Extreme Couponing: I’m about to step my game up!
Posted: April 28, 2011 Filed under: Household, Lifestyle, Money Management, shopping 4 Comments
Joanie Deemer makes couponing look good!
I just cannot get enough of TLC’s show Extreme Couponing! It’s a crazy idea, but hey, I am CRAZY sexy frugal after all.
You know what else is crazy? The savings these people are getting! I have to admit that I am more than a little jealous! Really, it just means that I will have to do more with coupons to get the tips, tricks and strategies down. I’m totally up for the challenges.
One thing I won’t be doing is spending 70 hours a week clipping coupons or dumping plans just to go shopping! I’m not letting the stockpile out into other areas of the house that’s not designated for the stockpile. Time and space are also very valuable especially in our house!
Since I’ve been studying each episode, I have noticed a few things already:
*You won’t save 98% percent of your grocery bill….at first!
Keep in mind the people on the show have refined their techniques over time. It didn’t happen overnight. Just because you won’t get those bottles of lotion for free right away doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use coupons. Even if you can get 50% off the retail price, that is fantastic!
*You have to take advantage of available resources and opportunities with no shame!
So you don’t have a store savings card? You didn’t use that coupon that printed while you were at checkout? You didn’t realize you could use the coupon that was inside the box? Skilled savers use everything they possibly can to rake in the savings and it pays off. They sign up for free offers, do short surveys, and call companies to ask if they have any coupons. If you’re hesitant to give your personal email, make one just for coupon deals, like yourcouponsavings@(yourhostnamehere).com
*Healthy eaters are NOT exempt!
So you’re not really interested in eating Yakisoba noodles or canned peas? I don’t blame you, but do you use toilet paper, paper towels, aluminum foil, light bulbs, toothbrushes, razors, tissues, hand sanitizer, and washing detergent? Vegetarians have to brush their teeth too, and if you can get toothbrushes for free with a coupon, why would you turn that down? I personally eat gluten free and sugar free, and I’m always on the lookout for healthy coupons. Guess what? They exist! A good place to find some is Whole Foods. Start there!
I’ve added some more links in the blogroll of some very awesome coupon resources like Hip2save.com and thecouponclippers.com Hip2save does the matchup work for you so you don’t have to look for at the sales to link coupons. Coupon clippers is a coupon clipping service that you may hear mentioned on the EC show. It’s way to get multiple coupons for the items that you want.
Save some money and if you see a lady with five carts full of stuff, you might not want to get behind her!
Crazy Sexy Frugal 
Have linked this article to one I’m writing, so you’ll get a ping back on it. Great site, glad I found it!
Great article! The “70hours/week” incident was one of the shoppers featured who had a full time job and a husband! She serious had an issue and even said it on the show. It does not have to be that way when you use coupons!
[…] Before reading about “extreme couponing” a part of me missed my weekend couponing ritual. I’m now grateful I live in the land without coupons. I’m worried about my fellow Americans. You cannot spend this much time couponing and/or watching others extreme coupon! Even Huffington Post exclaims: Couponing Can be Hazardous to Your Health (because it promotes buying unhealthy food). Help exists. If you want to coupon sensibly, perhaps check out this post Extreme Couponing: I’m about to step my game up! […]
I’m sure, I was being a tad sarcastic, although I just got a spate of articles through Blogher today about extreme couponing during back to school and think maybe there was some truth in it! Thanks for sharing!