Extreme Couponing

I was pretty certain the Extreme Couponing hoopla was coming to an end. We know that most major retailers will not let them in their stores, and the negative publicity that comes from independent stores doubling for the show alone makes me believe that they will not be as anxious to let the show in either. However, when on vacation last week I found that some people still think this show is real, because when I told people what I do “for a living,” I was again asked “how to do they do that” on Extreme Couponing.

*sigh*

I should have little cards with this series url cataogory printed so people could have a better understanding of the work and planning behind couponing successfully. The unrealistic expectations of the Extreme Couponing fans always disturbs me.

Remember: learn the basics and work within the framework of the stores in your area, as well as what best for your family’s lifestyle, budget and needs.

Do you have people asking you about the series? How do you respond?

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A year ago I wrote a post predicting most of what would happen due to the Extreme Couponing show. The only thing I was quasi-wrong about was the end of tiered Catalinas. We still get them on occasion, but they are seldom national anymore.

If you have the time, read through some of the comments in that post. Oh what a difference a year makes.

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Am I the only one that has noticed that a lot of the new couponers that rushed onto the scene after Extreme Couponing premiered have abandoned couponing? It seems a lot of the longtime couponers have left too. Too many Store Coupon Policy changes, irate manager, shelf clearers and what was a great hobby to save money turned into a major headache for many, many people. I wonder if the oldies will be back? I wonder if the newbies will scale back and realize it is a marathon, not a sprint, and return to couponing on a realistic level?

As many of you know, I have been couponing for 30 years now. I have couponed through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer. I am truly wedded to this way of life.

There have been some horrible couponing times – when the rebates dried up in the early 90s, the reduction of paper coupons in the inserts, the printable coupon fraud of the last 8 years – *hint* if it is a free coupon in your email from Aunt Sally do not print it. It isn’t real. And have Aunt Sally stop sharing.

So while Extreme Couponing is going to be looked at as being responsible for ending the golden age of couponing, it really isn’t as bad as those other horrible times. We will continue to have coupons, and those that felt that Extreme Couponing was realistic have had enough time to learn that it is not. If the economy does not improve drastically this year, coupon redemption will remain high, and manufacturers will continue to use a large portion of their advertising dollars to support cents-off coupons.

But in the meantime if you find someone who wants to learn how to begin couponing, make sure they start slowly and learn the correct ins and outs. A proper foundation will serve them well. That way, the ebbs and flows of couponing will be like everything else where adjustments can be made and the experience can continue.

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Since we’ve pretty much established that no one can go into a store each and every week and save $500 on groceries while only spending $3.57, what also follows is that you are not going to build a six month stockpile in two weeks.

What is a realistic time frame for building a decent stockpile? Three months would be the minimum for most folks due of sale cycles. My basement stockpile would take approximately six months to accumulate.

Please have practical couponing goals. Yes, we all want to save as much money as possible in these tough economic times, but you will become frustrated and you will quit if you expect to become a couponing-pro with a fantastic stockpile withing a month of beginning couponing. That truly is not realistic. I again urge you to learn the basics, practice patience, and above all, fly under the radar. Commonsense goals will make couponing a life-long vocation rather than a passing fancy.

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Is the Extreme Couponing craze still interfering with your shopping experience? Or has the craze died down and cashiers and managers have calmed down? Has stock returned to your store shelves? What about loss-leaders? Have they returned to your local ad?

I am trying to decide if there is a need to continue this series? Are we, for good or bad, at the status quo, or is the insanity still among us and we will see further tightening of store coupon policies?

Your input is appreciated!

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The past few weeks hubby and I were out of town visiting relatives. One evening, we had dinner with a charming lady, who was a former co-worker of my mother-in-law, and the lady’s very nice daughter.

At dinner we got to chatting about what we do for a living, and I explained I am a deal blogger heavily into couponing. The topic of course moved to the Extreme Couponing “reality” show, and the question was asked regarding how is what they do possible? I explained how staged everything is on the program, and the very nice daughter was relieved to hear how unrealistic the program actually is.

I understand that relief. Could you imagine thinking you were missing out on easy money? We all know that couponing in work. It can be hard work, part-time work, or a casual flirtation with savings, but regardless of how hardcore your couponing, you must learn the basics, and implement those lessons learned. There is no dash out the door to save a thousand dollars. We stick with it out of economic need, frugality, lifestyle, or because “we have always couponed”. And after a while it becomes second nature and is very easy to do!

I explained that it is pretty simple to never have to pay for H&BA, paper goods, laundry soaps, etc. The more difficult savings come in the food aisle, but can you save close to 100% on non-food items and 50% on food items while building your stockpile. Oh course some adjustments, such as few brand loyalties (excluding allergies), and learning to cook to the sale cycles and circulars are needed to obtain these saving, but it is not really arduous.

While I am not certain if the very nice daughter will ever take up hardcore couponing, I do believe she will continue her casual couponing habits. After all, every little bit of savings helps to stretch your family’s budget.

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One of the most important components in your shopping trip is choosing the correct cashier. When no one is following you with a camera, and the store has not been forewarned customers might actually be coming in with a coupon or two (or 67 1/2), there are occasionally check-out clerk issues. That is where profiling comes in handy. You see, the 17 year old male cashier is usually the best choice for a smooth and easy non-confrontational check-out experience.

They simply don’t give a rat’s patootie if you have 12 products and are using a coupon on each item. They do not dig through your bags to find six alike products to match the six alike coupons on your stack. They do something wild and let the register do what it is programmed to do: scan your coupons when you have purchased the items.

When a coupon fails to scan, they are young enough to recall that they scanned 16 Tropicana OJ under a minute ago, and therefore it is a valid purchase for your two Tropicana $1 manufacturer coupons. And if for some reason they did forget, they actually *gasp* look at the receipt instead of spending 20 minutes rooting through the bags to find that pack of Dentyne.

Now the negative to cashing out with someone young enough to be your grandson is they don’t know how to bag. If they were ever taught bagging (a lost art if ever there was one), that promptly flew out of their mind. That 20 year old with the blonde hair and blue eyes cashing next to him is quite the distraction, dontchyaknow?

So if you check-out with that 17 year old male, be prepared to bag your own groceries. The upside to bagging your own groceries is you can bag them according to where you will put the items away in your home. That and the bags will not weigh 73 pounds each.

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