It’s that time of the week again… Tonight TLC will air a new episode of Extreme Couponing. Have you been watching? I watched last week and I have to admit that I was a bit more optimistic about the couponers.. Nathan and twins Tai and Tarin seemed a bit more “real” to me. And, I appreciated the fact that Nathan was donating his purchases. I have to admit I was a bit inspired by the fact that Tai and Tarin had all of those diapers – even without kids! I have always thought that if I was pregnant, I would start stockpiling diapers and baby items before my babies’ birth.. So, to see the twins with all of those diapers before even becoming pregnant was quite an interesting idea for me!
What do you guys think of Extreme Couponing? What are you liking and disliking? Are you thinking that the couponers are hoarders? inspiring? selfish? giving? What do you think?
**If you are new to Addicted to Saving and would like to start couponing and saving money, I can’t wait to help you out! Feel free to get started by reading my Addicted to Saving 101 – Intro to Coupons post.
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
I’ll be watching, lol.
As far as the diapers, I’m pregnant with #2 and I’m not stocking up on disposable diapers, but cloth diapers. I did cloth until my son was 2.
Way to go on the cloth diapers, Bri! Me too. Though you may be able to get disposables for near free, the facts indicate that cloth diapers properly laundered are better for baby and mother nature. After the initial investment, cloth are cheaper than disposables(for most people). And after you’re done diapering, you have THE BEST RAGS EVER!
I have 2 year old b/g twins and I wished I had started stockpiling before their birth. It would have saved us a ton of $. I used Huggies and Pampers diapers until the were 18 months. At that point, a friend recommended the Target brand diapers which are half the price so I decided to give them a try. Boy, I was sure glad I did because they work great and for a fraction of the price. I recently tried the Walgreens brand as well since they were so cheap and they work great too!
i’ll be watching too i enjoy the show even if its not real. but is any show now? I wish i would have couponed before my son was born i would have stocked up. we are trying to have #2 but due to complications not sure we will be able to have another so i still stock on baby baby stuff because i have friends who are having children what a perfect way to give a gift walk in my stock pile room grab a pack of diapers, some wipes, butt cream. then go to my “craft” room and make them a personalized something for the baby (i embroidery and stick vinyl on everything haha) so although many people compalined about the diapers why not i’m sure they didnt get them all at once and it will be years before they would go bad. i wish i would have been able to get more WAG diapers i love them!! so yes i’m super excited about the show its fun to watch.
Although I am a newbie to couponing, I don’t think I care for this show. I want to save money as much as the next person, however I think some of these people are “crooked” and “greedy” couponers. I don’t know maybe that’s just a part of couponing I have yet to learn~~hope not. I could not imagine clearing out a store just because I had a million coupons~~~what are other people supposed to do that are trying so hard to save money right now? Anyway, I hope I did not offend anyone~~that is and was not my intention.
A Coupon Newbie
I like the show & will be watching tonight. It’s fun, they do the same thing we all do they just take it to the next level. I wish the show would focus more on the giving the using coupons allows. I will admit when I first started a couple of years ago I got a bit addicted to the rush, which is fine cause I have a large family. So rather then storing shelves & shelves of items in my home to last me for the next 20 years I kept a 1-2 year supply of most things & then gave each of my family members their own supply for about 1-2 years as well. I also donated to my church, & co workers.
The difference is instead of these “extreme couponers” I don’t feel the need to keep going to get more of the same items I have 20 or 30 of already. I can sit back & take a break I don’t even remember the last time I was in a Walgreens or Target. I have no reason to go there. Which is awesome for me!! I have also taught my whole family about coupons, and now the are firm believers!
I love this website though, cause even though I have enough health & beauty products to last me, a girl still has to eat! I love the Publix deals, so now I have been focusing on stockpiling food for my whole family.
I will be watching. The show is kinda like a train wreck — it’s really gruesome, but you have to look. The first show with the chick putting on her makeup every 2 minutes annoyed me. And we all know about the possible fraud talk on the Internet… Nathan was inspiring to be donating to the troops. Though his 1000 tubes of toothpaste (which I got the impression he was keeping) is over the top. Can you even use 1000 tubes of toothpaste in a lifetime?
I was really hoping the show would teach something. Maybe I keep watching hoping to learn something.
I really appreciate all the work that must go into this website. I reference it frequently. Honestly, I hope TLC will show a regular shopper, maybe a mom with an out-of-the-home job — someone without a blog and someone who does not spend 40 hours a week (or more) clipping coupons and creating Excel spreadsheets cross-referencing coupons with sales. I hope they show someone who only has time to shop at one or two stores and do one transaction at each store, not 18. I would find that interesting.
I was wondering the same thing but not about toothpaste but the episode before when that lady bought 77 bottles of mustard!!! How does anyone use that much mustard? If I were to try this which I am seriously considering, I would donate the excess to the local foodbank or homeless shelter.
Like the show … but some of the people are a bit “crazy”. One of the women was even crying when explaining that she has cancelled plans with her husband or others so she does not miss a deal. I’mm all about saving money but, that’s going a little too far.
I liked the twins … they were funny. They made me start looking for birthday deals since my b-day is just a few weeks away. Does anyone know about good b-day deals in North Tampa? I did not like it when one of the twins commented on how they had cleared the shelves of a product. Like Suzanne above said … it’s a bit greedy. I tried to get a BOGO deal once at Publix (just one deal), and another woman had just finished putting forty bottles of the cleaner in her cart … and left the shelf empty.
Too bad that extreme couponing does’t work in San Antonio, Texas. There’s no doubling your coupons here in San Antonio.
Sweetie,
I agree! I wish we were able to do that here….. But we only have one store…… Which dominates everyone else……..
I enjoy the show; however, it isn’t the norm especially in Florida where there is no double or triple couponing. I have heard of cashiers giving couponers a hard time since the show but I honestly have been fortunate. In fact cashiers often say they saw the show and how awesome it would be to save so much money. I explain the show is extreme but that doesn’t mean they can’t save. I usually recommend this website and tell them anyone can do it. I tell them about the class they can go to and and how they can watch utube videos (that is how I taught myself) on the web. They always thank me. A lot of people these days want to save with the economy being so bad. It usually only takes a second to explain how they can lear. I will say that every time I go to the register now I worried that I am going to get someone who watched the show and has a negative attitude about couponers. So far so good no negative cashiers.
I work for Publix and I LOVE my cupons. I’ve been known to get forty bags of dog food when they’re on a good sale cause I’ve got five dogs and a family of nine, but never would i buy more than ten of something at one store. it’s just my coupon rule. I watch this show, but it is kind of depressing because SO MANY people have started couponing. And that is fabulous! But they don’t know how to use them properly, and so we have to buckle down and scrutinize every single coupon and item like a bunch of nazis. and it makes me sick to have to do that to people, but at the same time when do we reach our limit? The show is a publicity stunt, over-dramatized, but it is giving off some bad vibes. Publix coupon policy WILL be changing in June, because the company is losing money. Manufacturers coupons are not the problem, as many people will point out the .08 cent reimbursement on top of the coupon value. What is costing the stores is publix and competitor coupons. 🙁
There is talk among the managers that there will be at least two major changes, if not more to the coupon policy. The first is that if you use a 5/30 q, your total must equal 30 AFTER coupons. The other is just cracking down on what is considered a competitor. It breaks my heart to tun down an innocent couponer with a walgreens q for .50 cents or a target ip, but changes are afoot.
My hope for the future is that us good couponers can spread the word about sites like Liza’s that teach others how to accurately use coupons and to learn things in moderation. Thanks for all your hard work, Liza!
Sorry for the novel! 🙂
Where do u find cloth diapers?
I found cloth diapers in the baby section at Walmart. I have not used them as a diaper but they really do make great burp cloths and cleaning rags.
I bought some of the Gerber cloth diapers at Toys R Us before my baby was born. They are fine as newborns, but quickly their bladders will surpass that capacity. I bought at diapers dot com and also found some used ones on craigslist. Good luck!
I am actually watching this show. I have recently started couponing, but I am not going to the extremes of some people. I don’t like the idea of stockpiling food, so I plan to give some of the food to the local charities. But, I love the idea of saving money on non-grocery items like body wash, razors, shampoo, etc. We had a sale locally at Wal-greens where you could get bottles of body wash for $.79. The original cost is $5.00. I stocked up on those, but not a three year supply. I bought 8 for my husband and 8 for myself. I think you can use coupons to make your bill much cheaper, but I don’t want to go overboard. I like the idea of being able to give more to charity.
How can I get diapers really cheap or free??