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4.14.2011

Extreme Couponing on TLC: Love it or Hate it?

If you watched last night's episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC, you're probably loving it more--OR hating it more!

The 30 minute episode featured twins Tai and Tarin getting birthday deals and grocery shopping.  They even bought 10 pork chops and saved big.  Nathan bought an enormous quantity of items totalling thousands of dollars, paying just pennies and donated his haul to the troops.

Would you buy 35 bottles of Mylanta at $.35 each just because it's a good deal?  Would you wipe out your entire store of toothpaste to donate it? Are you couponing for Armageddon or are you happy with feeding your family for less?

Hey, I know you have an opinion!  Let us know what you think!

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14 comments:

Alice said...

I'm still on the fence about the show. I get really excited looking forward to watching it that day, but when the show airs I have mixed feelings. I like to see what other people are buying and other stores policies, but some of things these people say on television amazes me. All in all I'm glad the show is on, it's entertainment. Right?

Miss Crys said...

I like watching the show and seeing how much they actually pay for all that stuff. I love a good deal!

I wonder how much time they put into it. I was looking at what they were buying and don't think I wanted much of it. I've only watched 2 episodes though. I don't want 35 bottles of mylanta or all those chips, pudding, candy, cases of soda, and other processed foods. Doesn't seem real healthy. Not many coupons for grass-fed beef, organic vegetables, etc. We don't need that many paper towels or cleaning products either because we use Norwex. Very interesting show though. I'd like to try it a little bit anyway. I love a good deal on things that we use.

Kim said...

There is a great article written by a lady at A Full Cup. I dont like how the show makes us look like hoarders....but if it shows the good that some people do with it...then I dont "hate it as much"...kwim? I dont think you need to wipe a store out of a product BUT I do think it is ok to get tons of stuff if your donating and helping others...as well as stocking some for yourself.

Anonymous said...

I don't like the show. It makes couponers look bad, and it makes us look like we're trying to rip stores off. This show is giving couponers a bad name. Also, a lot of these people it shows are food hoarders. They don't need that many items, I seriously see a mental disorder in people like them. If people like them would donate most of the items they received it would be different. I will not support the show, because it's going to hurt normal couponers and sites like yours.. It's going to hurt everyone evenutally.

Kay said...

I think this show will get old fast. In fact I think it already is old for experienced (and smart) couponers. It might as well be called "Look at My Stockpile!" Those of us who read this blog are already well educated (thank you!). I don't think we'll learn anything new. But I have to admit . . . when I was on my knees rummaging in the tub under my bed for a (free!) body wash this a.m., I did get a mental picture of all those lovely shelving units holding their stockpiles! LOL

Kathryn said...

I just don't know what to think...it's like a combination of addiction, OCD and hoarding that they have put into one show. I am cracking up that you chose the picture you did for your post, that poor girl was about to have a mental breakdown - and she may still if her husband can't find a place for her 100+ boxes of pasta. I think that the show is unfortunately exploiting some people with really big issues that need some professional help. I think for a lot of these people coupons are their drug of choice and while it is a mildly entertaining show to watch it is really just going to make coupon usage a bit more difficult for everyone else.

stephanie said...

I have mixed feelings. I'm really not sure there is going to be anything positive that comes out of these shows. They don't really seem to be "teaching" the consumer much. It just seems like more exploitation TV. Not to mention that some of the people they are choosing to showcase are not presented in a positive light (IMO), either due to editing or individual characteristics. I was really hoping that last nights show would showcase more of the route Nathan was taking on donating, but I felt it just skimmed over things as an afterthought. He still has quite a large stockpile & it didn't look like he was donating everything!

My other concern, is that it portraits some couponers as greedy & attempting to manipulate the system. I get flack now & I'm not doing anything wrong at the stores. I am concerned about the repercussions with manufacturers & stores regarding sales, coupons, freebies, etc.

Renee said...

I don't buy coupons,or clear shelves and I don't commit coupon fraud by using a coupon that is not meant for an item- i.e. using a Fiber One cereal coupon to buy Cheerios. I get extra Sunday papers and 1 of my friends gives me her coupons. I buy as much as I can of good deals and do have a stockpile that is in ONE room of my basement. Many of these "extreme" couponers are just that-EXTREME! Blowing off family functions to go couponing! Having a stockpile in almost every room in your house! Next show-HOARDERS!

Anonymous said...

I think they leave a lot out of the show. Not everyone who has a large stockpile is a hoarder. I share with family, friends, and I donate. A hoarder by definition cannot stand to give up any of their stockpile whether it is junk or useful. I know people that donate some and sell some so they can afford to be a SAHM/SAHD. This show is simply showing what you can do in an extreme way. Most of these people do not get 4 cart loads at a time on a regular basis.

Anonymous said...

I love to coupon and I am a girl with an eye for a bargain, but these people are really over the top. I believe the store should set limits, as to 3 per customer. Shameful that they must do that but these people are the bad apples that will spoil the great couponing deals for everyone.

Anonymous said...

It's literally hoarding, not in the OCD sense (although some of them probably have that as well). It's hoarding in the, "I'm a dragon sitting on a pile of gold" sense. Except their gold is a bunch of toilet paper that they force their children to store in their bedrooms.

If you're stockpiling massive quantities of stuff, that's a problem in my opinion.

Becka said...

did anyone catch the husband tell the wife 'we don't even eat mustard' and she agreed and then they proceeded to clear the shelf and left ONE mustard??? that is just wrong on so many levels. I don't buy it just because it's very cheap or free. I buy it because a) I need it or b) I will use it. I do have a stockpile and probably won't need to buy deodorant or shampoo for about 3 years. I see no reason to buy more now simply because it's cheap. It will go on sale again and there will be another good coupon for it at another time.

Unknown said...

I coupon to save money and also to donate items to the needy, but I don't grab 35 bottles of maalox either! And I don't understand how a store would allow someone to check out for 2 hours and have 18 transactions? How is that possible? I love and hate the show! Alice is right with the show being entertainment as well,but I would still like to understand how some of those stores actually allow more than 6 items per person :)

HM said...

I watched it first time this week and I think it is pretty good show. It gave some useful tips - like making shopping list and go with your coupon binder, keeping eye on register when items are being scanned.

But I would not do extreme couponing anytime. I am happy to feed my family for less and get items I need without paying full price.

I was amazed with how crazy you can get with coupon. But I would not spend hours of my time to clip coupons to buy items I do not even need or use.Even if you do not have babies and collecting diapers and even if you do not have heart burn and collecting medicine for it -- that it really out of my way and totally crazy :)

 

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