Extreme couponing?

[Charnock]

Any AFFers into extreme couponing?

[MissBrattified]

No. Too much work. I'd rather pay the extra .50 than go to the trouble to clip the coupon and find a place where the item is on sale. The only coupons I use on a regular basis are the Target coupons because they're usually discounts on Starbuck's or items that I already buy all the time. (I think they're printed in a way that's tailor-made to the customer and their purchase history.)

However, I am into watching the show on TLC and being amazed/horrified.

I don't like to buy things that I don't need, and it would actually annoy me to see 10 bottles of bleach on my laundry room shelf or 15 boxes of toothpaste in the bathroom cabinet. That gives some people the warm fuzzies, though, and I understand that.

[scotty]

My wife just this week has embarked on the adventure of extreme couponing. Not to the "extreme" as on the show, though I wouldn't be against it. But she has made two shopping trips since she started a week ago. The first trip she saved $40, yesterday she got $180.00 worth of stuff for $109.00 ! With three daughters who eat like boys, I have no complaints.

I also think its great how some of these people buy tons of stuff they dont use for only pennies just to give it to charity.

[KWSS1976]

My wife trys..She has a big binder full of coupons.. but i have never seen those extreme couponers on tv but lots of everyday foods like milk,eggs,bread,sugar...etc,etc,etc..they always by 3 buggy loads of candy bars or enough gaterade to give to a football team....lol.

[ILG]

I'm fairly extreme. I've done it for 25 years though so it's pretty honed to my lifestyle and I do it automatically without much thought.

[RandyWayne]

The show drives me bonkers! They show people buying 7 carts of groceries, taking up some cashiers time for hours, only to add it to their garage sized pantry (which IS usually their garage). Who cares if they are "giving most away" -they are still buying out whole product categories so people who only need ONE of something can't find it because they bought the "last 80 bottles".

Coincidentally, the show immediately following Extreme Couponing is/was Hoarding: Buried Alive.

Oh yes, THANKFULLY the closest grocery store and Target have really clamped down on this. Now they are actually carrying Gatorade again!!!

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

The show drives me bonkers! They show people buying 7 carts of groceries, taking up some cashiers time for hours, only to add it to their garage sized pantry (which IS usually their garage). Who cares if they are "giving most away" -they are still buying out whole product categories so people who only need ONE of something can't find it because they bought the "last 80 bottles".

Coincidentally, the show immediately following Extreme Couponing is/was Hoarding: Buried Alive.

Oh yes, THANKFULLY the closest grocery store and Target have really clamped down on this. Now they are actually carrying Gatorade again!!!

Love it, as an executive for a grocery company, I'd be extremely annoyed for my cashiers time to be wsted like that, and would be tempted to fire any manager who would be getting all the stock out of the backroom and then carrying it to peoples cars so that real customers don't have any product to buy. We made the decision to change our coupon policy so that we no longer take any internet coupons. We don't get that much coupon business, but in reality we DON'T WANT that kind of business, we're better off having those people shop at the competition. Let them deal with that.

I predict that if such couponing really gains steam (perhaps if the show becomes more popular) that alot of companies will adjust their coupon policies, as you mentioned about Target and your local grocery store doing.

Basically these people who go way overboard will ruin it for the people who really need coupons and use them the right way.

[Cindy]

Yeah, in one of those episodes the computer shut down.

[3rdXcharm]

This is a major pet peeve for me. Extreme couponers are making it difficult for those of us who just want to save on the items that we actually use in our day to day life. Coupons in the Sunday paper have been reduced drastically, most brand websites now require you to register to be able to download a coupon (which then results in being bombarded with spam), sometimes you even have to like their FB page or wait for the coupon in the mail. OR worse yet, join their store club so that you can save on that one item that is credited to a savings card. But then you if you don't run back to the store by a certain date to buy something else with the credit on the card then you lose the savings. Geez, it's too much work. As much as I'd like to save a few dollars it's just not worth the effort and planning that it now requires.

[Sherri]

I saved over $21 at the grocery store this week with coupons, so I do use them. But the extreme stuff??? No way - I don't have time. We have a couple ladies in our church who do it though, and it's amazing what they get for nothing!!