Tonight on TLC there was a special called “Extreme Couponing.” Did you watch it?
I have been an avid coupon clipper for years. When I first started, I just used them at the store whenever I bought the item. I didn’t pay attention to sales, I didn’t match them up to take advantage of deals. I was pretty clueless.
And then a couple of years ago, I came across a website that told me when to use my coupons and when to save them. They did the work for me. I began to buy multiple newspapers so that I could get multiple products when the deal was good. I went to message boards where other women discussed the best deals they found. I went shopping multiple times a week to take advantage of these deals.
But it didn’t work out for me like it should have.
I had a basement full of items. I was overflowing with “great deals.” I had so many shelves and cupboards full of “great deals” that I didn’t know what to do with them.
I was using Extreme Couponing but I was doing it the wrong way.
Let me show you What Not to Do when Extreme Couponing.
1. Do not let the “great deals” dictate your life.
I was going to multiple stores each week, sometimes driving to other towns nearby to take advantage of the deals. I was spending gas money that I didn’t need to spend and I was losing a lot time away from my family.
2. Do not forget about your budget.
Extreme Couponing can be great, if you stick to your budget. I found myself putting things on credit card because they were a great deal (not necessarily food, but sometimes). NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING is a great deal if you have to charge it.
3. Do not buy so much that you can’t deal with it all.
I have, and I will freely admit this, I have gone overboard in the past. Shocking, I know! There were times when I got body washes for 25¢, dish-washing detergent for free or nearly free and sanitary napkins completely free. Guess what, I had to store all of those products. A year after having all this cheap body wash, they smell bad and I had to toss them. (Certain products contain ingredients that can go rancid, especially creamy lotions and body washes). Three years after buying a ton of dish-washing detergent, I have given tons away but I’ve also had to move with it. I moved 100 miles away with three sweater box sized tubs of dish-washing tablets. That’s ridiculous.
4. Do not buy items with the intent to donate them and then Not donate them.
I had tons of items I received for free that I planned to donate to a women’s shelter. And what I found, there wasn’t a women’s shelter near by. If you plan to do this, and I think it’s a GREAT idea. Make sure you have found the organization you are going to donate to and verify with them what items they need. It is of no help to a women’s shelter to donate diapers if they don’t accept children into their shelter. Now they have to find a way to pass it on.
Extreme Couponing can be a great thing, if you do it correctly and conscientiously. Be mindful of what you buy and what its purpose is. Remember, no one needs 15 Blood Glucose Meters, even if they were free.
I also blog at A Five Star Life. I write about anything that comes to mind but try to focus on finding the good in daily life.
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on December 29, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Great point! I haven’t gotten that good with coupons yet, but I do love finding a deal. As I was reading your post, I was thinking, why not donate the extra? and then you covered that. I never thought about the fact that their might not be places to donate the items. Definitely something to remember and look into before I start collecting to donate items.
Jess(Quote)
I will say that I have sold a ton of shampoo in garage sales. People go nuts for them. You can put Dove Shampoo out there for $1 a bottle and they are SHOCKED that it’s being sold. If I could, I’d do that every weekend in the summer. And quite a few of those people should do that too. They’d make a ton of money!
DebtPrincess(Quote)
Your new header looks great! And I love this take on the show last night. There’s a fine line between saving GREAT money and doing really stupid things that in the end are wasteful!
gigi(Quote)
Thanks Gigi. I don’t think it’s saving great money if you put out $70 in coupons. I thought the African American woman, while over board was not neccessarily extreme. She walked for hours asking people to save her their circulars. Great idea! If she brought them a bag of free stuff with her once a month, that would be even better.
DebtPrincess(Quote)
I saw that show last night. Although it was really cool how they walked away with all that stuff for free or almost free….it was clear that they were never going to use it. That one guy bought all that cereal that he donated, which was great. He also bought all that deodorant and hand soap when he already had enough for three lifetimes. It seems to me that it has become almost a specific type of hording at that point.
Tracie(Quote)
It is absolutely hoarding. It is an illness. The first gal (who’s from my area) is the one who made me think of a mental illness the most. She really seemed to be overcompensating for something. And her husband is not happy, that’s going to be a big problem in their marriage someday.
DebtPrincess(Quote)
My 14 year old watched the Extreme Couponing show, and today I’ve been hearing all kinds of advice from him. I’d rather read what you have to say! You aren’t bossy about it!
Sandra(Quote)
lol My kids would disagree with you. I can be pretty bossy. Just tell him “Well, The Debt Princess said “insert witty advice from me.”
DebtPrincess(Quote)
Okay…I missed it, but I am going to look it up on the net so I can watch it now…LOL
I nominated you for the Stylish Blogger Award…hop on over to get your button:)
giveawayswithgrace(Quote)
I just nominated you for the Stylish Blogger Award cuz your soo groovy~!! Please stop by and view it here…
http://madmoosemama.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylish-blogger-award.html
Jennifer C.(Quote)
Hi “The Debt Princess”
Plus, we can’t afford to buy food storage so we have nothing if we are ever in a crisis. That’s kind of scary to think about.
Could you tell me the website you use that tells you when to use your coupons and when to save them. I just saw this episode tonight and I had no idea this could be done. This might actually help us get out of some major debt. I quit my job when I had my little princess a year ago and me not working is majorly catching up with us and I need some help to get us out of this debt whole we are in
-Trish
Trisha(Quote)
Sure can, http://www.couponmom.com is a great free site that you can use. But I prefer http://www.thegrocerygame.com, it’s a membership site. You pay $10 for 8 weeks of sales info from 1 store and then it’s $5 for each additional store that you want. I used to pay $20 for 2 grocery stores & CVS. Totally worth it! You save that $20 in one week of shopping. Just be careful that you don’t go overboard.
DebtPrincess(Quote)
I *LOVE* this post! I am in a similar position to yours and I love couponing. But a friend told me about this show (I haven’t yet seen it).
I have seen myself previously getting to that point of letting ‘great deals’ distract me from my budget. I am very very conscious of this!
I look forward to continuing to read more from you! If you ever want to talk about the woes of debt (off-blog) let me know!
Rachel {at} It’s a Hero recently posted..The Chowder House- Cuyahoga Falls- Ohio
Rachel {at} It’s a Hero(Quote)
Rachel, I am pretty sure a good $1000 of my debt is from “good deals.” I bought toys on clearance at Target to resell on eBay. But then the money I earned went into checking account rather than paying back the credit cards. So many bad choices on my part. Thanks for stopping by.
DebtPrincess(Quote)