Extreme Couponing-What Am I Missing...

i haven't watched the show, but my MIL tells me that some of them have pantries in their houses that look like big box store shelves. filling a whole grocery cart with a single item (say deodorant) that is absolutely more than anyone could possibly use.
sounds like a hoarding issue to me.
khairete
S.

Well, I know how i bought deodorant and haven't had to buy it in 10 years (and very likely never again). I liked a type of deodorant made by secret. It wasn't popular and after 3 years it was decided to stop making that scent so it went on sale... for 25 cents per container. I bought 100 for 25 dollars. So now I never need to buy that product ever again. You can do the same with TP, paper towels and a lot of things.

For the deodrant, most stores sell the Suave for $.99, but they offer $.50 coupons in the Sunday papers. SO if you go to a store that doubles their coupons it will be free.

As far as the TP, I don't have a clue I use my $1.00 off and do an add match if I can and still end up paying $3-4 for it.

I watch the show too, and like you, I don't get it. I have enough trouble remembering to actually use the few coupons I do have in my purse.

What I find sad about the whole thing is that these people have pantries filled with hundreds of things they won't use for years. How about donating that to some shelters for homeless people or local food pantries?! I think it's a little bit insane to have all that stuff stocked in your house when there are probably people in your immediate area going hungry.

I don't know all the details of EVERY thing you can do, but you can do things like "stacking". You can use a "manufacturer's" coupon together with a "store" coupon... for ex: Publix grocery stores keep a revolving rack in the front of the store that has sales flyers and coupon sheets. They are STORE coupons specifically printed and used at/for Publix stores. You can use one of those, together with a coupon from the manufacturer (say, Sargento).

Now, put that together with an in-store sale. Say the Sargento cheese is on sale for BOGO (buy one, get one free)... Publix rings them each up at half price... so you have purchased 2 items. That means that you can use one Sargento and one Publix store coupon for EACH of the two items. So you can DRASTICALLY cut the expense of buying certain items sometimes.
However, I have to say that many of the items that our family routinely buys/uses are not items that often have these fantastic sales/coupons. So I do well to use any coupons together with BOGO on things I buy. There are tons of coupons out there for tons of things that WE DON'T consume. So I don't bother with those. I only clip coupons for what I will be buying anyway.

Another tip... some stores do double/triple coupons up to a certain amount... Harris Teeter will have a day that they triple coupons up to $0.99. So If I had a 30¢ coupon for an item, I could use it and actually save 90¢ off that item.
AND, many stores honor competitor's coupons. So I can take a "Target" coupon and put it with a manufacturer's coupon and buy something that is on sale at Publix BOGO. I have not tried to use both a Publix AND a competitor's coupon together yet... but I am watching for that to give it a try.
LOL

Hope this helps.

I have a love/hate relationship with that show. I think it is awesome that someone can get $1600 worth of groceries for $5...but honestly, do you need 35 bottles of Excedrin? I wonder what the heck these people do with a lot of the stuff, most of which has a shelf life/expiration date!

I don't get how they do it either. I usually end up spending more when I use coupons, because you have to by 2 of what ever name brand product. Even with the coupon it is usually more than the generic brand that I buy.

ok this is what i have learned from working in retail. you can use both a store coupn with a manufact. coupon as a previous poster said if you use them both on a sale item the item can be free. example: toothpaste is on sale for $1.50 you have a store coupon for .50 and a man coupon for $1, but you are still responsiable for the tax. I have also leanred that alot of people take advantage of coupon to the point of coupon theft....which is where people buy expensive things with big coupon (like the crest white strips that have $5 coupon) and then they return the item, and the store cant deduct the coupon in a return so they get the full price back (say the item was $20 and they used $5 coupon to pay 15 but in the return they would get the full $20 back) its really iritating working at the service desk seeing people do this because there is nothing we can do to stop it

These women are EXTREME couponers! I love that show too. But, they probably wrote a letter to the manufactorer or they are on the internet "ordering" coupons. Then, if they get a lot of good ones they wait until a nearby store has them on sale and buy a TON...which, then they could have one that says, buy 5 get $5 off....that's why they spend 40 hours a week getting coupons together.
L.

Funny how none of us can fathom that FREE toilet paper & paper towel angle! I don't get it either. If I REMEMBER my piddly coupon accordion thingamabob, it's a good day for me! LOL

O. thing I do like is www.couponmom.com which pairs your specific grocery stores weekly specials with the coupons that are out there. They suggest just filing the complete coupon insert in a file, by date, and then the site references the circular name & date to pair with your own store's weekly specials AND it tells you the % off it will be in the end. They also do this for Target, RiteAid, CVS, etc which is, from talking to some couponers, where the action REALLY IS!

I don't know how they do it either. I'm guessing a lot of coupon fraud which kinda stinks. I clip coupons and normally save $10 a week - which is better than nothing but my grocery bill is still around $140 with coupons...

I guess that is why this is their full time job...and I agree...the idea of having all that stuff floating around my house would make me anxious - why the heck does anyone need a lifetime supply of toothpaste???

I have only seen that show once and haven't been able to watch it again. I think it's amazing that they can get so much for so little, but it was very hard to see all of the stockpiles in their pantries and garages. So much of it were things with expiration dates, and they had more than any family could use! It's hard to see people who have so much who don't donate the extras to less fortunate people. Be proud of your thriftiness, keep what you can use, and give the rest away to shelters or food banks. It makes me sad.

For one there is ALOT of coupon fraud that was going on before with cashiers not paying close attention to what the coupon actually says. But if you watch carefully sometimes you can get things. For example Fry's (Kroger) in my area makes all coupons worth $1 and also accepts competitors coupons. So you find a Target coupon of Degree deoderant and a manufacture coupon for the same item. Wait until Fry's puts Degree on sale for $2.00 each and use both a Target $1 off and manufacturer $1.00 off and get them for free. Most sites limit you to 2 print coupons per IP address, so people use friends/families computers to print additional. I have gotten deoderant, lotion, soap, paper towels for free before, never TP but have gotten it down to a few bucks. One time they had a great sale on cereal and I got like 10 boxes of Honey nut Cheerios for $.39 each. You also use coupons like Fresh and Easy where you get $6 off a grocery bill of $30. Good way to save even more. I have had a few good trips, like the other night I spent $24, saved $108.....but normally its saving 40-50% of the bill, not the 98% like they do on the show.

I have only watched bits of it. I think for them it's the thrill of the chase. For me, coupons are useful when I need the item. If I don't need it, that's still $2 or whatever wasted. I don't want to treat couponing like another job and spend hours and hours at it. I have better things to do with my time.

I also don't have the space to store deodorant for 30 years or 10 years' worth of toilet paper. I get the concept, but I don't think it's practical for the average person. I know someone who talks about what she got...and then I find that she donates a lot because she really doesn't need 20 bottles of shampoo.

I will often use the store's card price with a coupon and get extra off (especially if they double), but I don't then buy a ton of them. We buy certain things in bulk - toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste. Things that will last. I don't want 30 years of deodorant because sometimes they quit working after a while. Then what?

I do see it as a form of hoarding for some of these people. Is it being thrifty or is it an addiction/obsession? One has to wonder.

Couponing is good as far as it goes. Most of the time when you go to a store the store's own brand is cheaper that the name-brand product with a coupon...even doubling it. Really pay attention to what these extreme couponers are doing for the rest of us. Do you really think anyone is going to let someone into the store who buys things on sale (and that is the only way to save with coupons) and uses coupons to cut the price to below what they paid-back in the store again (because they are buying the "loss-leaders on sale)? AND if you have a $0.50 cent coupon for a $4.00 box of cereal and you double it you will get $1.00 off, but still spend $3.00 dollars for a box of name brand cereal when you can get the "store" brand for $2.50...where is the savings? Don't fall for the gimics. Use the store brand, grow your own garden and buy at a co-op or with a group.

don't you guys that shop at Kohls do this??? Buy a pair of shoes and a dress on sale, use the % off (they mail to you for having a credit card with them10%-20% or 30%), then because you spent what ever the certain amount is to get the Kohls cash you have a voucher to use on your next purchase. Similar at certain grocery stores.

How many people do you really think are out there couponing to the extreme as the people on EC??????

I know several that coupon in smaller quantities to supply their own households needs and do donate any extra. This show is purposefully set up to be extreme. They contact the store and make arrangements before they go. and i bet you most of them are encouraged to make their stock pile look huge, and not mention the donations they make.

so i guess I"m just saying take this show with a grain of salt.

If you are interested in couponing more, do some research, there are tons of blogs to make it easier for you.

Check out thegrocerygame.com. I think you can see how they can do that on some things. They figure out when an item is on sale and then pair it up with a coupon. Using the grocery game I've seen how to get some things that aren't too pricey for free. For example, the grocery store might have toothpaste on sale for 10 for $10 and then there is a 1.00 off coupon or a $0.50 off coupon that you can double. So, I could see this happening for deoderant and certain brands of toilet paper, either getting it for free or real cheap. There are so many things that are always on sale 10 for $10 at my grocery store. Things like noodles, canned goods, etc. I could totally see being ablet to stock up on those items for free or real cheap. Also part of it is that they buy coupons online to go with what they find on sale as well. If you are saving $30-$50 already, nice work!

i love watching that show as well. But you have to call around the stores and see what there coupon policy is and some stores will let you double up on coupons for one item. So thats what im going to do is call around and see what stores do what. Also you cant save much if you go to walmart since they dont really have sales. Like kroger you have a kroger plus card which gives you there sale price and then use a coupon on top of it. I would call around and see what the coupon policy is around your stores.

You can use a store coupon,plus a manufactuer coupon,plus if it is a double your coupon day upto a certain amount then there is the store bucks that CVS & Wlagreens has you can use all those.
I love coupons to I use them with most things I buy,however the free deodarant is Suave, coupons in the paper for $1.00 off plus it can be doubled so if I go in with 10 coupons they are on Sale for $1.00 plus get it doubled not to the full dollar amount it goes to I think .50 here at Dillons it will cover the cost of the product plus my taxes & may even get change back.
I don't understand how the meats are being used I don't have any coupons for meat products other than the sales flyer per pound sale no other store coupons.
Any store will accept the store coupon,manufactuer coupon,peelie on the same item,& rebates,the store bucks..

The trick is finding the right combination of manufacture coupons, store coupons, store ads and store "plus" cards to get the actual cost of the product down to near zero.

I don't have cable so I have never seen the show but I have seen Coupons women on Oprah or other shows and I don't get it.
I coupon a lot and save, but never $200 of groceries for free. I never see meat coupons (without having to buy wine, eggs, beer ,etc) rarely produce coupons (only Dole Pineapple and cuties oranges) and that is what i try to buy most of. I think you would need to buy a lot of junk food to save a lot. Yes I buy cereal, crackers, etc and use coupons for that and got some deals but never free. Even with Manufactures and store coupons together and on double coupon day I don't get it free.The stores around me must make sure that can't happen. As for what one of the other posters said about coupon fraud, I think the EC women must be apart of coupon fraud and to me that is wrong. I never even realized that when you return something that the coupon is not subtract for the refund and that is awful if someone is doing that to "make" money. Just awful!
I was shopping at Target and had a lot of coupons and the women was checking them real careful (which I don't care) and told me they had to start doing that because of more people are committing coupon fraud, like using coupons on trial /sample size when you are not suppose to and they go to a cashier that is young or doesn't care...
I have seen it with my own eyes, I don't get how people can do that, in my book that is stealing.
My two cents,
M.

My husband and I just had this conversation last night. I routinely use.coupons and store ads to shop and it saves money but not like they do on tv. I'll be watching your replies to see if anybody knows the trick.

"Extreme couponers" seems to be a nice way to say "organized hoarders".

Saving money is important to everyone, but it would be nice if someone please explain how a family of 5 is going to use 93 bags of croutons or 93 bottles of mustard? Shelf life isn't that long.

Also, these women spend 30+ hours a week going through coupons & ads... that is a full time job.

I'm as perplexed as you.

Im with you. Im learning more about it but I shop weekly for my family. Buying 50 bottles of mustard is a waste to me! Plus I don't have the room for it! Just seems wasteful. If I could figure out how to get the stuff we actually use at that kinda discount id dance all the way in and out!

You can use store coupons and manufactures coupons in one transaction