Extreme Couponing on TLC
I have had a few people ask me if I was aware of this new show and if I was going to watch it...the answer is no.
First of all, we choose to not spend money on cable TV, so we don't have access to that station, LOL! We have 18 FREE digital channels and also, keep ourselves so busy that we aren't couch potatoes.
=)
Secondly, I think "extreme" shoppers are people who are taking it a bit too far...
I DO think they took some journalistic liberties with this - like the lady wasn't "dumpster diving" for coupons, she was in a paper recycling bin. I know people who will dumpster dive for food - in the actual dumpsters behind grocery stores - and have no problem feeding their family a head of lettuce that they had to peel the first 1/2 off of...(ew!)
I also find it interesting that they were allowed to get 1,000 boxes of cereal, 1,500 tubes of deodorant, etc - as most stores will cut you off. They all appear to be southern people who get to use places like Harris Teeter (who will TRIPLE coupon values), etc that has a much more liberal double coupon policy than we are allowed by the Roundy's Stores.
I do find it disturbing to see the crazy amount of excesses: time put into it and the stockpile. In my class I talk about a 3-4 month stockpile for a few reasons - you want to use things before they expire AND you don't want to end up turning your house into a warehouse! Stockpiling vs hoarding...the difference is that 3-4 month window vs 40 years worth of provisions, unless you are shopping for the food pantry too! They guy with all that meat - will NEVER eat it all in the four month window for frozen foods. It is simply a waste unless he donated that to the food pantry too...
Some people have addictive personalities and these people might fall into that. They have a coupon addiction instead of alcohol or gambling. This is made pretty clear as the extreme couponing is hurting their relationships just like drugs/alcohol, etc. It is alienating them with their spouses, they cancel plans to shop, they spend HOURS and HOURS to do it! Time is Money too. 70 hours a week to clip and organize coupons is a LOT of time to put into anything that isn't your church or family!
Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, but a little common sense can go a long way in any aspect of life, LOL!
It saddens me that "normal" people watching this kind of stuff might be turned away from a couponing style that could really impact their family budget as this kind of press makes couponing look whacko...(which I kind of think EXTREME couponing is, LOL)! Couponing does one big thing for your budget, you save a lot of money in one area so you can spend it on others. If I get free, pasta, rice and beans, I have more money to buy produce and meat. It is that simple.
=)
Now let's talk about what's for dinner: I would be so overwhelmed to even begin to try and meal plan with three rooms of stuff staring me in the face! They really need to show that side of it, how do these people feed their families with this? 40 boxes of pasta is a LOT of noodles to eat in 3 months...that means you are having them every other day (not including possible leftovers.
What are your thoughts?
First of all, we choose to not spend money on cable TV, so we don't have access to that station, LOL! We have 18 FREE digital channels and also, keep ourselves so busy that we aren't couch potatoes.
=)
Secondly, I think "extreme" shoppers are people who are taking it a bit too far...
I DO think they took some journalistic liberties with this - like the lady wasn't "dumpster diving" for coupons, she was in a paper recycling bin. I know people who will dumpster dive for food - in the actual dumpsters behind grocery stores - and have no problem feeding their family a head of lettuce that they had to peel the first 1/2 off of...(ew!)
I also find it interesting that they were allowed to get 1,000 boxes of cereal, 1,500 tubes of deodorant, etc - as most stores will cut you off. They all appear to be southern people who get to use places like Harris Teeter (who will TRIPLE coupon values), etc that has a much more liberal double coupon policy than we are allowed by the Roundy's Stores.
I do find it disturbing to see the crazy amount of excesses: time put into it and the stockpile. In my class I talk about a 3-4 month stockpile for a few reasons - you want to use things before they expire AND you don't want to end up turning your house into a warehouse! Stockpiling vs hoarding...the difference is that 3-4 month window vs 40 years worth of provisions, unless you are shopping for the food pantry too! They guy with all that meat - will NEVER eat it all in the four month window for frozen foods. It is simply a waste unless he donated that to the food pantry too...
Some people have addictive personalities and these people might fall into that. They have a coupon addiction instead of alcohol or gambling. This is made pretty clear as the extreme couponing is hurting their relationships just like drugs/alcohol, etc. It is alienating them with their spouses, they cancel plans to shop, they spend HOURS and HOURS to do it! Time is Money too. 70 hours a week to clip and organize coupons is a LOT of time to put into anything that isn't your church or family!
Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, but a little common sense can go a long way in any aspect of life, LOL!
It saddens me that "normal" people watching this kind of stuff might be turned away from a couponing style that could really impact their family budget as this kind of press makes couponing look whacko...(which I kind of think EXTREME couponing is, LOL)! Couponing does one big thing for your budget, you save a lot of money in one area so you can spend it on others. If I get free, pasta, rice and beans, I have more money to buy produce and meat. It is that simple.
=)
Now let's talk about what's for dinner: I would be so overwhelmed to even begin to try and meal plan with three rooms of stuff staring me in the face! They really need to show that side of it, how do these people feed their families with this? 40 boxes of pasta is a LOT of noodles to eat in 3 months...that means you are having them every other day (not including possible leftovers.
What are your thoughts?
Great post! I agree with you. I hope the show just "forgot" to mention that most of the stuff was donated. You are so right - no one can eat all that meat, and it will go bad even in the freezer after a year or two.
ReplyDeleteI wish TLC would have either put them in a better light, or found different shoppers.... but of course that probably wouldn't get the same ratings!
Toni
LOL-- that's right Toni, it was all about ratings. Good, honest news rarely sells, which is sooooo sad!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I consider myself an extreme couponer and I have a small stockpile of various items. But these people are WAY OUT THERE EXTREME! They are missing the point! You save money by getting things this way but you don't go overboard. You only need what you can reasonably consume before the next sale date, as in 2-3 months - not YEARS! On top of that, I can't imagine my stores letting me buy that quantity and use that many coupons at one time!
ReplyDeleteDannelle great post! I would not want to eat noodles every day for months on end. I try to feed my family some healthy options but we also like variety!
ReplyDeleteYou are right this was just an Extreme OCD, Hoarder, addictive version of our couponing. We are in it to save for our family period.
Thanks for the great comments on my blog.