This post is opinion. This is my personal view and I don’t expect everyone to agree. I wanted to let you into my head & heart about where I stand on couponing and deal finding. I’m going to use bullet points to make it easier for me to write and for you to read.
- I want to help others and that is why I blog on this subject.
- I’m digging up deals for you and I do sometimes use them myself.
- I don’t shop often and when I do, I want the best bang for my buck.
- I don’t strip the shelves clean and don’t like it when I have spent my gas and time to go shopping and find them empty. My back certainly doesn’t appreciate it.
- HINT: If YOU want that many of something, how about setting up a meeting with the store manager and special order it? After one meeting you should be able to call with your list and order/pay via phone.
- Won’t that be easier to create a relationship with the store in a positive way? Won’t it be easier to haul it home and store it if it is still in the box?
- I buy enough for us for several weeks (generally 6 – 12) so I can get sale prices.
- I have a small pantry and I have those 3 new shelving units I got a couple weeks back. We have those in our basement and we have a spread of items for SURVIVAL.
- Anything can be done to the extreme. I am extreme in that I want a GREAT deal before I purchase but it doesn’t mean I buy truckloads.
- I share what I buy with others or donate it if I end up not being able to use it.
- I do NOT dumpster dive for 3 reasons – needles (think drug addicts), rats & snakes. I am not beyond it or too good for it but I prefer other avenues to get my coupons since I don’t
needwant hundreds of them for a single shop. - I have no desire to turn my home into a grocery store.
- Coupons are the “OTHER” U.S. Legal Tender. We can print our own.
I know 4 of the bloggers who have appeared on Extreme Couponing and have written back and forth with them off and since I started blogging. I like all of them but their desires are different than mine. I don’t want fame at all. I don’t want to be jetting here and there, on TV shows, doing morning TV etc. That is great for them but is not something I desire nor could I accomplish it at this medical stage in my life. I’ve flown far too many miles in my life as it is. That is not exciting for me at all. I dread travel.
I do think that there are some of these couponers who have gone through hard enough times that in a way they are like my grandparents during the Great Depression. They don’t want to revisit that portion of their lives and to have a stockpile gives them peace of mind that they won’t have to wonder how they will feed their family. It stands to reason that their stockpile is their security blanket for them just as my much smaller one is for me.
I also think that TLC and the show producers are exploiting their capabilities and to me they are being made to look like something that they really aren’t. I get the feeling that they are challenged to do these huge shops when they otherwise wouldn’t have done them.
Costs are going up for all of us. Each of us needs to be pro-active and responsible enough to be able to feed our families when times are tough or to reach out to help someone we know or come across who could use a hand.
Since my husband is a government employee, he may be on furlough as of Saturday night at midnight. That means he has a job, but can’t go to work or get paid until the government passes an approved budget or a continuing resolution. This is why I have a SURVIVAL stockpile. It has a spread of items that will feed us & our dogs as if we did have a paycheck coming in.
There is much to be learned from these extreme couponers. They all know the ins & outs of couponing, organizing, and so many other skills that it takes to be an extreme couponer. Some of them are saving for their children’s educations. Some are paying off debt. I really respect them all for doing what works for them.
My best advice is …
- Start slow.
- Know what you normally need/want and keep on hand.
- Work towards having a 12 week supply – the sale cycle for most items.
- Identify a need vs. a want. Nothing is a deal if you don’t need it or can’t use it.
- Fill your coupon binder or box with a fresh stash of coupons. Print in 3′s to save money on paper and ink when possible.
- Save your register tapes. You’ll need them for rebates/refunds.
{ 11 comments }
Hi Ginger… Thank you for such a great post… You’ve expressed yourself brilliantly without judgement & for that I commend you!
You said it all sister! I enjoy the hunt and I can’t wait to have the time to organize and hunt better ( it’s fun!) BUT I am buying for my kids ( almost all are on thier own and have no time to coupon shop) and for stocking the local food pantry , senior services and for a battalion in Afghanistan. What the heck do I need 25 tubes of free toothpaste for? The show is OK..I have rec’d a bit of flak from fellow employees thinking this is how I do it! I prob won’t watch anymore shows tho..they made me a tad uncomfortable and sad for these people.
Very well put. Ratings are everything in TV and extreme would sell better than just someone getting good deals. Keep up the good work.
I have to say that I agree with you 100%. I too have a small stockpile. I do not clear the shelves unless it is Saturday afternoon and there are only a few left. I think that it is great that couponing is becoming more acceptable but I feel that TLC is exploiting us in a bad light. I know a friend of mine who applied to be on the show and she wasn’t extreme enough because she doesn’t have room and rooms filled. Wouldn’t it be better for TLC to show how the normal people support their families with coupons?? just my opinion anyway!
I love you Ginger! I too coupon with a purpose and personally cannot stand to watch the show! I have a wonderful relationship with the employees in the stores I frequent and they in turn value me as a customer because they now I always “play by the rules”. They also know that I am “one of the few who is honest” (as I have been told) and tell me the horror stories of the rude women who wipe their shelves clean! That disturbs me on so many levels.
Do these extremer’s not realize that they are in fact the ones responsible for the stringent rules we must follow now?
Do they not realize/care that there are 14.3 MILLION people in this country that are not employed full time and NEED to coupon out of necessity?
Do they not have ANY moral compass or are they too obsessed with the “ME” mentality that has taken over this country?
Do they not realize that the stores HAVE to make money to stay in business? With more and more people jumping on the couponing bandwagon, stores are now changing their strategies. Policies are stricter and prices are higher. This AFFECTS everyone!!!!
No one should coupon for BRAGGING RIGHTS…it’s those bragging rights that will forever change the frugal lifestyle and NOT for the better!
Thanks again for all you do!
i agree. This TLC show is going to make things much harder for those of us who have practiced this for years. My area is already feeling the effects. My commissary has set limits on the number of coupons and the number of items purchased at one time. My local grocery stores are doing the same. I have been told by the managers of these stores that it is because of the abuse of the coupons by the newbies. I have never bought out an item in a store, simply because I could get it for free with coupons. I get what my family needs and leave the rest for others. Our local coupon community use to share the deals but these newbies have little or no consideration for others.
Re: extreme couponing……I agree…….I mean what can one do with 50 jars of mustard?? My thought is if people actually DO go to that extreme, then at least donate it to needy people!!!
Thanks for all of the kind words. I don’t consider myself to be someone who knows it all about anything. I am a Jill of all Trades and know loads about many things. I just happen to love deep discounts and after 20 years of working in retail, I know that you never have to pay full-price for anything unless you need it yesterday. But being a deal hunter makes paying full price tolerable because we know we have saved far more in days gone by and that we will in the future.
I really love the hunt of a deal too. My deals aren’t always about groceries. I can go in my closet, clean it out, donate the old or have a garage sale to help pay for the new things I need. I make a list of what I need to get and then I treat my clothing shopping the same as groceries. Look for sales, printable coupons, a credit card deal (we pay ours off at the end of every month unless we have 0% finance. Then that hunt begins. It is the same with appliances, cars and everything else to include my 1/2 price house that God blessed us with 4 years ago.
I am pleased to hear that all of you who commented are finding a middle ground. I can’t tolerate chaos in my house because to me that is what is going on in my brain. If I have dust, it means my brain is dusty and not active. If I have laundry piled up it means I have issues piling up in my brain. If I have stacks of anything it means I am putting off things mentally or emotionally. Since I know I am like this, I could never be at peace with a huge stock pile like the extreme couponers have.
Thank you so much for being my readers/subscribers. I hold you all in very high regard and appreciate you all so much.
Ginger
I really enjoy your blog and I appreciate all of your hard work finding the best deals for all of us that are trying to make our dollar go a little farther. I would agree that going to the store and finding the shelf empty is frustrating. I usually only buy 2 or 3 items. More if it is a really good buy and I know my family will eat/use the items. I also don’t have a lot of storage so it doesn’t do me any good to put it away some where and forget about it. I follow a couple of blogs looking for the sale items that I know will benefit my family. This is by far one of my favorites! Thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer!
I am so glad you commented. I’m smiling – of course! I love to hear from my readers that I am doing something (anything) to help them save. THAT makes my day. It also keeps me inspired to do a good job and finding the deals.
I agree about forgetting about a stash. I know I would.
Thanks for being a loyal reader!
Bravo! I’ve watched the show, and it really bothers me when the extremists clear the shelves. I have a stockpile in our basement, and have had it for 30 years. I really don’t understand it when they have 15 or more bottles of dressing, mayo, condiments, etc. Most everything has an expiration date, and I find it unrealistic that a family is going to go through 15 bottles before the expir. date. For paper products, I understand, and have had 100 pkgs. of Small Step toilet paper.
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