I feel like an idiot when it comes to "couponing," because I just can't figure it out. People blog about spending $3 on $100 worth of groceries, and all I can manage to do is SAVE $3 on $100 of groceries. So, I am determined to figure it out. The part I don't get is using the same coupon on multiple items or multiple coupons on the same item - this is what most of those coupon people tell you to do, but all of the coupons I've ever found say to "limit one per purchase" and "no doubling or tripling." Are they cheating? I'm about to find out, because I found a blog with detailed instructions on getting started with couponing: http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/tag/beginners-guide-to-coupons/.
I also just discovered the show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, which I can't actually watch, since (in a fit of frugality that the coupon people would surely appreciate) we cancelled our satellite dish subscription. However, the show has some clips and other information on the TLC Website: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing.
So, my questions are these: is extreme couponing cheating the system? Are stores and manufacturers exasperated by these people, who are taking advantage of weird coupon loopholes, or are the couponners just really diligent in taking advantage of legitimate deals? Do you have to spend hours every day planning and clipping and shopping to save big money, or can real people with real lives actually make this work? If I do make it work, are we going to have to build a pantry to house all of the spare bottles of barbecue sauce and Tylenol? Will I be able to cook stuff we want to eat, or will we spend weeks at a time choking down Hamburger Helper with a side of Cheez-Its and expired Zebra Cakes?
Dear readers, the answers to these questions will be forthcoming.
And, in the words of Andrew Zimmern (yes, I'm still looking for a good closing catchphrase): If it looks good, eat it.
I taped last nights episode of Extreme Couponing and had to watch some on my lunch hour. They said that the one family of 9, I believe could live on all there things they have "stored" for 3 years. I have to wonder, why do they not use the things they spend all day working so hard to get for little to nothing?
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be so much fun to get together one day every other week or once a month to trade coupons? We could share what we found to work and what doesn't work... that would be a fun little group... the coupon diva's... lol
Mary
I watched that show last night and it totally creeped me out. Really - what will one family do with 50 jars of mustard? And the 500 rolls of paper towels they have saved up? Are they really saving anything if they don't USE IT? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI don't get it either. The last thing I want to do is eat hot dogs for 300 days straight just to make sure that the 30 gallons of mustard I just bought don't expire. Who even likes mustard? I mean, I like mustard, but I wouldn't care if I never ate it again. Which would save even more money than your crazy coupon lady did.
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