Extreme Couponing

VelvetMorning
VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
in Chit-Chat
I watched a few episodes of TLC's Extreme Couponing and at first, I was disgusted. I was all, "Look at this b*tch buying up all the ketchup and diapers so the person who actually needs them can't get one", and "Don't they have shame?!" and...well, you get it. Anyway, by the end of the third episode and six bowls of obsessively, contemplatively eaten oatmeal (which, by the way, I didn't gain weight from whatsoever - which is surprising and made me almost believe this whole, "Eat more weigh less" thing everyone preaches around here) I found myself on Google looking for double and triple coupons in my town. lmao. Don't get me wrong, I don't really think I'd ever get to the point of having 600 bottles of mustard at my disposal, but I can totally dig not having to pay full price for stuff and getting my groceries (~$50/week) for $10 a week. Has anyone ever done this? Even on a non-extreme level, do you coupon? I've never clipped one in my life and I just want a little insight. I'd kind of prefer the normal, working, non-OCD people's takes on roughly how much they would spend on their weekly items and how much they actually spend with coupons, if its worth the time, et cetera. Or if you're an extreme couponer, hook me upppp!
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Replies

  • VelvetMorning
    VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
    Anyone?!
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
    Bump!

    Umm so I hardly coupon, but I figured I'd respond anyway. I'm a member of this coupon website called coupons.com and once a month or so go on it and print out some coupons for things like $2 off Chex cereal, $1 off a four pack of yogurts etc. I don't do it too often, since when I do, I just find that it's too much work to save about five bucks. I sometimes clip coupons from my food boxes. Like, I used to love South Beach Diet Protein Fit Bars and they had 50 cent off coupons on every box that I'd just cut out before recycling the box.
    That's about it for my couponing. :tongue: I mainly just wanted to comment to help ya bump your thread. :)
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
    Apparently no one else coupons. :ohwell:
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    I have been a coupon clipper for several years. Thanks to the abuse shown on that show, coupons and store deals have changed. What you see on that show is not realistic for most shoppers at most stores.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,145 Member
    What I always wonder is how they get around the 1 coupon per customer per visit that's on most of the coupons.

    I'd like to be able to have that ...skill?, I'm plainly too lazy. :laugh:
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    What I always wonder is how they get around the 1 coupon per customer per visit that's on most of the coupons.

    I'd like to be able to have that ...skill?, I'm plainly too lazy. :laugh:

    By being a participant of coupon fraud.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    This show freaks me out! It's like a train wreck, I just have to watch it.

    I don't coupon, we don't really have it in Australia. Well, we have coupons but it's nothing like what is shown on that tv show. It's always 1 coupon per customer per visit.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    Beyond my FAGE yogurt and Friendship cottage cheese (sometimes my pre-washed greens)... Most of the stuff I buy in the grocery store doesn't have coupons ... I use coupons for other stuff (shampoo, razor blades, cleaning products, etc.), I try to combine them with sales, for maximum savings, and if something is on sale and I use it often (or it's not a food product and won't go bad) I have been known to clear a shelf ...
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    What I always wonder is how they get around the 1 coupon per customer per visit that's on most of the coupons.

    I'd like to be able to have that ...skill?, I'm plainly too lazy. :laugh:

    By being a participant of coupon fraud.

    That's why they bring their kids ... As for online coupons, multiple Gmail accounts ... Just a theory *cough* (wink) ...
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
    What I always wonder is how they get around the 1 coupon per customer per visit that's on most of the coupons.

    I'd like to be able to have that ...skill?, I'm plainly too lazy. :laugh:

    By being a participant of coupon fraud.

    That's why they bring their kids ... As for online coupons, multiple Gmail accounts ... Just a theory *cough* (wink) ...

    ^ Aww they drag their poor children into it? Yeah, you're probably right. That's craziness! :laugh:
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    I've never needed to coupon.. I actually just throw all that coupon garbage I get in the mail into a grocery bag and toss it.
    They flood my frikkin mailbox with that garbage!!! :mad: :explode: :mad: :mad: :mad: :explode: :explode:
  • sexygrandma5
    sexygrandma5 Posts: 7 Member
    I love using coupons, admittedly I don't as often as I could , just being lazy ! It does take time to clip and search of ones you will use. A great online site is CouponMom.com On that site you can search by store, to see what is on sale and where you can get a coupon to match item for more savings, Sometimes even getting it for free. When printing coupons from online sites , you can usually print 2 from each computer in your home.
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    When printing coupons from online sites , you can usually print 2 from each computer in your home.

    Which is one of the tricks used to abuse coupons and clearly against the intent of the manufacturer.
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    When I started couponing, CVS was one of the most popular stores to shop for freebies. They would have a deal on toothpaste that would make it free after their reward "bucks" were factored in. It was common for them to put a limit of FIVE on their deals, You would maybe spend $15 on 5 tubes of toothpaste and walk out with $15 CVS bucks to spend on your next purchase. If you had coupons to go with the deal, then you essentially made money. A typical ad would have similar deals for deodorant, medicine, makeup, etc.

    But that wasn't good enough for the "extreme" couponers. They would get cards in the names of relatives, dogs, cats, etc. As soon as they were done completing a transaction with one account, they would do the same deals with another. CVS got tired of the abuse and stopped the limit FIVE and did away with much of their FREE offers. The actions of the few ruining it for the many.

    But hey, one scumbag was able to build this out of his FREE Jello.

    Jello-Logo.jpg
  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
    I don't do the "Extreme" couponing. I think that is bit, well, extreme, and I'm really wondering HOW they do it?! In my state, there is no "double" or "triple" coupons, so, if I have a coupon for $1 off, then that's all I'm getting off. I see on the show that is shot in different states that is how they are getting some of their savings. I've watched some You Tube videos of people sharing their "secrets" and they have a coupon for $1 off an item, so they will buy a sample size of it to get it for free or even get money back! I have a family to feed. If I have $1 off, I'm gonna get a full size item that won't run out after 1 use!

    They also get like 10 or more papers on a Sunday, then get all their friends and family to give them their coupons, too. So while we may go to a store with a store coupon and/or a manufacture's coupon for an item, and get 1 item, they will be armed with like 20 or more coupons so they can clear the shelves!

    I do go to couponmom.com and use the Sunday inserts as well as the on-line printable coupons. I have saved money when I do big shopping trips. It does take a little prep before hand, but there are some deals out there. Personally, I think for some of those "extreme shoppers", it is more about the high of getting something for as close to free as they can, if not making a profit. For me, it is about saving me a few more dollars when I go to the shops.
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    It is also not uncommon for them to dumpster dive in to recycle bins for more coupons. My area has "Paper Retrievers" at many of the churches and schools. They are paper recycle bins that earn the church or school money. I have seen people going through them for coupons before, and have also seen that practice referenced on the tv show.
  • fullersun60
    fullersun60 Posts: 5
    I don't have any interest in coupons or shopping for what is on sale. I just buy what I need, when I need it. I like to think I come out ahead of all the people who have bought things they wouldn't have otherwise or who have turned their home into a food warehouse. Same thing with clothes. If I bought clothes because they were on sale, I'd have wasted money on a bunch of items I don't need.
  • 2Heavy2Long
    2Heavy2Long Posts: 315 Member
    fullersun, you aren't coming out ahead of the average or extreme couponer. I never got to the level of extreme and I was making money every week from coupon shopping. That was just from walking into the store and purchasing items with coupons. If I would have sold (flea market, garage sale) the unwanted items I purchased, I would have made even more money. The unwanted items I brought home went to family, friends and shelters.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    I've never needed to coupon.. I actually just throw all that coupon garbage I get in the mail into a grocery bag and toss it.
    They flood my frikkin mailbox with that garbage!!! :mad: :explode: :mad: :mad: :mad: :explode: :explode:

    I've never "needed" to coupon.

    I just like free money - and the 30% or so I save on my grocery bill each and every 2 weeks adds up and lets me spend more money on my consumer electronics and "making" hobbies.

    We don't do anything "extreme" - just clip the coupons in the Sunday paper and then run over the list and check out Target and coupons.com, etc to make sure that we have any available coupons for the stuff we were planning to buy anyway.

    If I spend 30 minutes a week on it - I'd be surprised.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,645 Member
    It's not couponing, but a local sports chain has a system where they just lower the price on closeouts and all closeouts are system wide. Often closeout prices are not updated at all stores (and certain stores I've found in particular). The prices will eventually hit <$10 on $100+ items and even will eventually hit .01 if an item sits long enough.

    I got abount 1000 worth of stuff last year for less than $25...

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