I'm sure you've all heard about the new show Extreme Couponing. Where people that call themselves "couponers" clear shelves and get thousands of dollars in grocery items for pennies on the dollar at checkout. (I've watched it once and never again)
- I would argue that these people are not "couponers" but rather "hoarders". If you want to stock up on mustard and you have coupons, I understand getting 4 or even 10 bottles....but 40?!?! Seriously!? Unless you intend to give it away to a local food bank or charity, why would you ever need 40 bottles of mustard? I promise it will be on sale again, and there will be more coupons for them before you run out of your stash and before the ones you have expire.
- I've found that when people have coupons on something that they usually would not purchase, they are more likely to purchase that item. I've fallen into this trap. I constantly have to remind myself that "just because you have a coupon for it, does not mean you need it." Buying items you would not normally buy is a waste of money. I've gotten into the habit now of not cutting out coupons of things that I would not normally purchase. This erases the temptation of making a purchase based on having a coupon.
- Here in Utah County, UT our local Walmarts have adopted a "Double Coupon Tuesday" to compete with a local grocery store that doubles coupons on Tuesdays. Walmart has decided to start the double coupon deal at 12:01am Tuesday. So if you happen to shop at Walmart at say 10 or 11 pm Monday night you will see a ton of women shopping all the "double coupon" sales for 2 hours and then checking out at 12:01 Tuesday morning. So by the time the "normal" shoppers get there at say 9:00 am Tuesday morning the shelves are empty of any good double coupon deals.
I understand the whole "adrenaline rush" and "getting the best bang for your buck"...I really do. I'm a bargain shopper too and love to find deals to stretch my dollar. But for me, shopping the night before a sale in order to get double coupon deals, buying so many items that you need a separate storage unit added on to your house or buying something because I have a coupon are all wastes of my time, effort and money.
How do you avoid Extreme Couponing?
Amen! Thanks for posting this. I think they are horders too. Especially with the toothbrushes. I mean, they give you free ones at then dentist, why do you need to stock up on 300 toothbrushes?! One guy did score on cereal and then donated it to the food pantry. I'm cool with that. That makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI only use coupons for the food or products we normally buy, but since we mostly buy staples and make stuff from scratch, there are not many coupons for that. So I buy wholesale. I also refuse to go to store I normally don't shop just to take advantage of a sale and coupon combo. It's just too much work.
I saw that guy with the cereal, he had palates of Total in his driveways. That was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you make stuff from scratch!
~Michelle
Amen Sista, Amen!. There is nothing more frustrating than getting your kids ready and carted to the store for something, only to find there aren't any left on the shelves when you get there. Geez people, save some for the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!! I get so tired of hearing the stories of people talk about their extreme couponing . . .yet they are buying stuff they wouldn't buy if they didn't have coupons! I am all for saving money and using coupons for what I was planning on buying or things that I use all of the time - otherwise I find I spent a whole lot MORE money that I would normally!! So, again THANK YOU for this post!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way! I tried to do the "double coupon" deal at Walmart on brownie mixes for a wedding I was catering and I was able to get 1 box. The last box on the shelf. I NEEDED those brownies...it was so obnoxious that I haven't tried since.
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