"Extreme" couponing

I can't help it, I'm addicted to the show.  In case you're living under a rock or without a television (redundant I know), you probably heard about this show.  If you haven't, to sum it up, TLC has a show that follows 2 people/families in each 30 minute episode.  These families have stockpiles of grocery items that have been purchased for "next to nothing."  Yes, this is all thanks to couponing.  From the get-go, chatting with friends and Card Man's as well as my observations, it's obvious that there is a hoarding problem going on here (with multiple other issues).  Someone has a lifetime supply of mustard, others have showers filled with paper products.  Other couples have rooms in their homes with shelving filled with groceries.

Please understand that when I say "groceries" it doesn't include produce, dairy or meat products.  These are a lot of processed foods.  I see a LOT of soda, snacks, candy and boxed/canned meals.  These are pretty much NOT healthy as a lot of people noted.  Although I understand the fact that when you're on a budget, buying fresh/healthy can be difficult, I also think that a lot of these couponers stockpile just because.  Some donate a lot of their purchases to charity which is VERY noble.  I personally have a 2" binder full of coupons just in case something that we use goes on sale for a good price and I can save a few bucks.

We're not the richest people on the block and with a family of 6 (soon to be 7 when my mom moves with us), I have to make the food budget stretch pretty far.  Meat, dairy and produce are a large part of my grocery bill (especially fresh fruit and veggies).  Having 4 kids to feed from teenager to toddler, I have to make sure that everything I make is healthy.  Don't get me wrong, we'll have our days where we eat Ramen or white rice, red meat, drink soda or have some sugary/salty snacks.  I like to keep the month 7/8 healthy.

In this show, they appeal to the American need to buy, buy, buy.  Almighty Capitalism is alive and well even in my heart.  Don't get me wrong, I've ALWAYS loved to grocery shop.  It gives me the same high that shopping for anything does, except I love to cook and purchasing the ingredients is very zen (shut it).   I think this show is rallying the masses to gather, gather, gather until you can gather no more.  I can't think of a single reason why the bedrooms in my house would be overcome with shelving and boxes/cans/bottles.  I can understand if there's a flood, vermin problem, etc.  However that stuff should always remain either in the garage, basement or find a closet if you can't fit it in to your kitchen.  Spilling over into the house unless you've got a massive amount of people in your house shouldn't happen.

I read some posts about dumpster diving (searching through recycle bins to get coupons) and I can understand it to a point (you save money by not buying the newspaper), but climbing in or even putting your kids in there to me is shocking.  I'm not shocked because of the bin itself (my mom had me do it when I was little), I'm more concerned about what might have been tossed in there recycling bin or not.  Hypodermic needles, glass, nails, the list goes on.  There's no way I would toss my child in there.

I think where I live it's illegal to dumpster dive anyway.  I'm not looking down on people who do it, but I am saying that if you're simply doing it to get MORE free stuff, then you need a reality check and there shouldn't be a reason you're putting your child in a dumpster to get MORE free stuff.

I spend $10 a week to get 10 newspapers.  I clip the coupons and give a friend of mine coupons for dog stuff (I don't have a dog nor do I plan on getting one).  I've got a few others that I don't use and those will go to other friends who use these things.  I get 10 because it's a nice round number, otherwise I'd stick to getting one for each member of the family.

Another thing I noticed around here is that the shelves are CLEAR when you have a good deal.  I have to wonder what time these people get up to clear these shelves.  I like to shop at night and at that point, the pickins are slim.

We've also got to deal with rude cashiers.  I encountered that for the first time last night.  I had doubler coupons and the policy states that you can use three per transaction.  Also it states that you can do 3 consecutive transactions which means that you have to get out of line and start again at the back of the line.  This makes sense seeing as if there's a line forming, you want to allow other customers to get on with their day.  However, I was there at 10:30pm and aside from me, there were 2 ladies who were couponing as well. Since I hit the cash register first, I got the female clerk there.  A male clerk was called to open another checkstand as I told the cashier that I had about 8 transactions to do if that was fine.  She told me that three are only allowed, etc.  I pointed out there was no one else in the store.  She told me she'd do it "this once."  The entire time she groaned, sighed, scoffed, etc.  Every once in a while she'd ask me how much I had left and that she couldn't take much more and that this show is terrible for the checkers.

I didn't say much to her, but rest assured, I won't be shopping there much if at all anymore.  The two ladies who had the male checker had about as many transactions as I did, he got them right out, no fuss no muss.

There are couponing ethics, people.  Learn how to be considerate to others that would also like to save on a sale.  Also, if you score a LOT of stuff for free, pay it forward, donate it to those that are less fortunate and don't hog it all, you know you're going to have a lot of things expire and then what was the point of having it all?

Wal-mart has just changed their coupon policy.  I'm very excited about this because as far as my town goes, they do "overage."  This is when the value of the coupon exceeds the price of the item and you end up with leftover.  Some people are getting cash back but I prefer to roll it over to meat/produce/dairy.  I don't feel right taking the cash.

Some Wal-Marts that I hear of are taking another grocery store's doubler coupons.  Wal-Mart is ad price matching (even without the ad, although I don't know how they would verify the price without the ad, so I always bring mine with me) and accepting competitor coupons.  I am aware of the ethical problems with Wal-Mart, but being able to feed my kids has to be my number one priority.

In the next few weeks, I am intensely searching for ways to live frugally.  I am also exercising quite a bit more than I was and hope to see results at some point, this healthy eating is kicking in for me.  I just wish Trader Joe's did coupons ;p