I have watched some clips on TV and I have some friends on Facebook who are some of THOSE coupon people where they get something like $182.16 worth of groceries and other items and with the use of coupons and such they pay only $3.42 and I wonder how they do it. Notice I said I watched clips, never watched a full segement or show on the subject. Now I am someone who likes a good deal and love to hunt out bargains but I am not someone who uses a lot of coupons because in most cases I can just watch the grocery ads and such and get some good bargains.
I do wonder how the heck they get all those dang coupons. I mean seriously where the hell do they come from? I use to buy the Sunday paper and there were always coupons in there but it always seemed the products were something I wouldn't normally buy or the price even with the coupon was not as good as the off brand I usually buy. I think sometimes they do rebates which I don't want to do, I'm an instant gratification kinda gal. I'm not going to spend $2 in mailing supplies and gas to the bank to cash a $1.50 rebate check.
One more question I have about the whole coupon, extreme coupon that is, experience is what in the hell do people do with 50 bottles of ketchup?? Is it really saving money when you have to spend $5,000 to build a new pantry and then another $1,500 in buying shelving supplies to store those infinite about of ketchup bottles? And, if you are just lucky enough with the frozen food coupon you can buy another 2 or 3 $500 deep freezers to keep those frozen meals intact until the year 2053 when you finally get to eat them all
*okie questions if even frozen food would stay fresh that long without the benefit of vacuum sealing which okie is a firm believer in*.
I guess for now I will continue to just watch my grocery ads and make my lists and vacuum seal my bargains because I refuse to start storing all that damn ketchup. After all, there is pretty paper, cardstock, pearls, tapes, ribbons and all kinds of other embellishments that need precious storage space and that is way more important that 50 bottles of ketchup!
I have watched those shows and I agree with you, it's a full time job. They go around and buy newspapers or get them out of garbage cans and spend hours cutting them out. Plus, what does one do with 189 bottles of shampoo? I have always believed that those with "grocery stores" in their basements actually sell for 50 cents on the dollar to their neighbors. I mean, they would NEVER use all that stuff.
ReplyDeleteI actually attended a session on couponing once - and one of the things they taught is that you don't plan your meals and then shop. Instead, you find out what you can get with coupons and then plan and prepare meals based on what is available. So - if you like your kids to drink milk - but soda is on sale with coupons - then the kids drink soda this week. I'm not sure I could buy into that kind of a plan. Plus - I already have one full-time job - I don't need another one. It was interesting to see - but it's definitely not for me.
ReplyDeleteOkie, you are too funny! I would love to have those stockpiles in my basement but instead of ketchup, I would like paper goods and soap supplies. That would be awesome to me!!
ReplyDeleteThere is a site here in my town called Henderson yard sale 24/7 and people are always on there selling shampoo, soap, razors, dish soap, laundry soap...etc.... so they go out and get it for almost nothing and then sell it for a couple bucks.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people must sell their stash. Other than paper goods, everything has an expiration date and gets stale. Pasta and cereal can get grain bugs if kept too long, so I never buy more than five at a time.
DeleteThere are also some people who donate part of their hauls to food pantries and such. Good people!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a coupon clipper - only do it once in a while. I agree that the coupons are usually for something I wouldn't buy or they're for the expensive brand which is still more expensive than the off brand, even with the coupon.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Okie. I use coupons if they are good and for special things that I would really have to splurge to get. (like my Atkins shakes etc.) But who has the time or space for all that hoarding. I once saved $6. 00 using coupons and was ecstatic.
ReplyDeleteDitto. I only use coupons for items I use on a regular basis. If it happens to be on sale and I have a coupon, well be still my heart!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you Shirley. Although I am in awe at the jaw-dropping savings the extreme couponers get ... I mean, who isn't impressed by a shopper that walks out of the store with 4 overly filled shopping carts full of products (regardless of what the products are) and paid $1.92 or less? But seriously, I am only shopping for me and my DH. I do not have enough space in my vehicle to even get that much home, nor do I have a place to stash everything if I did (all available space is already filled with crafting supplies). I use coupons on items I need now, or know that we will use within a reasonable period, but I have no desire to save mega bucks on products that we wouldn't use anyway ... to me, that's no better than throwing money away.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to the couponers, many do it out of necessity because of finances or large families. They spend hours every week hunting for coupons and store specials and often go to several of the same stores in order to take advantage of all the savings. It's a full time job. Some couponers sell their over stock for a nice little profit, which adds to the family income ... some exchange coupons and/or products with one another ... and some donate extra products to charitable groups and/or families in need.
I know couponers work very hard at what they do, and I am impressed by what they accomplish. However, I also know that I will never become an extreme couponer. For me, my "extreme" crafting is enough to keep me busy. I'm happy with that.