake quickly and take to a party. It can be tempting to stock up on the cookies but I try to keep it to a minimum so I don't just start eating them!

Xstatic3333 · January 2016

Although I find that show super entertaining, this just wouldn't be for me. Most of the stuff we buy is pretty basic ingredients (i.e. rice, beans, bread, butter, etc.) that just makes more sense to buy store brand. Also, I don't think many stores in my area do the double and triple coupon thing that I always see on the show. Finally, in our area we are able to buy a fair amount of our groceries from local farms and farmers markets, which is important to me for non-financial reasons. I do keep an eye out and use Cartwheel when I go to Target, but I don't really put in much effort.

CuriousKiddosMama · January 2016

I coupon but not to the extreme. And I mainly only go to one place, cvs. I have done really well buying diapers there and other things like razors, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. normally they are too expensive to shop, but with coupons, extra bucks and in store coupons from the machine you can get some amazing deals.
I coupon enough to keep my stockpile up on these items. If I end up with too much I donate it or give it away. Actually this year for Christmas my dad asked me for toothpaste and razors, so that's exactly what I sent him! It was a lot cheaper for me to buy than for them, and it was an easy Christmas present, so win win!

JoanE2012 · January 2016

I coupon, but nothing crazy. I always wonder - where do they get all the coupon inserts from? Does the local store save them from any papers not sold?

splotch716 · January 2016

I would consider myself an extreme couponer, or at least I was before DD was born. I don't have a huge stockpile like the people on tv. The three of us live in a one bedroom apartment right now. I consider myself an extreme couponer because of how much I save and how little I pay for things. I did make a few rookie mistakes when I first started. I got 26 cake mixes because they were only $0.15 per box. I learned my lesson when 22 of them went to the food bank so they would get used before they expired. My favorite things to get on coupon are the large bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I typically get Pantene or Herbal Essences for about $0.25-0.50 a bottle after coupons, cartwheel, red card discount, and my Target team member discount.

With that being said if I can get something for free and donate it, I will. I recently stocked my mom up with dog food for a year for less than $50(26 bags of Iams dog food for 2 dogs). My mom has had a lot of medical issues so she misses a lot of work without pay.

Not everyone who coupons is a hoarder either. I donate a lot to the food bank, local shelters, our church, and the non-profit DV organization I work for.

It's all about setting limits and only getting what our family can reasonably use in a reasonable amount of time. I rarely spend more than $200 a month on groceries/toiletries/diapers for the three of us.

lbonga1 · January 2016

@JoanE2012 sometimes people will have stores save the extras, sometimes they have friends/neighbors/family members save them the inserts, sometimes they steal them unfortunately. There are also websites where you can order full inserts or jus individual clipped coupons.

vlagrl29 · January 2016

splotch716 said:

I would consider myself an extreme couponer, or at least I was before DD was born. I don't have a huge stockpile like the people on tv. The three of us live in a one bedroom apartment right now. I consider myself an extreme couponer because of how much I save and how little I pay for things. I did make a few rookie mistakes when I first started. I got 26 cake mixes because they were only $0.15 per box. I learned my lesson when 22 of them went to the food bank so they would get used before they expired. My favorite things to get on coupon are the large bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I typically get Pantene or Herbal Essences for about $0.25-0.50 a bottle after coupons, cartwheel, red card discount, and my Target team member discount.

With that being said if I can get something for free and donate it, I will. I recently stocked my mom up with dog food for a year for less than $50(26 bags of Iams dog food for 2 dogs). My mom has had a lot of medical issues so she misses a lot of work without pay.

Not everyone who coupons is a hoarder either. I donate a lot to the food bank, local shelters, our church, and the non-profit DV organization I work for.

It's all about setting limits and only getting what our family can reasonably use in a reasonable amount of time. I rarely spend more than $200 a month on groceries/toiletries/diapers for the three of us.

curious how the heck you do that? When I go to the grocery store most of what I buy is store brand to save money and if I do buy name brand I have a coupon for it.

jessica490 · January 2016

I've seen the show a few times and it's kind of annoying to watch. I agree with you 100% about how they become obsessive with the whole process and stock up on things they may not "need" just because they have a coupon. I mean, what are you going to do with 100 bottles of hot sauce? And how soon will they expire before you can use them all up.

Good for them for doing all that work and getting all those huge savings, but going to that extreme is just not for me.

We get a few coupon books every week in the Sunday paper and our grocery store also has online digital coupons that we can load to our perks card, but that's as far as I'll go. Also, we won't buy things we don't use just because there is a coupon for it.

splotch716 · January 2016

vlagrl29 said:

splotch716 said:

I would consider myself an extreme couponer, or at least I was before DD was born. I don't have a huge stockpile like the people on tv. The three of us live in a one bedroom apartment right now. I consider myself an extreme couponer because of how much I save and how little I pay for things. I did make a few rookie mistakes when I first started. I got 26 cake mixes because they were only $0.15 per box. I learned my lesson when 22 of them went to the food bank so they would get used before they expired. My favorite things to get on coupon are the large bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I typically get Pantene or Herbal Essences for about $0.25-0.50 a bottle after coupons, cartwheel, red card discount, and my Target team member discount.

With that being said if I can get something for free and donate it, I will. I recently stocked my mom up with dog food for a year for less than $50(26 bags of Iams dog food for 2 dogs). My mom has had a lot of medical issues so she misses a lot of work without pay.

Not everyone who coupons is a hoarder either. I donate a lot to the food bank, local shelters, our church, and the non-profit DV organization I work for.

It's all about setting limits and only getting what our family can reasonably use in a reasonable amount of time. I rarely spend more than $200 a month on groceries/toiletries/diapers for the three of us.

curious how the heck you do that? When I go to the grocery store most of what I buy is store brand to save money and if I do buy name brand I have a coupon for it.

It can be difficult some months depending on what we need. I mainly stock up when I can find a rock bottom price. We don't buy salmon or steak very often, we mainly stick to chicken and hamburger. When there is overage it goes towards fresh fruit and veggies that we need. I also buy more frozen than fresh depending on time of year and what is in season. We also tend to eat a lot of pasta. I also shop at Winco and Target more than any other places. If I go to Safeway or Fred Meyer it is for an advertised item.

I follow the krazy coupon lady, she does the weekly ad matchups. With my second, very part time job, being at Target I also get to see what other couponers are purchasing. I like rolling gift cards at Target as well. Right before I had DD I found a great wipes deal, but I had to purchase $100 of baby stuff to get all the coupons to work. I got 10 large boxes of wipes, which came out to $110+tax. I was able to use a coupon for a $25 gift card. Every two boxes of wipes I got a $5 gift card as well. I ended up with $50 in gift cards, used cartwheel, my team member discount, and my registry completion code. I paid $88 with a gift card we had gotten as an xmas present. We are down two boxes left right now.

It can take time and work but for us it is worth it. We are still in debt payoff mode right now. Hopefully in the next few years my student loans will be paid off and we will be able to afford more.

Erikan73 · January 2016

I personally just cut coupons for things we use. But a few times I have watched extreme couponing and the people buy things and donate everything they buy to the local food bank or a shelter to help others in need. I think things like that are wonderful because they are taking time to do the work to cut the coupons, get the sales only to turn around to help others out.

julieanne912 · January 2016

I do a bit of couponing, but like others, only for things I'd normally buy anyway. I utilized coupons during the holidays for baking quite a bit.

My store (King Soopers, which is owned by Kroger) actually does a lot of "best customer" store coupon type things. They're either digital or paper that I receive in the mail. These coupons are nice because they are often based on what I already buy, or it'll be something like "Save $1.50 when you spend $7 on produce".

They will also double up to a dollar (so in this case, if the coupon is for 50 cents off, it'll double up to a dollar off, but if it's 75 cents it'll still only go up to a dollar off). They also have "super sales" once in awhile that seem to correspond nicely with what's in the coupons in the paper, so that's when I stock up on toiletries... like our Olay body wash. I can usually get it at Costco for a pretty good price but during this sale, it goes on a good deal and then I usually have a coupon for more off.

I also like the digital coupons because I can go in and just load up my store card with all kinds of coupons, even if I don't know if I'll use them, then it's like a surprise when I get a discount since I don't pay attention to which ones I have.

As for the Extreme Couponing, unless they're doing it for a charity, it's disgusting. I saw one where this single lady had a basement full of diapers.... even though she has no children. Couponing shouldn't be a hobby, it should just be a tool to save some money.

Isabellas+mom · January 2016

I like watching extreme couponing but one of the problems I have is how much are they spending on getting all those coupons. Some of them talk about getting lots of newspapers every Sunday or purchasing them off a the a coupon clipping website. They do not count that cost when they talk about how much they save I am sure. I mean even if you can get a good deal on 100 newspapers delivered every Sunday it still is going to cost you more than I pay for groceries that week.

splotch716 · January 2016

I get my newpapers from the dollar store for $1 each, on Saturdays, and my in-laws give me their coupons from their Sunday subscription. The red plums also come free in the mail on Tuesdays with the grocery store ads. I have no idea where many people on the show get such high value coupons. My guess is they write the manufacturer and have their friends/family write them as well. Whenever I try a new product I let the manufacturer know. Almost every time I have done that, they have sent me coupons for free or buy 1 get 1 free.

There have been weeks where I look at the coupons before buying my 4 newspapers and realize that I won't use any of them before their expiration dates, so I don't buy them. This typically happens when the coupon is not a high enough value one for me to try the product. However, there are some months when proctor and gamble puts out buy 1 get 1 free coupons on Pantene or herbal essences. I get 2 extra newspapers during that time.

short+sassy · January 2016

As big of a bargain shopper as I am, I just can't get into couponing. The vast majority of coupons are just for things I don't buy at all. I get an insert of coupons in the mail each week and will go through those. On average, I'll clip like 2-3 of them for items I will probably buy. That's about it.

Plus, for whatever reason, none of the grocery stores in my area double coupons. So that puts a big kibosh on what a lot of these "extremers" count on.

Extreme Couponing-MM thoughts?

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