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misswallo
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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Has anyone seen that show on TLC? Wow..it's very impressive and makes me feel as though I'm not a good steward of our money. Do any of you coupon? The people on the show claim they spend 30 or more hours a week on couponing. I have tried to coupon, but it does require a lot time..and running around to various stores to get the best deal...time I just don't always have raising and homeschooling 5 children. How do you save on groceries. My friend tells me I should start shopping at Aldi and we just a new one in our town so I think I need to check it out. I keep on eye on store ads and make a point to stock up on things when the price it right, any other ideas from you all would be greatly appreciated.
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Missy-married in 1997 dd(99) dd(01) dd(04) dd(06) ds(09) and ds(12)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 11:46am | IP Logged
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I have some friends that do couponing and they say that that show is somewhat unrealistic.. that they actually make arrangments ahead of time with the stores.. that most stores don't generally allow some of the things they do.. in the quantities they do it.
I shop sales.. sometimes that means coupons.. but I have 2 local stores so it's not exactly a lot of running around. AND I highly recommend that unless you're going to a more distant store because you're there for something else.. you count your gas in the cost of the food you get there. Which makes local sales a much better deal than the store 2 hours away that is cheaper. 
But even the stores that people will tell you are "more expensive" can have great deals. Our local safeway puts some coupons in the local paper.. and I just bought 9 four pound bags of bl/sl chicken breasts with a coupon for those and a coupon for $10 off $50 purchase.. it worked out to $1.22/lb. 
If you have room and freezer space.. you might be able to increase your stocking up to take even better advantage of the deals.
also check into things that you could buy in bulk.. for instance I can get 25# of oatmeal for quite a bit less than the canisters.. even when those are on sale.
You can check into mail order.. it's a better deal on some things depending on what you're getting and what you can get locally and what the shipping charges would be.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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annabelle125
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I have watched the show and it is very impressive. It is also (for the most part) very unrealistic.
I use coupons as part of my normal routine. My store even doubles coupons up to $1.00 and that is RARE, most stores only give face value for coupons. (doubling up to $1 means a $0.50 coupon would double up to $1, a 0.75 coupon would not "fully" double, but would take an additional 0.25 to go up to $1)
Also, most stores limit the number of coupons per item and the number of sale items per loyalty card (for example you may see a good price on soup and the fine print in the ad says "limit 4 per variety).
Watching the show, it seems like the stores are bending the rules for these people for the show. I know one of the ladies was in a Shoprite where a friend of mine shops. She was floored when she saw the episode, because of how many of the usual limits were brushed aside for good TV.
With that said  I can give you some realistic couponing tips if you are intersted-- I can usually save $30-$50 per week or so.
Blessings,
Anne
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
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oh and while checking the fine print on sales.. I know our store is per customer per visit. And since the stores are close.. I can pop in multiple times over the sale week and buy the limit each time.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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jawgee
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 2:40pm | IP Logged
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I coupon, less for food items (because I don't like to buy a lot of processed items) but more for toiletries/health items. I frequent www.slickdeals.net in the Grocery/Drugstore forums. Lots of great tips over there!!!
(Rite Aid is one of my favorite places, at the moment).
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Monica
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anitamarie
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 3:40pm | IP Logged
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I hope I don't offend anyone, but that show made me really uncomfortable in a lot of ways.
For one, this looks like hoarding, just in a different way. Some of them buy stuff they can't even use and just keep it ' cause "it was a good deal." A lot of that stuff will go to waste before it expires. That is not good stewardship. If they need the adrenaline rush of doing this, then they could give away the stuff they can't use. I did see one person who used the stuff to make packages for deployed servicemen and women. That I can see.
Also, stewardship is also of our time. If someone spends 6-8 hours per day couponing, that's 6-8 hours someone is not paying attention to the rest of their vocation i.e. the relationships.
I'm all for saving money, and I do use coupons, but this is borderline crazy imo. It's an obsession. Sorry if this comes out too strongly, but it really did rub me the wrong way, in case you couldn't tell. 
Anita
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JennGM
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anitamarie wrote:
I hope I don't offend anyone, but that show made me really uncomfortable in a lot of ways.
For one, this looks like hoarding, just in a different way. Some of them buy stuff they can't even use and just keep it ' cause "it was a good deal." A lot of that stuff will go to waste before it expires. That is not good stewardship. If they need the adrenaline rush of doing this, then they could give away the stuff they can't use. I did see one person who used the stuff to make packages for deployed servicemen and women. That I can see.
Also, stewardship is also of our time. If someone spends 6-8 hours per day couponing, that's 6-8 hours someone is not paying attention to the rest of their vocation i.e. the relationships.
I'm all for saving money, and I do use coupons, but this is borderline crazy imo. It's an obsession. Sorry if this comes out too strongly, but it really did rub me the wrong way, in case you couldn't tell.
Anita |
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I chose not to watch it because of those very reasons! I quite agree.
To everything we need balance! Time is money for me, and if it takes all that time to save money...it's time I don't have.
I remember having a huge discussion with my aunt about truly saving money is not spending it if you don't need it or it goes to waste (I was 17 at the time). She had bought all this day-old bread which was moldy, so no one was going to eat it. She also had some bargain clothes from the thrift store, but no one could wear them. But I kept hearing "I saved this much!" "These were so cheap!"
I kept saying it was wasted money, and nothing was saved, because it wasn't being used.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Dana
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 3:56pm | IP Logged
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One thing I've discovered recently is Amazon Mom. Go to www.amazon.com/mom and register. I order diapers, wipes, and Cherrios on subscribe and save. It gives you Amazon Prime shipping so there's no shipping charges and the price is cheaper than the local Wal-Mart. I buy Huggies Pull-Ups 58 ct 2T/3T for 16.49 and its 19.80 at Wal-Mart. Plus, it's on subscribe and save so I don't have to make a run to the store it ships automatically, though I get a reminder e-mail the week beforehand so if I were to need to change it I could. The savings is similar on the Overnites as well. I also get Earth's Best diapers comparable to the Pampers price at Wal-Mart and I know it would be more expensive and an hour drive to get them at Babies-R-Us, etc. There's no telling what it saves me in impulse buys at Wal-Mart or Dollar General where I would make my usual runs. They seem to offer EVERYTHING on Amazon, lol.
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Dana
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Dana
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 4:09pm | IP Logged
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I second Jenn and Anita.
I grew up with the mentality that it was okay to buy as long as it wasn't full price and I was saving money. I don't think it's coincidence that I come from a line of what could easily be diagnosed as hoarding. My husband laughs now because now I fight the temptation to such a degree cause we find ourselves looking for something we need only to discover that I threw it out because we didn't "need it".
Opps.
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Dana
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misswallo
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 4:29pm | IP Logged
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Oh, I totally agree that this is a form of hoarding...I don't ever plan to devote a whole room/storage area for a stockpile. I also agree that I can't let anything else interfere with my true vocation..that being said, I still would love to be able to significantly save on my groceries. I am going to try Aldi on my next grocery trip to see how they compare.
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Missy-married in 1997 dd(99) dd(01) dd(04) dd(06) ds(09) and ds(12)
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 6:50pm | IP Logged
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Dana wrote:
| One thing I've discovered recently is Amazon Mom. Go to www.amazon.com/mom and register. I order diapers, wipes, and Cherrios on subscribe and save. It gives you Amazon Prime shipping so there's no shipping charges and the price is cheaper than the local Wal-Mart. I buy Huggies Pull-Ups 58 ct 2T/3T for 16.49 and its 19.80 at Wal-Mart. Plus, it's on subscribe and save so I don't have to make a run to the store it ships automatically, though I get a reminder e-mail the week beforehand so if I were to need to change it I could. The savings is similar on the Overnites as well. I also get Earth's Best diapers comparable to the Pampers price at Wal-Mart and I know it would be more expensive and an hour drive to get them at Babies-R-Us, etc. There's no telling what it saves me in impulse buys at Wal-Mart or Dollar General where I would make my usual runs. They seem to offer EVERYTHING on Amazon, lol. |
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I do the Amazon Mom suscribe and save for diapers as well. I even get my organic lollipops that way!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 6:59pm | IP Logged
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I agreee that it's hoarding when you store things that you'll never be able to use before they go bad. But please be careful throwing that around.. there are lots of people with pantries (rooms, storage areas) full of food that rotate and do long term storage and nothing goes bad and everything is used up. Consider those that garden and put up their own produce.. they're very likely to have a year or even two years worth of food stored from their gardens.. calling that hoarding I think would not only be going over the line but could be very insulting. What one person may call hoarding with a less than complete picture another may call stewardship.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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misswallo
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 7:28pm | IP Logged
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You are right, Jodie. I should of been more clear about that..having a stockpile of food that won't spoil would not be hoarding..but buying/storing things you don't need or will go bad is another thing. I do have a small stockpile I guess..a big shelf I use to store canned goods, dry goods and toiletries. It's also nice to have extra things on hand when your neighbor needs something.
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Missy-married in 1997 dd(99) dd(01) dd(04) dd(06) ds(09) and ds(12)
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MaryM
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I think that references to hoarding really refer back to the particular show. For anyone who hasn't seen the show, you wouldn't be aware that they feature people who do buy and stockpile things they don't need - like the woman with all the diapers who isn't married and doesn't have kids (it's for the potential future), the 30 bottles of PeptoBismol, the 100 bottle of ibuprofen purchased at one time so are going to go bad at the same time. Anyway, many of the featured couponers are extreme and it is very interesting to hear that some of it is staged (should I be surprised  ). I watched a few episodes and that is what I said to myself - "We could never do that at our stores."
And several of the featured couponers do indicate they donate to food banks and place where products could be used. I think that is commendable.
My problem with many coupons is that they are for processed foods. Much of what we would buy (fresh fruits/veggies, dairy, meat, bulk dry goods) are not frequent coupon items. I look at the shopping carts of the "extreme couponers" and say "That is great they only spent $---, but what are they going to cook for dinner with that?"
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SeaStar
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I agree, Mary. It's hard to find coupons for unprocessed food. No coupons for things like apples,
I used to coupon a lot, but it does take time. Also, our eating habits shifted towards more basic foods.
I still love a good deal, and if my town had an Aldi's, I'd shop there.
There is a website called Targetsavers that matches up Target coupons with sales and clearance as well. You can sign up for e-mail alerts.
I also do subscribe and save and Amazon mom- how I wish that had been around when my kids were in diapers!
But 75 bags of croutons under the bed? No, thanks.
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Mackfam
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MaryM wrote:
| I look at the shopping carts of the "extreme couponers" and say "That is great they only spent $---, but what are they going to cook for dinner with that?" |
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That's what we thought!!  We watched the first episode and I sat there with my mouth agape the entire time - REALLY? REALLY? These people REALLY spend all their time doing this?? Are you kidding me? And their garage is full of enough toothpaste and grape jelly to last a century (I'm NOT exaggerating!!) And they spend $.56 at the store filling 10 carts and have 456 milky way candy bars, 84 bottles of mustard, and 922 containers of deoderant to show for it. ?? So, what's for dinner??
The level of couponing on the show is very different from using coupons to build and stock your pantry with foods you might regularly eat - or at least the show we watched portrayed that.
I did like it when the one man really worked hard to coupon and then donated a gazillion boxes of cheerios to the food bank. But, Anita is right, for the most part the couponing on that show reflects hoarding. It did prompt some good discussions in our family about stewardship, blessings, and excess.
Anyway...just wanted to jump in because I was so ASTONISHED at the great pleasure this one person had after filling her cart with GAZILLIONS OF CANDY BARS AND MUSTARD for cryin' out loud! All that time cutting and clipping and organizing and shopping....and THERE'S STILL NOTHIN' GOOD FOR DINNER!!! CRAZY!!!!
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 08 2011 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
But 75 bags of croutons under the bed? No, thanks. |
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I KNOW!!!! Isn't that crazy??? Don't people have their clothes switcheroo bins under there?? No room for croutons when the off-season clothes is stored under the bed!!
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Jen Mackintosh
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lapazfarm
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Makes me thankful we no longer get cable.
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Dana
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Yes, a useful stockpile is one thing. The one episode I watched the woman said if she lost her stockpile it would be like loosing a member of the family.
Uh....NO!!!!
I kind of quit watching after that point.
Yes, Theresa, if my husband didn't have a terrific deal on the cable and we didn't have tornadoes I would totally tank it and just have Netflix.
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Dana
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KackyK
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I actually know of the couponers they featured (it was the April 6th show I think). I went to one of her workshops that our homeschool group sponsored. To be honest, I've never seen the show because we don't get cable. But I think I pretty much know what it was!
I know in her case, she spends several hours clipping, with friends, but not daily. Then she shops for not just herself but she actually shops for food banks and other charities. Also with her "stock pile" she "tips" the mailman, her UPS man, people who work on her house for instance. She would say, hey, go down to basement and fill a bag or two of anything you need. She also told us, yes, you don't see the food in that cart from Walmart, but because she was able to get those there for that cheap, now she can go to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, which she couldn't do before. I assume that isn't said on the show. She also started only when her husband lost his job.
That all being said, several of my friends and I do the coupon thing. You are right about the processed food, we just don't get it. And yes, I spend time doing it, but to me I look at it as if I was going out of the home to work to earn money. Only I didn't go out, I spent an hour and I saved $50 or more some trips, not too bad. And I still have food for dinner.
It's not easy to jump in, to jump in to make it really worth it. Stores here do have special double and triple days where yes indeed a $1 coupon will go up to $2 so if something is on sale, it's free.
I use a site called Southern Savers to follow my stores' ads and then she matches the ad with coupons so you can easily find the coupon for the item. You check it off her list, print the list, clip those coupons and done. There are probably lots of sites like this.
Well hope ya'll don't think I'm too wacko now! 
oops and I should be totally honest and say that my dh told me go ahead and start buying a few of those free processed foods (free when on sale with coupon) to save for when friends are over. For instance right now I have 5 boxes of granola bars downstairs and 3 bags of potato chips.
Okay I'm rambling!!!!!!
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KackyK
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: extreme couponing
