Ever since TLC decided that it would make for good reality television to follow around a bunch of folks who use coupons and dub them “Extreme Couponers”, there’s been a ton of talk about the people on the show, and people like them. People who spend hours each day clipping coupons and then checking them against store fliers all so they can create spreadsheets and action plans on how to best use the coupons in order to pay the least amount of money for whatever it is that they are buying.
So far, I’ve avoided talking about these people. I figure it’s about time that I make my thoughts known. What kind of personal finance site would Beating Broke be if we didn’t talk about one of the hottest topics in the personal finance world. My immediate take upon watching an episode of the show was that the people on it are a bit OCD. I like my money, and I’d rather not part with it if I don’t have to, but not so badly that I’m going to buy several hundred tubes of toothpaste. Or several hundred of anything for that matter. I also don’t buy the “I saved $xxx” argument. If you hadn’t gone to the store in the first place, you would have saved every penny you spent.
Coupons can play a somewhat important role in your shopping. But, it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as all that. My wife, for instance, is on a coupon train that 
she joined through Swapmamas. Every week or so, she gets a big envelope that’s bursting at the seam with coupons that the person who sent them to her just couldn’t use. She’ll sort through them while we’re watching T.V. or lying in bed at the end of the day. She carries the ones she keeps in a nice little accordion pocket organizer that she bought for that reason, then sends the rest off to the next person on the train. When we go shopping, we try to make a list and she’ll take 10-15 minutes to flip through the coupons to see if we have any that we can use. We don’t get results like the folks on that show, but it’s not out of the ordinary to save anywhere from 5% to 20% on any given trip. On stuff we were going to buy anyways.
Extreme couponing has become a bit of a fad. People are watching shows like the one on TLC and thinking they can do the same thing. Some of them are going to less than honest means to achieve those goals and are stealing papers from dispensers just to get to the valuable coupons in the inserts. When you have to steal to save your money, you really need to draw that line and get some help. Done right, couponing can be something that is hardly intrusive at all, and that can save you some money. Done right, it can become a bit of a lifestyle.
Some say they just don’t have the time to use coupons, but I think they have a somewhat distorted view of the time involved. It doesn’t have to be time consuming, and the returns can be rewarding. Give it a try. Next thing you know, you’ll be buying two of those Sunday papers.
photo credit: bargainbri
Originally published on 8/15/2011
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I wish my gf did this because I absolutely hate couponing. This is just one of my personal finance weaknesses. I am good with handling the bills, negotiating everything under the sun, and especially at researching big ticket items. She is good at stocking up on stuff when it’s on sale, but neither of us uses much for coupons. I know it would make a long term difference, but I just find it such a hassle. One thing I shake my head at is people that focus so much on “ultimate couponing” that they don’t do enough research on large expenditures like their house and vehicles!
Whether it is a fad or not , anything that is extreme is impossible to maintain. Recently, I bought some ice cream bars that had a mfg. coupon (instant rebate). I would rather see this type of promotion versus clipping a bunch of coupons.
Coupons are great if you use them on items you need and can’t get a deal at a big box store. For example, I got a nice coupon for allergy medicine online when I knew I had to go buy some. It saved me $15 off the MSRP and I got cash back through the pharmacy store rebate system.
I’m a Canadian… but I lived in Texas for a few years… and one of the things that stood out to me was the ability to get so much for so little, using coupons. And not just one coupon, but I could use a coupon and then another coupon from another source for the same product, sometimes leading me to get things for free. WOW… there’s nothing like that in Canada.
I think it is a lifestyle that is here to stay… until the stores put more limits on their usage.
@Doctor Stock Absolutely. And it’s those tactics that many of the “Extreme” folks use. We don’t use them here, because many of the stores in our area don’t allow/offer the doubling of coupons. And, I’ve read, it’s becoming harder to find stores that do, because of the added exposure that the show gave to the tactic.
Over the years I have found that either not using the product or buying a generic version of it saves me more money than any kind or combination of coupons.
Not to say I won’t use one if it falls in my lap and I really do want to get that particular product….I just won’t go out of my way to clip them.
I’m kind of like Marie. We use coupons when we find them but we also save a lot of money with the generic. We’ve found it hard to find the time for extreme couponing.
I hear that some stores are now changing some policies to make it harder or even impossible to get these huge hauls of stuff for “free.” The thing that strikes me is that these people get hundreds or thousands of stuff for a few dollars, but they spend 60 hours a week to do it. Wouldn’t they be just as well of just getting a job and earning money to pay for it? At some point the “rate of diminishing returns” comes into play for me with coupons. If I can spend 10 minutes and save $10 on my grocery bill, great. But if it takes me 30 minutes to save $13, it starts to become not worth my time.
I personally can’t get enough of reading people’s opinions on this extreme couponing….I think reading discussions on it is just as interesting as the show itself.
I think it’s a fad. I’m sure there will always be those who love the sport of getting stuff for free so much they’re willing to commit 40 hours a week on deal hunting and coupon clipping. However, this is unsustainable for most people.
When it comes to couponing, I find my biggest savings by searching for coupon codes online right at the point of purchase. I’ve also had a lot of success with printable coupons for prescription drugs. It’s not uncommon to find a coupon for a brand name drug that’ll cover my entire copay.
I’m torn on the whole thing. I can honestly say I’ve never used a coupon. Call it stupid, but I don’t want to spend my time flipping through ads.
Having said that, I’ve watched the show a few times and got a real kick of it. Hilarious, but I’m not sure it can last.
We use the coupons CostCo sends, but only for things we’d buy anyway. Sometimes that means we buy when we don’t actually need stuff, and sometimes it means we create a little stockpile. But we always make sure to check the coupon price against the CostCo store brand price.
There’s a product we buy that CostCo didn’t use to have a store brand for. We got a coupon for it and went to get it and discovered that there is now a Kirkland brand version. Yay- now I can buy it only when I need it, for cheaper than the coupon price.
The extreme couponing culture that seems to have taken a hold in the States has failed to lift off here in the UK, but that doesn’t stop us from watching what’s happening overseas with bemusement.
It strikes me that extreme couponing is an inefficient use of time and counter intuitive. I’d imagine there are a lot of people out there stock piling products, whether they actually use them or not. People seem to forget that a deal is only a deal if you were planning on making that purchase in the first place. Storing so much tat must be a logistical nightmare too.
Agreed. I watched an episode of the show a while back, and it was attention-grabbing, in the skin-crawling sort of way.
I like saving money as much as the next person, but I’m not willing to work very hard to find a coupon. We use membership club coupons grocery shopping, and always save the 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupons we get in the mail occasionally. But that’s about it.
I’m more of a cashback rebates person. I just got a $140 rebate today, in fact. Granted it was a big purchase, but that’s $140 of money I wouldn’t have otherwise. The best thing is you just click the referral link before you buy, and that’s it. Fast, and easy. No hunting for coupon codes.
I haven’t watched the show and honestly wouldn’t go to such a far extent anyway. Some smart couponing can save you money and I see its use in this case. But being obsessed with it is not really they way, IMO.
too much of anything is always bad. Couponing can be really helpful if you’re getting things you need. These extreme couponers can actually earn money if they sell the stashes they keep, to people who actually can use the products.
My grandma was the best couponer I know. I wish I would have learned some lessons from her.