Extreme Couponing
2011
I don’t know if you’ve seen this new series called Extreme Couponing on TLC. It profiles people who spend up to 40 hours a week clipping coupons, researching online for their stores deals, shopping at different stores to get different deals. I wanted to watch it because I love reality TV and I was curious how these people could have 3 baskets filled to the brim and pay only a few dollars. One woman had $1,300 worth of groceries and paid less than $10.00!
The key to their success is getting tons of coupons – one woman was know to dumpster dive to get the coupons that come in people’s newspapers!
One woman had 5 computers at her house because some coupons limited to only 2 per computer. I think the point is you can save money but you can also go way overboard too. These families had like mini grocery stores in their homes with all their bulk buying. One family had food/canned goods/toilet paper/paper towels/cereal boxes under beds, in closets, in garages, taking up their homes.
I would love to save more money at the store. To be honest I almost never clip coupons or pay attention to the coupons you get from your receipt. I read THIS GUYS blog where for 30 days he ate on $1.00 a day. He started with no food and using coupons-finding deals not only did he make his goal (he spent $27.08 where he would have spent $597.96 retail without using coupons). He chronicles the whole 30 days, showing his tips and tricks using coupons and in store deals to get things really cheap. He actually bought 600 boxes of cereal for practically nothing and donated them to food banks. Some things he got if you bought a bunch of a certain item and he donated things he didn’t need to the food bank too. He clearly stated he was not a great cook to begin with but over the course of the month he got super creative to what to make with few ingredients.
My friend Denise told me about a site called The Grocery Game or Refund Cents where you can sign up to compare pricing with local stores and get coupons. The guy who lived off $1.00 a day for food has also prepared a list called Lazy Couponing for those of us who don’t have an extra 40 hours to spend clipping coupons. Check out his post about that HERE
So, I am curious – do you clip coupons or have any tricks for saving money at the store? What’s the most you’ve ever saved using coupons?
Also, check out Spabettie’s site – she has a great give-a-way going on.
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I saved $21 at the store yesterday, which I was pretty proud off, but doesn’t even compare to those ladies on the TLC show! It happened that the store had some great deals in their cirricular, and I had two free coupons to use up…usually I don’t save that much:(
Ally @ Sweet & Savory recently posted..Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Bars
ha! that show is CRAZY – i’ve never heard of it but now i’m dying to watch. I started some online couponing a few months ago and saved a good bit! I want to say it was $30 at Publix?
fittingbackin recently posted..Memorial Day Lake Trip
thanks for the shout out about my giveaway! what a surprise when I came over here to read about extreme couponing!
I rarely use coupons – only because I have never found any for most of what I buy (produce and bulk grains, nuts). I have used coupons for the various milk I buy (almond, etc) and peanut butter when I can find it.
I do have some issues about the show, though – to me it seems more like an obsession (hoarding?) than actually trying to save money… it shows people buying many multiples of something only to put it in storage with the rest… one episode I watched, the lady went shopping to SAVE $500 for a vacation her husband wanted to go on… if they bought a few things (fresh produce, milk, etc)… they could probably live for a year from her stored food – and have well over $500. weird. I also shuddered at the people I saw buying trial sizes and single servings when the coupon did not specify a size – to save the maximum $. seems wasteful to me – trial sizes are great to actually try a product or for travel, but to buy 50 of them to use at home, the packaging is so wasteful
yikes! sorry for the rant.
I would LOVE to save a huge amount of money on the groceries I buy, and now I am wondering if it’s just that I have never checked – I’m off to look for coupons now 
Kristina @ spabettie recently posted..celery boost
I JUST saw this show the other day. I was blown away not just by the savings, but the stockpiles of goods these people had. Seriously, who NEEDS 60 bottles of tylenol???? I’m all for using a coupon if I see it, but this show REALLY seems extreme. (good tv though!) Have a great day Jenn.
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I watched one episode where the house looked like an episode of Hoarders, only with food! It’s an interesting show, but it looks way too time-consuming for me. I guess if it’s someone’s full time job. I do clip coupons, but not many because I rarely see coupons for items I buy. I’ve probably saved up to $15 in a single shopping trip.
That show annoys me a little, though I still watch. I agree that the people are basically hoarders and most of the food they buy is crap!
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I coupon! We get the Sunday paper, I sign up to a lot of company emails, promotions, fans on Facebook, flyers, etc. I usually save around $20-30 off a $150ish grocery bill every two weeks. Sometimes more, depending on how many blogger free product coupons I have. But the average is usually $20-30. I think the most was in the $70s.
We don’t have cable now so I haven’t seen the show, but I think it’d be something I’d enjoy for amusement to see.
I don’t like extreme couponers that set up their house like that, though. I think at that point it’s kind of just like CLEAN hoarding. I like the extreme couponers that do it for charity. And they keep what they NEED, and donate the rest to others. That’s a much better use, I think. No family could ever use 20439 rolls of paper towels. And if they do, they have a problem. haha
We pick up the moving truck tomorrow! Load it Wed. and Thurs. and are pulling out of here Friday! I’m staying in one of my parents’ apartments with the pets and our stuff is going in a storage unit until the house sells and J comes down too!
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I have to say, this show reallllly annoys me! They are saving money, yes, but they are buying JUNK! Everything they buy is junk (Gatorade, sugary cereal, chips, cookies, etc.). I mean, I want to see this show happen with healthier food choices, THEN I would be amazed.
I do clip coupons, if they are products I use, but like you, I don’t do it often. I try to just look for good deals at different stores.
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