Extreme Couponing: My realistic view and tips

For those of you that have been reading here since before the TLC show existed, you are probably shocked that I have finally used the words here on my blog. I've avoided it all year.

The reason I'm finally writing about it is because I just found out the show has been renewed for a second season (beginning 9/28/11). And I do wish it would go away. It's NOT a how to show, they don't get in depth about how to save like that. It's entertainment. Problem is, most people don't realize that and it causes problems for many. I think if season two follows in the foot steps of season one, then we'll just be seeing the same thing all over again. And that's been done. It's served it's purpose, caused it's problems, it's made people talk and it got it's ratings.

I (and I'm sure many of you who are known for using coupons) get asked about it all the time. "Are you one of those Extreme Couponers?" "Have you seen that Extreme Couponing show?" "What do you think of Extreme Couponing?" Or some other variation of the same questions. I have friends that ask me about it. In three years of writing this blog, they have "liked" my page on Facebook because I'm their friend. But they are finally now interested because they see people on TV paying pennies on the dollar for their groceries. Doesn't matter that I've documented 3 years of a $40/week or less grocery budget.

When I first mention my blog to anyone else, those questions have become the first words out of people's mouths. Teaching coupon classes, the subject always pops up. The show annoys me for the reason I mentioned above, but these questions have become a great doorway to talking about how it translates to the average person.

What I hope to accomplish by writing this is to give you a realistic view of couponing and the show. What these people do takes many hours a week. Many of the people that have been featured on the show also run blogs, forums and other websites. I was approached by a casting person from the show when they were casting for the first season, after the pilot aired. I declined knowing that I wouldn't make good TV for what they portray. They told me they were looking for people with good stories to tell. I have yet to see much of a difference between the stories the show tells. They are people with different situations, but it all seems to be the same basic ending. (Granted, I don't watch it every week, I only catch it from time to time as I flip channels so I could be missing something.)

The people that you see on that show make good TV. They have whole rooms devoted to their stockpiles and some could out last a nuclear war with what they have. They spend 20, 40 or 60 hours a week organizing their coupons, making their lists and shopping. (My guess is that's what most of them do for the 1 week leading up to the show, or they are including the time they spend hunting down and posting deals on their websites as well.) Just remember, it's reality TV and "made for TV". It's planned and edited for TV. A more realistic stockpile for the average person is what you can store and use before it goes bad and/or the next sale comes around in a few months. Even I've staged high percentage off single trips. But that's not all I buy for the week.

What are they buying on the show? For the cameras, they are buying only the best deals of the week. The items they can get cheap or free and in many cases I've seen, it looks like they are using OYNSO coupons from previous trips to the store, that I'm willing to bet they didn't save 97% on. Some of them admit to buying coupons, I also had once upon a time, until I found the FAQ's from the Coupon Information Corporation. I too mistakenly thought that "you are paying for my time" was okay. I don't do it any more and don't suggest or link to the places you can. Some of the people talk about buying multiple newspapers. Do any of them figure those things into their totals? One woman drove to a town over an hour away to shop. I didn't see that figured into the total. All of these things factor in somewhere to the average person.

Can they make week's worth of meals from what they are buying? Probably not. But neither can I each week. It's a matter of stocking up when things are on sale and storing them for use later. I've seen at least a couple people on the show mention that they feed their kid's friends a lot. Is that realistic for all of us? Not on most budgets. I know plenty of people on fixed incomes and bare bones budgets that struggle to feed nutritious meals to their small families even when couponing as much as they can.

How many of them talk about their overall budgets for these items? How they make balanced meals? There's more to buying groceries (though many of these people have LOTS of HBA in their carts, and that's where my biggest savings come from as well) than just getting them cheap. Those are the stories I share here, read on other blogs and want to see told on TV. How about you?

So do I want to be an extreme couponer? No. Does it work for some people? Yes. Is it realistic for everyone? No. Is it possible to do legally? Yes. But no matter what your choice, there's an investment of your time as well as money. What's it worth to you?

Here is West Michigan, we rarely see double coupons. The couple stores I have found that do double coupons every day have prices so much higher than other stores that you still pay more after the doubled coupon.

The key to saving the most is to have a plan.

My plan comes in the form of buying several months worth of items that will store when the prices are low, cooking in bulk, freezing and prepping food for 10 Minute Meals. Maybe your plan is to just save as much as you can and make due because that's what your budget allows. Maybe your plan is to save on HBA so you can keep your food budget where it's at. Or it could be something else all together. Whatever it is, you make it work for you.

Don't get discouraged by what you see on TV vs what you pay.

The people on that show have a different life from what you have. Some have many kids. Some don't have kids at all. My life is different than yours. Your spending habits, meals and choices should be different. I have a $40per week food budget for my family. Instead of spending a couple extra hours a week clipping coupons and getting all of the lowest cost deals on food, I spend that time cooking and prepping food that balances our nutrition in the way we prefer. (Don't get me wrong, we do eat our share of the deal stuff too. We just try not to do it every day. All things in moderation, right?)

Think about this: Do you think that you should act like the people on Jersey Shore just because you are vacationing there? So why do you think you have to walk out of the grocery store saving 97% EVERY trip when you only see one trip by an extreme couponer?

Be willing to make changes to your routine.

If you don't use coupons at all currently, and want to see big savings, you need to change what you are doing. The people you see on TV don't get those savings by just walking into the store. I think just about anyone can sit down on the computer for an hour with coupon inserts and printable coupons and shave $40 off a $200 grocery bill in any given week. It's a start and you just made $40/hour for that hour. Not a list maker? You need to become one. If you don't have a list, you are likely to forget something or you are more likely to impulse purchase items.

Be a courteous shopper.

Be polite to the cashier, remember that other people like deals too and don't clear the shelves, follow the rules of the store (read their policies), follow the rules of the coupons and know when to walk away from a deal. That $.50 coupon that isn't scanning and the cashier refuses to push through because of her store policy, isn't worth the fight or horrible feeling everyone is left with after an argument. Always remember that there are things more important than the almighty dollar you are trying to save. Many of the people you see on the show have a relationship with their store managers and/or cashiers. Several of the people on the show arranged to have items specially ordered for them so they could buy in bulk. They tend to have a source or use the relationship with the store to know what's on sale several weeks in advance so they can make these special arrangements.

Just because it's a deal, doesn't mean you HAVE to buy it. But you can.

Some deals are just not for you. Can you donate things? Sure. Do you want/are you able to? That's up to you and your situation. Do you need to get the deal? Depends on the deal. Deals where you buy X + Y to get Z free can make sense. If you need/use items X & Z and the total of buying X & Y with coupons comes out to less than X & Z, then do it and donate item Y. In the case where an item is a big moneymaker and you know someone who can use it or it can be donated. Why not grab one and use the money you made to get something you need? Again, all things in moderation in my book. Please don't grab as many as you can just to make a bunch of money (that's why stores get so tight about limits these days).

On the show they do show the donation side. Do you have the time, energy and money to amass 1000 boxes of cereal, store them, stack them and coordinate the pick up or delivery? Or are you able to do it on a smaller scale and still help people?

All in all, kudos to those that follow the rules and manage to save and stockpile like that. You live in a happy land that probably doubles coupons and have the space, time and energy to invest. That's just not me and from my experience, it's not the majority of the population.

Everyone needs to look at their own situations and decide what fits for them. I know what fits for me. It's not Extreme Couponing. It's realistic, with a chance of savings.