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Some of you may have already seen TLC’s Extreme Couponing premiere back in December. If you have not seen it already, you might be happy to know that TLC has decided to turn the show in to a series that will have a series premiere on April 6th at 9:00PM EST.
I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking me what I think about the show, so I’ll just be honest for a moment:
I regret that it makes us all look a little crazy. There. I said it. 🙂 It is not that I am at all against stocking up when items are free or inexpensive…in fact I encourage it. However, I do think that there is definitelypotential for it to be done in excess and I think that is something that hurts all of us in the long run. I’m not going to go in to all the “why’s” that go behind my opinion, but I will say that couponing can be extremely beneficial for consumers, retailers and manufacturers when done correctly.
If you are brand new to couponing and you want to see the results of shopping like a typical couponer, without crossing in to the “extreme” category, make sure to check out my shopping trips in the See My Shop Sunday section. After that make sure to visit the Couponing 101 section to learn some practical tips for significantly decreasing your grocery bill without going crazy. 😉
What do you think about TLC’s Extreme Couponing Show?
Wendy & Ken Wood says
We love the show, wish we could do it (couponing). We are a one income family in Colorado. Colorado stores dont double like other states. We are going to different sites to get info and coupons but we keep running into pay here places no-one has any free info do you?? Please if you can point in a right direction it would help us alot.
Thanks
Wendy & Ken
Jennie says
Hi Ken and Wendy…take a look around the webstie and make sure to also look at the Couponing Class info as well as the store coupon match-ups for the week. Most Colorado stores double coupons. 😉
Kathy King says
I agree with you all, the show is very unrealistic. Lately, I’ve been getting stopped by people in the store, when I am shopping. Asking me if I could teach them to shop like the people , “on That TLC Show”. I let them know it that is not a typical shopping trip and more of the stores have limit restrictions.
Also, although this is just my option. I feel like if more and more none experience couponers try to duplicat what they see on the show. Grocery Stores and Manufactures will implatement stricter rules.
Barbie says
I TOTALLY agree with the stores being prepared ahead of time. There is NO WAY my King Soopers would have 100 boxes of pasta all at one time. Seriously unrealistic. And the way the employees acted? Yeah, right! I get cashiers excited for my deals, but after three hours in line they would have killed me, not kept helping. The episode they showed was over the top…hopefully the series will be more realistic and not make us all seem so crazy. Although, those stockpiles made my eyes get BIG. Not saying I think it’s a great idea, but I know how much work that much have been and I wouldn’t mind taking 1/5 of it off their hands! Ha!
Oh, and they also forget to add in the $$$ they spent on coupons…that must be A TON for these people.
Alison says
If you have to attach a trailer to the back of you car to get your groceries home (like the guy from December’s episode), you probably are a little TOO extreme! And I am sure if I ever tried to do that at my store not only would they not allow me to, but they certainly wouldn’t clap for me. The show seems staged and not very realistic. It is nice to know though that, in the grand scheme of couponing craziness, I’m relatively sane!
Brandy says
If the guy that bought all of the cereal gave it away that is awesome! I do think it is kinda sad that he keeps everything else that he bought and not even give some away. Maybe he did I dont know. Somethings just dont last for two years. Like if he bought tons of ketchup, it starts tasting nasty after a few months. to me anyway. Why not give as much as you can away. Keep a stock pile for yourself but bless those that do not have along the way. And again maybe he does. There will always be more coupons and more deals to get 🙂 God Bless, Brandy
Lavonne says
I saw the episode everyone is talking about. Some of those people have a severe issue. I liked the part about the one lady that said she is debt free due to couponing 🙂
My hubby and I are self employed, so every penny has to really count. In times of plenty-I stockpile items that we actually use (if for some reason I don’t use an item, I will donate it to the local food pantry-especially if it’s getting close to the expiration date). It’s nice to shop at “our” grocery store in times of want and not worrying about if we eat or pay the bills.
I don’t believe I am a hoarder!! The stock piles shown on Extreme Couponing make mine look rather pitiful…lol
Tanya says
Ha! I agree with the above comments… but it’s funny because my husband saw it and was so impressed he gave me permission to jump in dumpsters and make the garage into a giant stockpile. I said, “Thanks, Honey… but no thanks!”
Sarah says
I am hoping that the new series is a little more realistic. It would be nice to follow a typical couponer through a months worth of transactions. That speaks more to the power of couponing than one gigantic trip-of-all-trips.
Jill says
I definititely agree. If you have enough pasta, to last a year, do you really need hundreds more? I suppose that goes with the “Extreme.” I did like to use it as a comparison, when my family watched it. At least I’m not THAT crazy. 🙂 I did think it was entertaining to watch though. I’m glad there will be more.
Nicole says
I haven’t seen the episode – but my mom did. I got the call “I’m worried about you, Nicole”… hahaha. “If saving money is wrong I don’t want to be right!”
From the comments here I only have one concern – that a series will promote couponing to the wrong sorts of people. TLC has a nasty way of picking up on a trend, misrepresenting it, and getting a whole bunch of curious viewers to hop on the bandwagon. Remember the show “Flipping Out”? I know a couple people who were just about to delve into bad real estate investments because they thought they could make a quick buck. Thank God they didn’t before the whole real estate market bottomed out!
If a whole wave of half-hearted couponers hit the stores it’ll only make it harder for us, as stores tighten up policies, cashiers roll their eyes as they see the stack of coupons come out, or fraudulent coupons start hitting the markets.
Nobody wants a bad rep.
Nicole says
Oops. It just came to me that the show was “Flip That House” – I think Flipping Out was on Bravo… still….
kim downham says
i also agree, i think that the show did put us in a bad light.i heard that these trips were planned weeks in advance (with the store).
also it kind of made the couponers look somewhat disorganized- the one lady throwing bags of stuff in the corner for example.
i totally have no prob with stockpile (the bigger the better) but this show is not a help to couponers at all.
it makes people that do not like us , just dislike us even more and call us hoarders and crazy.
it makes newbies feel overwhelmed and/or feel that they can also do these EXTREME and unrealistic shopping trips.
that said, i do hope that the show brings us better eps that do show how fun and rewardin couponing can be -extreme or just a litttle at a time.
Holli says
I agree with you. It is already insinuated that i’m a little off my rocker because I have a stockpile (though I think the ones who insinuate are secretly jealous). Beyond that it does make couponers look like hoarders. But I think the thing that drives me the most nuts is what they changed for the people on the show. There is NO way that Safeway would allow me to use 500 coupons of the same type to buy 500 boxes of cereal. I have trouble getting them to take 5! The show is very unrealistic- each of those people said that the filmed shopping trip was the biggest they’d ever tried.
AMY says
I haven’t seen the show but I just watched the little outake on the TLC site. I can’t imagine trying to use 100+ of the same coupon. I’m with you Holli-it’s hard enough getting them to take more than three of anything!
Kimmy says
Holli and Amy, thank so much for mentioning the fact that these couponers were using a crazy number of coupons. I am from a northern state where a few stores in our town double coupons up to $1.00, but they will only double three. We (my couponing friends) have been talking trying to figure how these people were able to use so many coupons at a time and why the stores in these other states allow this. From what you just stated they don’t and this was pre-planned. I am also worried about the light it will shed on us “normal” couponers who don’t have nine carts and a trailer in tow. Are we going to be viewed as hoarders? I’ve only been couponing seriously for about a year and it has helped free up sooo much money for other things that we need. Thanks for your comments and from one couponer to another….keep on clipping=)
Cam @ FrugalDay says
I agree with you. I was a little sad during parts of the show. I would never want to be know as a “hoarder” because I keep extra items in my pantry. This is what a lot of people take away from the show after watching it. Living in San Francisco we don’t have a lot of room to keep a hefty stockpile so I do have a rule of 5 in my home. After I hit my 5 I donate. But again, I felt like the show did show a lot of the “crazy” part of couponing and brought some shame into saving.