Extreme Couponing?
Everybody wants a deal. Everyone. Where I live, getting a good deal is a way of life...
So it was with great anticipation that I tuned in to watch "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. I was impressed. Like the show or not, you really have to admire the tenacity of these people.
The vast majority of us have used a coupon from time to time. They key part is remembering to use the coupon. I can't tell you how many times I went shopping or out for dinner only to get home and realise I had a coupon in my purse that I could have used. Some people think using coupons is tacky. Well, considering I have the bargain gene, I don't see that. Why pay full price when you can get a discount? Make no sense to me.
I think what separates us coupon amateurs from those experts featured on the show is the preparation involved. In the episode that I watched, one woman said it takes her 6 hours to prepare for a shopping trip. 6 hours!!! From the coupon cutting, to researching in store specials to confirming store coupon policies, it all takes time. Finding time to even go to the grocery store is a challenge for me, let alone researching the trip before hand.
All that prep work pays off does pay off. I watched as grocery bills decreased from over $1,200 to just over $100 with COUPONS! Unbelievable. Hats off to that shopper (and incindentally, the checkout individual as I think ringing through 2,500 coupons in a row would be ever so slightly cumbersome).
So I was 100 percent behind this extreme coupon extravaganza to this point. It's really hard to argue with 98 percent savings. But here is the one sticky point... where do you put it all?
At what point does a family of four justify purchasing 77 bottles of mustard? Apparently mustard is big favorite of extreme couponers as it can be stored indefinitely. I absolutely understand the economies of scale that come with buying in bulk. That being said, there is a thin but definitive line between being smart and being impractical. I think you cross that line when your shower is full of paper towels and there are hundreds of rolls of toilet paper under you son's bed. I don't have enough room in my pantry for 77 bottles of mustard. Does anyone?
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati