Extreme Couponing

[thyme4change]

TLC is a freak show. And, of course, I pay my 2-bits and watch.

Last night I watched a show called "Extreme Couponing" and the lady spent 6 hours in the store, it took over 3 hours to go through check out and she got $1100 of groceries for 50-bucks.

That would be great, except it really is just hoarding. She has a 10 year supply of toilet paper, and 150 bottles of fabric softener, etc.

I said to my husband - if she sold that crap for 50 cents on the dollar she would have a couple grand in the bank.

People are weird. Did anyone else see the show?

[swamp]

I saw the last 20 minutes, the guy who got 1100 boxes of Total cereal and made "art" in his driveway with it. At least he's donating it to a food pantry so it won't go to waste.

I did notice he was speaking to the camera in his house in front of homemade shelves packed full of crap.

Maybe they should do a show about Dwarf Couponing Hoarders with 8 children, then give them a makeover with Stacy and Clinton, and stage their house for a sale.

[kimber45]

Dec 30, 2010 11:11:26 GMT -5 swamp said:

I saw the last 20 minutes, the guy who got 1100 boxes of Total cereal and made "art" in his driveway with it. At least he's donating it to a food pantry so it won't go to waste.

I did notice he was speaking to the camera in his house in front of homemade shelves packed full of crap.

Maybe they should do a show about Dwarf Couponing Hoarders with 8 children, then give them a makeover with Stacy and Clinton, and stage their house for a sale.

I saw that part too. I am glad he's donating, but yeah, I wonder how much he "hoards"

[thyme4change]

Dec 30, 2010 11:11:26 GMT -5 swamp said:

Maybe they should do a show about Dwarf Couponing Hoarders with 8 children, then give them a makeover with Stacy and Clinton, and stage their house for a sale.

ROFL

[suziq38]

Yes he is a hoarder, but at least you can find his stuff. He is overboard and over the top, but whatever "floats his boat,"
LOL. If I were his neighbor, I would walk over to his place and barter for free stuff, he has so much of it.

Maybe I could babysit his kids or mow his lawn and get $100.00 worth of free stuff that cost him only $5.00.

All I can say is "WOW."
I am a couponer, but these guys have me beat.

[thyme4change]

I was thinking the same thing suzi - If I saw my neighbor on that show I'd take a $50 bill over there and try to get a hundred of groceries and TP.

I didn't see the guy. The gal was enough crazy for me for one night. Well, not really, but after that we watch fictional crazy, not real-people crazy.

[pushingit]

<I said to my husband - if she sold that crap for 50 cents on the dollar she would have a couple grand in the bank.>


When I was a SAHM, I did extreme couponing. Stores here double to .75 and there used to be one that tripled to .75. There used to be a lot more good .75/1 coupons out that paired with sales would get me a lot of stuff cheap or free. Toothpaste, body wash, soap and shampoo were the easiest things to get free.

I hoarded. Used what I needed and twice a summer I'd take a Suburban full of stuff to this little outdoor flea market that was nearby. In 4 hours on a Sunday morning, I'd make $700-$1,200 depending on how good my hoarded stash was.

That would be my summer fun money for the kids.

I never spent 4 hours in a store though. I'd just pick up 4 or this and 4 of that, (our stores limit to 4 alike coupons.) while I was getting my regular groceries. It would add up to a lot of stuff in a short time.

I had room to store it though, and plenty of time on my hands.

I'd get the multiple coupons through a service or on ebay.

[thyme4change]

The segment I watched was interviewing the gal and she said "Who cares that I'll never use it? I just makes me happy to look at it and know I got it for free."

[HoneyBBQ]

The segment I watched was interviewing the gal and she said "Who cares that I'll never use it? I just makes me happy to look at it and know I got it for free."

That is scary. I did not see this. Maybe there'll be a rerun. I like to gawk at crazy people.

[thyme4change]

Maybe they'll be a rerun.

On basic cable? That never happens! =)

[SVT]

Dec 30, 2010 11:42:40 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The segment I watched was interviewing the gal and she said "Who cares that I'll never use it? ."

Well, some/most of the stuff they're getting is essentially free.

[swamp]

Dec 30, 2010 12:13:40 GMT -5 SVT said:

Dec 30, 2010 11:42:40 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The segment I watched was interviewing the gal and she said "Who cares that I'll never use it? I just makes me happy to look at it and know I got it for free."

Well, some/most of the stuff they're getting is essentially free.

So what if it's free? Do you need it? Why not give it to someone who can use it? I don't want crap cluttering up my house, I don't care what it cost.

[SVT]

I watched the entire show. I was flipping and found the show just as it was starting. IIRC, one of the women bought over $600 worth of groceries for $2 with 9 carts full.

[SVT]

Dec 30, 2010 12:14:59 GMT -5 swamp said:

Dec 30, 2010 12:13:40 GMT -5 SVT said:

Well, some/most of the stuff they're getting is essentially free.

So what if it's free? Do you need it? Why not give it to someone who can use it? I don't want crap cluttering up my house, I don't care what it cost.

Who says they're not giving it away? The one guy gives some of the food away at a food bank.

And I don't want crap cluttering my house either. I wouldn't want to take couponing to the extreme that the ones on the show take it. But it is pretty cool. I was amazed and surprised you could get hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for just a few dollars.

[SVT]

LOL...and I just realized that the rest of the post I quoted said the same thing I did. (post 10) Whoops LOL

[swamp]

Dec 30, 2010 12:17:57 GMT -5 SVT said:

Dec 30, 2010 12:14:59 GMT -5 swamp said:

So what if it's free? Do you need it? Why not give it to someone who can use it? I don't want crap cluttering up my house, I don't care what it cost.

Who says they're not giving it away? The one guy gives some of the food away at a food bank.

And I don't want crap cluttering my house either. I wouldn't want to take couponing to the extreme that the ones on the show take it. But it is pretty cool. I was amazed and surprised you could get hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for just a few dollars.

Who says they're not giving it away? The lady who said "who cares if I'll ever use it" and the lady who stuff the bag of items in a room, never to be seen again.

To each his own, but I don't care if somethings free. If I don't want it, I don't want it.

[SVT]

Dec 30, 2010 12:22:58 GMT -5 swamp said:

Dec 30, 2010 12:17:57 GMT -5 SVT said:

Who says they're not giving it away? The one guy gives some of the food away at a food bank.

And I don't want crap cluttering my house either. I wouldn't want to take couponing to the extreme that the ones on the show take it. But it is pretty cool. I was amazed and surprised you could get hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for just a few dollars.

Who says they're not giving it away? The lady who said "who cares if I'll ever use it" and the lady who stuff the bag of items in a room, never to be seen again.

To each his own, but I don't care if somethings free. If I don't want it, I don't want it.

Well, I agree. I was telling my GF the same thing last night.

[thyme4change]

I'd respect those people like crazy if they did as post 6 did - sell it off and make a profit. But hoarding to me is just a personality defect.

Now, come over to my house and see how much useless crap I have - jeans that don't fit, shoes that hurt my feet, a cookie jar I don't like and never use. I know I'm defective too - it is just the degree to which each person is defective.

[SVT]

One of them was pretty organized though. She had everything very neat and organized. But it's still a lot of crap and you need space to store it all.

Another couple on the show just threw the crap in a room.

[thyme4change]

And then the husband complained. He enabled her - if he doesn't want that crap in the house, he shouldn't go to the store with her, bring his car so she can carry it home, or help her unload it. Although I will say his complaint was "This room is full, she needs to find another place to put this stuff."

[whoisjohngalt]

People are weird. Did anyone else see the show?

No, but if I would have been watching TLC last night I would be watching the one about people's strange addictions. The previews showed a woman eating toilet paper, a woman who is sleeping with a blow dryer and a few more. Now, THAT'S good TV for you!

Lena

[swamp]

Dec 30, 2010 14:04:21 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

People are weird. Did anyone else see the show?

No, but if I would have been watching TLC last night I would be watching the one about people's strange addictions. The previews showed a woman eating toilet paper, a woman who is sleeping with a blow dryer and a few more. Now, THAT'S good TV for you!

Lena

I did watch that one. That's one hour of my life I will never get back.

[luvmyrav4]

It is just another form of hoarding. The man had a 2 car garage full of homemade shelves with grocery items on them. He donated most of what he bought last night but I believe he keeps the rest for himself. The camera crew could have stayed there and done a hoarding episode on him next.

[bean29]

Did anyone else wonder where he came by all the coupons he used? I thought maybe he purchased some of them, but they did not say. He bought cart after cart of soda...I never see coupons for more than something like a free 12 pack if you buy 3 or 4 12 packs. It was probably Pepsi Max- stuff is so bad I won't even take it home for free.

I pointed out to my daughter that his house was packed with canned goods. I said he was a hoarder too.

[Deleted]

I am not an "extreme" couponer, but I do "stockpile" as I bet Suzi does. There are two or three six-packs of Bounty paper towels in my basement and at least that many multi-packs of Charmin toilet paper. It sounds like a lot to you guys, I am sure, but it gets used. It is all neatly organized on labeled shelves. When you run out of something, you go downstairs and get a replacement. When I find another cheap, I put it at the back of the line.

That being said, very little of it is actually food other than one little section of canned veggies and cooking soups. (Well, except for the six bags of sugar in a plastic tub upstairs . . . the price of sugar is supposed to dramatically rise, if you didn't know). It is plastic freezer bags, aluminum foil, paper plates, napkins, toilet paper, soap, detergent, air freshener, kleenexes (I have 12 boxes right now and will run out before the school year's over . . . 100+ kids can kill a box every few days in winter), shampoo, spray starch, etc.

I don't think of myself as a hoarder because it is all stuff that I use. I made a rare exception today and picked up three packages of Coast bar soap for my son because he was scrounging through the store room looking for something other than Oil of Olay and Dove. I don't think of three as hoarding.

Except for toilet paper and paper towels (you get those whenever you can get them cheap, which the buyers at Costco will attest to every time they run their coupon deals), I go by the three-to-six month rule. Within three-to-six months, there is bound to be another sale with more coupons.

Are you guys telling me that you don't buy wrapping paper and greeting cards after-Christmas? That's just an amateur's version of real couponers. Experienced couponers take it to the next level.

[NancysSummerSip]

Count me as a stockpiler who stops well short of hoarding. Living in South Florida, with temperature fluctuations, hurricanes, etc. (it was below 30 degrees 72 hours ago, and now it 65 degrees), even nonperishable and health and beauty items will deteriorate. I love to have extra so I can donate, and I am happy to do so. It's also nice to have a stocked pantry when I don't feel like going to the store.

But I found that six-hour shopper and her angry husband pretty disturbing, too. They had the pasta-box mountain in one room, with nothing in order. Stuff has to be rotated in order to be used properly. And to do it just for the sake of getting stuff is sickness, not frugality.

[dancinmama]

Dec 30, 2010 14:39:10 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Did anyone else wonder where he came by all the coupons he used? I thought maybe he purchased some of them, but they did not say. He bought cart after cart of soda...I never see coupons for more than something like a free 12 pack if you buy 3 or 4 12 packs. It was probably Pepsi Max- stuff is so bad I won't even take it home for free.

I pointed out to my daughter that his house was packed with canned goods. I said he was a hoarder too.

He purchased many of the coupons from a clipping site. The average price probably would be about $.10/coupon.

I use coupons all the time and have found ways to get most of our health, hygiene, and household items for free - think everything from toothbrushes to tin foil. IF I find a really good deal on an item that we won't use, I often buy it and donate it to the local food pantry - they always need toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, and razors, etc.

I do not have a garage lined with shelves filled with items that I have purchased, but I do have a well stocked kitchen pantry. The cabinet above my washer dryer is stocked with laundry products and household cleaners and a cabinet right outside of our bathroom houses all our over the counter meds and hygiene items - most of which were free except for sales tax.

Believe me, what you saw last night is out of the ordinary - even among people who use coupons all the time. Usually the only types of people who have stockpiles to that extreme are Mormons and that is because their religion requires it.

[quotequeen]

Dec 30, 2010 18:11:31 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

He purchased many of the coupons from a clipping site. The average price probably would be about $.10/coupon.

They really should count that when saying how much the person spent for the carts of groceries.

[Deleted]

Dancinmama, you sound like me. If I buy an extra can or two of most stuff, it simply goes in the pantry. I might have an extra loaf or two of garlic bread in the freezer. But for the most part, I think the show they are describing is out of the ordinary.

I did read, however, several years ago about some guy that could get flyer miles from yogurt cups (I think). It was cheaper to buy the yogurt cups and get the miles than it was to buy airline tickets. He didn't want to waste the food (whatever it was), though, so he arranged with a shelter to donate and save the lids.

Now that was an extreme couponer.

(Useless post #25 <g>).

[Deleted]

Oh, it might have been pudding cups.

(Useless post #26).