Extreme Couponing

I never saw the show, but I saw a piece on Nightline or some prime time news show a while back, and it was insane. It focused on two different coupon master: one who knew how to use coupons to buy what she wanted cheap, and another who just sort of did it for fun and to see how much he could - totally insane! I have a feeling these shows could influence the entire coupon system and change some of these loopholes people find. less

I've never seen the show (but I checked out a couple clips on the link you posted). I like to use coupons when I can, but we often buy our packaged stuff in bulk and those places don't take manufacturer coupons. For fresh food, we shop at a market that doesn't have ads or coupons, so there's no opportunity there. But I'll use them at Target or other shops.

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying stuff with coupons or saving money even if you're buying a ton of stuff at once. The store is there to sell stuff. It doesn't matter to me if you buy 25 of the same item or just one thing. And I don't care if people clear off the shelves; to me it's the same thing as buying the last bottle of something, and I'll definitely buy the last of something if I want or need it. Of course, it's nice to find the things you need at a store, but if I don't find what I need/want, I'll shop elsewhere (although I'll often track down a sales associate and ask if they have any in the back inventory).

If people want to cut coupons and dedicate a lot of time to that, good for them. Major coupon clipping isn't for me, but I admire people who focus on saving money and budgeting. less

Kris, you really have to see the show to understand what we are so upset about.

This is not people cutting a few coupons to save a couple of dollars. One woman emptied an entire display of 197 bottles of pain reliever with sleep medication in it, because she would get money back due to using multiple coupons. When stores are LOW on something, it has already been re-ordered, when they have 197 bottles of something, and one jerk takes them all, they won't get any in for possibly weeks. It's selfish and self absorbed behavior and it goes well beyond "budgeting." In what budget does anyone need 343 bottles of laundry detergent? 1000 tubes of toothpaste? 250 packages of croutons? These people appear to buy NO fresh food, all crap and prepared stuff, and yes, it is different to buy the last bottle of something on the shelf, as the store has already re-ordered it, and to empty a shelf of something you don't need to "get money back."

As I said before, extreme "thrift" is nothing more than a thinly veiled form of greed.

You should see these women when their purchases are being added up. They so closely resemble a gambling addict hoping to "strike" or a junkie waiting to score it's sickening.

You have to see what we are talking about to understand the nearly universal contempt for what these people are (sometimes illegally) doing. less

For some it might be a thinly veiled form of greed, but it could also be a compulsion too. If that's the case, it needs to be treated with psychiatric care. Like hoarding, counting the times you lock your door, etc. You likened it to a junkie.. I think that's fairly accurate as well. Something's just off in the way their brains function. less

Yeah, it's possible. They so closely remind me of gambling addicts it isn't funny. Although addictions are a "disease" there is still, at least in the beginning, an element of choice there. Maybe not when the addiction gets out of hand, but all addictions have a point where people need to have some self awareness and think, "Um, this isn't healthy. I need to make some other choices." I've been there myself, (not with couponing, LOL!) and know that those choices can be made.

OCD is not addiction, though. Totally different animal. I wouldn't compare addictions to hoarding or real OCD in any case.

Mileage and all that. less

I saw a thread on who uses coupons, but nothing about this show on TLC.

Do you watch it? Try and learn tips and tricks? Could you be on that show? Were you on it last week? I want to know

Up here we don't have things like double and triple coupon days, nor do we have store loyalty cards like they show on the program.

I find it fascinating that these people can walk out with SO MUCH stuff for such a minimal amount of money. It really blows my mind. less

Kris, you really have to see the show to understand what we are so upset about.

This is not people cutting a few coupons to save a couple of dollars. One woman emptied an entire display of 197 bottles of pain reliever with sleep medication in it, because she would get money back due to using multiple coupons. When stores are LOW on something, it has already been re-ordered, when they have 197 bottles of something, and one jerk takes them all, they won't get any in for possibly weeks. It's selfish and self absorbed behavior and it goes well beyond "budgeting." In what budget does anyone need 343 bottles of laundry detergent? 1000 tubes of toothpaste? 250 packages of croutons? These people appear to buy NO fresh food, all crap and prepared stuff, and yes, it is different to buy the last bottle of something on the shelf, as the store has already re-ordered it, and to empty a shelf of something you don't need to "get money back."

As I said before, extreme "thrift" is nothing more than a thinly veiled form of greed.

You should see these women when their purchases are being added up. They so closely resemble a gambling addict hoping to "strike" or a junkie waiting to score it's sickening.

You have to see what we are talking about to understand the nearly universal contempt for what these people are (sometimes illegally) doing. less

My groceries cost me about 100 a week, and no amount of coupons is going to save me more than 10 dollars total on what I am buying. (And 10 dollars would probably be pushing it)

Also, imo, TLC programming is the modern day equivalent of the carnival freakshow, the only reason they get away with it is that they do it in the guise of documenting and attempting to help... yeah right. less

Okay watch it. I am one of those people who cut coupons. I started out doing it because I married my husband and went down to one income. I once made a lot more money than my husband but being a military wife and moving around a LOT is not always the best for a career. Not complaining. I love my husband and children but we have had to find ways to cut cost. Now this show is unrealistic in so many ways. These people are making it really hard for people like me who use coupons just to make sure my family has no debt. We are a family of four but you have to add my husbands grandparents whom we take care of completely. Anyways I hate this show. It is really making true coupon cuter's look like hoarders. I never cut coupons for items I do not need nor do I stock up. Of course that could be because I never get to stay in one place longer than a year. less

Also, some of these people take, like 1000 flyers to get multiple coupons to use. Many stores have limits on how many items of one thing you can use coupons for. Also, it pisses me off when they clear out a shelf. What if someone NEEDED those sleeping pills or those noodles? Also, most of the food they buy is prepared junk, NOT stuff I feed my kids on a regular basis, but they seem to live on it. Meat and vegetables and fruit are rarely on sale and NEVER have coupons, that those, along with good carbs are the basis of a good diet. Not 1000 pans of ramen noodles and canned soup and sugary cereals (which is usually the only kinds of cereal that has coupons for it.)

You're right, LingaLoo. I think they are running out of ideas for a reality show.

I think a good reality show would be the inner workings of a sex toy shop! They would blur everything out, however. less

I agree, the greed bothers me. And I really hate when they empty the shelves of an item.

Although, like many people have said, most people use coupons wisely and only for what they need. That's fine. I used to do it, but we buy mostly store brands except for a few items, and those are either on sale or things I have to have. Our store won't accept coupons if something is already on sale, either. less