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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Extreme Couponers
I think the show "Extreme Couponers" is going to cause a lot of stores to crack down on their coupon policies. I noticed our latest Rainbow coupons say "LIMIT 1 and NO DOUBLING" in bold letters. Maybe manufacturer's coupons will start saying the same thing? Even those these people are getting all their products "for free", someone somewhere is paying for the stuff.
I also think that these people are hoarders...just in an organized fashion. It's like OCD combined with hoarding. Not totally healthy. When you have 237 bags of cat treats and don't even own a cat? Yeah....not normal.
What do you think? Do you use coupons?
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Re: Extreme Couponers
I watched it last night for the first time. It is definitely a form of hoarding. No one needs 1000 tubes of toothpaste or 200 sticks of deodorant. The one thing I liked is that guy that is using a lot of the stuff to make care packages for soldiers. I do wonder if stores will crack down on their coupons after seeing how much stuff these people get for next to nothing. We use coupons for things we already buy, not things we don't need.
I feel the EXACT same way. I told my husband it's organized hoarders. Why on God's green earth would you need 687 toothbrushs?!?
Stores up here don't even have double coupon day. And yes, I use a few coupons, but I think the most I have ever had off my order is *maybe* 10 dollars.
I use coupons but NOT to that extent. I like going to Rainbow when I have a coupon that I know will be a good deal, on the days that they double them.
For example, I'll buy cereal, snack bars, crackerfuls, yogurts etc with my coupons and sometimes double them which is nice. If they don't double, I still like to use them. Sure, I'll take .40c off my toilet paper. Why not?
Do I want to convert my third bedroom into a 'pantry'?...helll no!
Do I want to spend hours and hours on end to strategize, plan and execute my shopping trips?...helll no!
I like watching that show though, it's a nice train wreck.
ETA: When I shop at Rainbow, especially in the past when I was more organized with my coupons, there were a couple of trips that I saved more than I spent. I didn't pay $5 for $1,000 worth of groceries like some of these people though.
I'd feel bad as an 'extreme couponer' for all the people in the store who try to come behind me in line or something. I'd feel bad for the cashier. Can you imagine how annoying that has to be? I'd probably quit.
I use a few when I can, mostly on household products. We don't buy too many processed foods, unlike the people on that show who hoard foods that are terrible for you. I find it hard to believe that those people actually try and live off those foods.
I may be slightly biased. H works for a co-op and we have a rule in our house that if it can't go bad, we don't buy it.
That said, I would love to get my groceries for free and would probably be a coupon freak if I could find good ones for meat and produce.
One of the women on the shows spends SEVENTY hours a week couponing. SEVENTY. Good grief.
We use coupons on things we had already planned on buying. And only one or two coupons at a time, not 64.
Think of the good they could if they donated their stuff to a homeless shelter. Instead it sits in their garage and they go in there and get off on seeing all the labels lined up...
It's definitely a train wreck that is hard not to watch!
Agree on the organized hoarding. I saw part of an episode a few weeks ago where the couple had put shelves for groceries in their bedroom, that's how bad it was. And one kid had the entire space under his bed packed with toilet paper rolls. That's just too much.
Yes, I use coupons, but not to that extent. I try to stock up on non-perishable foods when there on sale and I have a coupon, but I don't buy more than will fit in the pantry in my kitchen. And I only use coupons on things I would buy anyway.
I've wondered, do these people make separate trips to the store to buy other things, or do they just live off of boxed/canned/frozen stuff? There aren't often coupons for fresh produce or meat. I hope they're supplementing all their boxed dinners with a few fresh things!
Mr. Sammy Dog
We cut coupons for stuff we use, but most often it's not for food we eat and I am not going to buy something just to use a coupon for it. I feel like I used to cut a lot more Cub coupons, but haven't lately. We have been doing more and more of our grocery shopping at Super Target as it seems prices there are cheaper. I will print coupons from target.com if it's something I normally buy.
I only saw one episode of the show, but it sort of made me uncomfortable in the way that Intervention on A&E does. At least in the episode I saw, those people clearly had either an addiction (they said they get high on the feeling of saving money...hello addiction) or are suffering from a hoarding type disorder.
Only one guy mentioned donating some of his food to a food bank. That is the part that is hardest for me to deal with. So much waste and excess. I just hope some of those people start donating some of their stuff. (although I doubt that will happen) There are so many people in need of toothbrushes, the 1000's of stick deodorants that one guy had, the toilet paper, etc.
Boy/girl twins born at 37w1d and 37w2d
I use coupons for things that we USE. Like 1 tube of toothpaste. It would surprise me if I had more than two tubes of toothpaste in the house. I guess we're not prepared for the toothpaste Armageddon.
I hope that a lot of those people donate to a foodshelf. I couldn't imagine going through all of that stuff before the expiration date.