Extreme Couponing… What are Your Thoughts?
As many of you have emailed, there is a new show airing tonight at 8pm EST on TLC called Extreme Couponing. The show profiles four coupon-obsessed savers (as TLC calls them) trying to get as much as they can for as little as they can. The show sounded pretty interesting, but as I started to read the description… well, I am not sure if interesting is the right word. Why you ask? Well, here goes…
*Important Note: The statements I make below are just my opinions. You do not have to agree with them and I have no problem with you sharing your points, even if they differ. I do, however, have a problem with disrespectful comments, inappropriate language and just being downright cruel. Those type of comments will be deleted. Thank you for your understanding.
So now my thoughts on this new show… I personally do not like how couponers are portrayed on the show. Now before I go on, I know they are portrayed like this for ratings… I get that. They want people’s jaws to drop and eyes to be wide open. But, it still stinks.
Meet the shoppers of TLC’s EXTREME COUPONING:
Nathan started clipping coupons four years ago when he and his wife took a closer look at their finances. Now, debt free with more than 10,000 items stockpiled in his garage, Nathan is preparing for the biggest haul of his life. On his latest visit to the supermarket, Nathan is leaving with over 2,000 items – his most massive checkout to date. With 1,100 boxes of cereal, 300 toothbrushes and 60 bottles of hand soap, Nathan is looking forward to topping himself and saving thousands of dollars in the process!
Retail value: $5,743.00 Nathan’s cost after utilizing his coupons: $241.00 – 95% savings!
Amanda is a full-time Storage Facility Manger in Cincinnati, OH who spends up to 70 hours a week researching in-store promotions, clipping coupons and surfing the internet for the latest and greatest deals. She already has a stockpile of products from previous couponing ventures worth up to $15,000. But this extreme saver is most proud of her collection of toilet paper – over 3,000 rolls – enough to last the average couple about 40 years! Now, with the help of her husband, Amanda is preparing for her largest checkout ever consisting of nine baskets of food, beauty and pet products including 218 boxes of pasta, 268 containers of noodles, 100 bottles of sport drink and 150 candy bars.
Retail value: $1,175.33. Amanda’s cost after utilizing her coupons: $51.67.
To me a great show on couponing would be a show that is teaching the average person how to coupon. A person that doesn’t have 70 hours a week to scour ads and clip coupons, a person that doesn’t have access to an entire garage to store all of their “goods”… and really, who needs that many “goods”?!
It’s called reality TV… but in my opinion, it’s definitely not realistic. As a coupon blogger, I hope Hip2Save motivates and inspires all of you. I try to make sure the videos I make ARE realistic and with that I mean, you will be able to go to the store and snatch up the same deals shown in the videos.
Again, I know this show is called Extreme Couponing, but I’m just not getting the point of the show and maybe that’s because I coupon in such a different way.
I don’t coupon so I have a receipt to frame… OK, so that may be a little bit of a fib. In the beginning, when I first started my couponing adventures back in 2007, I was very excited about the savings displayed on all my receipts and I did proudly show them to everyone I could… even people who didn’t want to see them! 😉 Yes, I was annoying like that. And I do think that’s normal, as I would assume most newbie couponers are very excited about their new-found talent! …But I quickly learned that couponing can become all too consuming. From clipping and organizing coupons to going through the weekly ads and then planning your trips… and on top of that, planning your days around when you need to go to the store. Too consuming!
I am still learning how to have balance in my life, but one thing I have learned along the way… well, it’s quite simple. When it comes to couponing, Nothing is a BIG deal!
Example: I let my high value $2/1 Pampers Wipes coupon expire and I would have been able to score FREE wipes at Walmart. Guess what? Not a BIG deal! Do you get what I’m saying? Start thinking like that and all the annoying stress you feel about rushing to the store so you don’t miss that oh so amazing deal will be gone!
I love my hubby. Random, right?! Well, not really because he is the one who taught me to really understand that most things are “Not a Big Deal”. And as you may know from reading my blog, I am a neurotic, high energy and very spastic woman… so for me to be able to step back and say, “It’s Not a Big Deal”… well, it’s HUGE and if I can do it, so can you!
Now I know I’ve kind of veered off from the topic at hand, but what I really wanted you to get out of my post is to not let couponing and deal hunting consume you. The same deals always come back over and over again.
Before I finish this post, I have a challenge for you – miss a deal this week and remember, it’s NOT a Big Deal! When you’re missing that deal, do whatever you like… take a bath, read a book, play with your kiddos, laugh, love, smile. Life is wonderful, so take full advantage of it! 🙂
Thanks for listening to me ramble.
I think it was a really interesting show but the first two ladies are crrrrazy! I really liked the third lady, though. I coupon like her… I only get the things I need, but if I can get several, I snag them right up! 🙂
Yep! Same here!
Well, you have to figure he probably called the store manager and set it up ..its for TV..I’m assuming..or he has a really great thing going w/that store! lol
I have to say…I am happy that they ended it on such a positive note that Nathen (and some of the others) give back to their community and didn’t portray them as “crazy couponers”. I liked it..and …I have to say..LOVE the organizing tips!!
Let me start by saying-I love my coupons. When I started couponing, I spent I dunno HOW much time researching/clipping/etc. It got a bit sick. After a few months of that, I’ve calmed down. I still get some papers, and print coupons from time to time, but unless something’s a great deal and I know I need it, I usually don’t bother. I take the deals I can get without spending hours figuring every deal out, and I move on.
Life’s too short to spend all your time dealing with all the drama of extreme couponing. I wish I had as much time as those people to just do whatever I wanted!
I agree with you Collin, you can’t get every deal out there and you can’t feel you’re a failure if you don’t. When I got to that point I decided I had to make changes. Now I have a happy balance. I do buy things I don’t use if they are free and I know someone that uses the items. I sometimes buy more than I know I can use, but I give the extra to food pantries. I always rotate my stockpile, and check expiration dates monthly. If I find that I can’t use something before the expiration date I share with neighbors. Nothing is wasted and I get to help others. People who think couponers are greedy don’t realize that we are not buying just for ourselves. The majority of us aren’t like those on this show, but unfortunately, most people will think we are all the same.
At my Shop Rite, they ask you for your Shop Rite card at the beginning of the order. The woman from Philly didn’t give her card until the very end. So if she had an item that was $4.00, and then, say $2.00 came off by using the card. Now, if she had a free coupon, she got $4.00 off from the coupon, instead of $2.00, so she got overage. I don’t know if her Shop Rite allows this, but my store doesn’t. Her tax was a -$1.09…you know somethings not right there.
My shoprite doesn’t even double coupons! 🙁
I wish that they did. D:
I thought all Shop Rite stores doubled coupons. My store in N.J. will only double up to $1.00, so if you have a 50¢ or 75¢ coupon, you will get $1.00 off for both. Some S.R. stores will double a 75¢ coupon.
What state are you in, Emily? Do any stores near you double? I know they don’t double in Fl.
I live in Florida and the only store I have ever seen double on coupons is Kmart and that’s only occasionally. I wish I knew of more stores that doubled around here!
Most items have expiration dates. Can you really eat 100+ boxes of pasta before they expire.
Perhaps they’ll donate it! 🙂
I thought the same thing about the salad dressing the guy had. There is no way he’ll eat all that before it expires, and he only mentioned donating the cereal. I hope he doesn’t let it all go to waste…
how do they get all that toilet paper for free?
That’s what I want to know! 🙂
Yeah, the first lady had crappy toilet paper, but the guy had charmin…for free! I would love to know how!!!
That was an awesome show….yes I think buying that much is alot, but i would love to start a stockpile…not that big….BTW I’m new at couponing…Collin your site is great!
I seriously can’t believe this post…it is EXACTLY what I needed to read! I was just telling my BFF and coupon buddy that I am obsessed! After my 4th trip to the store in 24 hours, my husband told me that I was “consumed” with couponing! So, THANKS 🙂 I think I just might miss a deal or two this week!
I thought that the show was great to let people see coupons But to me the guy was a hoarder. The Krazy coupon lady is a website I use a lot but that was more like hoarding to me. I think that those hoarders are the reason that people like me who only want three things of a product don’t ever get their products..
Maybe they need to call in the show “hoarders”
They should’ve shown a family of 5 on here couponing “to save” not hoard or donate!! I shop to save money. I do not clear shelves and only buy what I need. That show kinda made me sick. I’d like to know exactly what percentage of that stuff goes to waste. NO WAY they actually donate all that crap. HOARDERS dont give things away that easily 🙂
100% agree with you!!
Wow- Nathan needed a trailer hitch to do his shopping trip! Crazy! I am glad that he does donate some items to charity.
When I first started couponing I was a bit crazy too- I would sometimes rearrange my schedule to get a deal. Now I do a lot less. For example- I pass CVS on my way home, so I only follow the CVS deals. If a coupon expires- who cares! There will be more, as we all know:)
and if he drives a trailer hatch why bring it home and not straight to the shelter to donate”?
That is exactly what I said! Why would you take it all home and unload it? The show would probably been more respected if he drove straight to a shelter or somewhere and donated it all!
They should totally follow you Collin!! Then people would get the right example of couponing!!! 🙂 😀
I have to agree they need to follow Collin and Kitty they are very good examples of Couponing.
I just turned on the show and watched a few minutes of it and HAD to turn it off! That guy, Nathan, is ridiculous! If I even had a small portion of that garage he had I WOULD NOT continue to go shopping! I think its just RUDE that he took a entire basket of deo. and just dumped it into his cart along with taking a huge armful of toothbrushes! Does he REALLY need 60 MORE bottles of hand soup.And he had to special order the cereal!?! Shouldn’t the store charge him a fee for that?!? That salad dressing he has will go bad before he even has a chance to use it all. He had MORE than plenty, he DOES NOT need to go shopping anymore!! I would think he would SAVE money by cancelling his many newspaper subscriptions and coupon mail order for a while. All he needs to purchase is fresh produce. Great that he will donate it, but he can still donate what he has and have more than enough to live off of. Most places you could donate to don’t have the ability to store as much as he could give them.
Like you Collin, I have a great husband! I was frustrated once that I messed up a deal and he said, “You did GREAT! Look how much you spent for all you got. It’s fine” I realized that I have to as well say “It’s no big deal!” I mess up, oh well and look at my how much I saved, which is better than how it used to be. I do feel that I save money when I evaluate a deal and say, “Do I really need this?” If I don’t than I pass it up. I don’t want to go broke on deals.
I don’t want company store managers to watch this show and get mad at us who are, what I like to call, Normal Couponers. I don’t want them to be negative towards us and get angry when we do come in with a handful of coupons. Most of the cashiers at my local grocery store that I like to go to are super impressed with what I am able to save, but I don’t go INSANE like these people!
You should have watched a little longer…he donates it!
I was hoping they would show the donation. His 2 car garage stuffed with his purchases doesn’t come off like he really donates much! Interesting.
He is a HOARDER. Plain and simple. I didn’t even watch him tonight…didn’t want to waste my time. I had enough of him when he was showcased on another program earlier this year. Can’t even imagine all the stuff he’ll have to throw out when it expires in that overstuffed garage.. Even deodorant has expiration dates. And that couple that bought 250 boxes of pasta when they already had a year’s supply at home. Why?
He donated the cereal, but there was NO mention of donating the rest of his stuff. Crazy!!
The show was meant to catch the attention of the audience…most of that was set up for show and people on average can’t possibly do that. Did you see how red and excited he got? He looked like a first time couponer…because it was his first time to EVER save like that. It said throughout the show (about the toothbrushes) that he would later donate them. And he also donated 1000 boxes of cereal, I bet a lot of people don’t even donate one free box of cereal. I know for fact from reading past blogs of people on hip2save that many people have a stock pile in their garage. I had a stock pile in my garage for awhile and I still donated once a week after my weekly shopping. I kept the things my family needed and donated the rest. You really think TLC is going to show people that don’t have stock piles…it was made for tv. Just because it showed him having and getting a lot of products does not mean that he doesn’t do his fair share of donating…including the rest of the people. I have donated thousands of bottles of shampoo, yet I still have about 60 bottles in my closet. I deserve to keep what I need and use when after all it was my hard earned time.
And I think he did buy supplies for 3 years or so…So I think he won’t buy any of that stuff again even if it is on sale or free with some coupons.
If he really shops and coupons regularly he would know that all the stuff he bought is on sale at Kroger all the time!
It look like Amanda do not give away the stuff she buys. Two people can’t eat a 100 boxes of Pasta. With the Nathan i like that he donate to his church food pantry by couponing.
They really should have added the price of the coupons purchased to the price of the order. There is no way those people will be able to use the amount of times they bought or got for free before they expire. That part really bothers me. It would be great to see them donate some of that stuff. I was looking at that guys garage and counting bottles of salad dressing-no way will he use them all before they expire.
And if that first lady shopped this way all the time she would have known that the registers could not handle that large of an order. I liked the young ladies “cashier profiling” I do that all the time. That was useful advise.
I agree about the lady who had the register crash! Its all made “extreme” for the sake of the show! Seriously, what is a single couple with 2 dogs going to do with all that food?? Anyone else notice how unhealthy they were? I just wonder what they could accomplish with that 70+ hours a week if they were to work on other aspects of their lives! Just a thought!
I “cashier profile”, too! If my regular cashiers aren’t there, I go for the young males, also.
I agree about the overall total with counting the amount they spent on the coupons.
Could you not just imagine a nation full of indignant, older lady cashiers when she said that? I’m sure more than one is thinking she is flirting with the young male cashiers, LOL. The show was funny in a way.
That first lady is ruining her marriage. No doubt she needs to get a grip and soon.
just wondering if each persons story would have been different to me if i didn’t have a faces to go with the person. Dumpster diving in your cute little outfit, i was able to shug off, but if some one a little less put together had been doing it, would I have been disgusted?? hmmm not really happy with my own judgementalness right now.
I follow that lady’s blog and she isn’t as extreme as they made it out to be!
I follow her blog, too, and you’re right! She is totally temperate and regularly preaches restraint! I love her blog!
I have a well-dressed and put together friend who gets inserts from dumpsters. I’m pretty sure her kids aren’t in the dumpster but really, it’s just a box full of paper. It might get rained on from time to time, but our newspaper dumpsters only have newspapers.
I don’t do it simply because I don’t need many papers.
the cashiers at my stores would NEVER had been that nice! they were so fake b.c they were in front of cameras!
Do we all need to get camera crews to follow us around when we go shopping just so we dont get turned away for using coupons?
We should! Maybe we can take turns following eachother around pretending to shoot a documentary!
Hahaha! I LOVE this idea! :0)
haha love it!
would love that:)
This is too extreme for me.
Just got done watching the show, I ran to catch it once I saw this post lol. I thought it was funny because in SOME ways I could relate to the “rush” and the excitment of knowing you are “set” for a fraction of the price. In one way it was inspiring to see the savings, but in another, I do think that most of that stuff is going to expire before they use it, so essentially, it is wasted (almost as sad as paying full price). If the surplus was donated, I see no problem with what they are doing, but if you have more than enough to last you & you family more than your lifetime, it’s time to concentrate on other things. Clearing the shelves is frustrating for others and spending $50 on hand soap you are already stocked up on is also a waste.
You can go overboard on anything: saving, spending, underwater cheetah wrestling….
On a side note, I’d rather be an extreme couponer than any of the people on the next show about strange addictions….imagine having 3000 rolls of toilet paper you were only going to eat!!
LMAO @ underwater cheetah wrestling!!
That is hilarious! My husband said, “the lady who eats toilet paper needs to watch extreme couponing!” lol
Ha Ha, I was so thinking that too about the toilet paper. Wish they hadn’t put those shows back to back.
I think the toilet paper eater has PICA which is usually a iron or mineral deficiency. They need to take the woman to see a doctor. Weird shows on TLC.
It’s getting harder to get food and store deals because now everyone coupons,and stores like Target are getting so strict. It used to be great fun but now it got stressful trying to beat these people to the stores for two items when they clear away 20 items. I do love the internet deals and all the store clothing coupons. I did great on amazon thanks to Colin this Christmas. I have definitely cut down on my store couponing. I would rather cut back in other ways than spend a day stressed out because all the deals are off the shelves by the time I get there. I would seriously think about it all day at work , wondering if the deal would still be there when I got to the store! That’s sick! Lol.
Ok I have to say that our main store is Kroger (which is the same store that I saw 2 of them at) and we would never EVER EVER EVER EVER be able to do that! First off they limit the amount of same coupons you can use per transaction….1,000 would NEVER happen! Second, they wouldn’t willingly push a cart around for you while you shop….let alone half a dozen! Third, its so unrealistic! People are foolish to think that they do this every week. Of course Kroger is being so kind and generous because they are getting advertisement from this show! This show is so fake its funny!
I completely agree with you! None of my stores around here would be that kind about couponing. A ton of the cashiers around here at various stores are really rude about coupon usage with me, and I usually only have a few items to half a cart full. It’s so frustrating, but I just tell myself I’m not doing anything wrong and they’re just jealous of my savings. LOL.
OMG! IT’s not as bad as most people who commented on this blog made it out to be. After watching the show…if you listened carefully most of them donate. The guy that got 1000 boxes of cereal donated ALL of it! Geez, after reading a lot of comments, a lot of readers on this blog were very judgemental before doing any research and watching the show. Not to mention a couple of the people on the show had their own websites just like collin….
Only that ONE guy mentioned anything about donating any of the THOUSANDS of products they were all buying. Collin is right…. no one person needs THAT many goods. Furthermore, if that guy on the show or the other 3 ladies featured DID donate on a semi-regular basis, their stockpiles would not be that extreme. It’s just so ridiculous because they already have more stock than they will ever use in their lifetime, and they’re just continuing to go out and clear the shelves, buying stuff they already have too much off! I completely share Collin and many of the other readers’ opinion. The show should be called coupon HORDERS.
I agree with the hoarding! Lol! I would like to “stock” up on everyday things that will not expire but things that do I just buy what I need for a month! Not for years hahaha! I buy things and the free stuff I donate or give to friends who have less money than me! I also agree they should have shown people that had a big family. Also, the lady from Philly was going up on peoples porches and they weren’t out there…that’s illegal! I mean I’m sure she probably has there permission maybe but she never said it!
LMAO @ underwater cheetah wrestling!!! 😉
I think the first person was a shopaholic and hoarder. The second two didn’t really bother me. The Coast Guard wife wasn’t all that bad with her coupons, although I did think her stockpile was a little overboard. The third woman didn’t do anything I wouldn’t do, although her stockpile was too big for my taste. I don’t really know what to say about the fourth guy. I got really annoyed when he put all of those toothbrushes in the cart. I hope he donated them.
Learned a couple of things but these folks are like hoarders but organized. Only part I liked was the guy at the end buying in bulk to donate to the foodbank. They are buying stuff on this show so they never have to buy again but then they do. Jumping in dumpsters with their kids getting coupons, buying stuff that expires that they can not possbily use by the expiration date, and dedicating rooms upon rooms in their homes to their stock piles. Why have 150 bottles of body wash for 2 people?
These folks are obsessed with getting more and more…not with true couponing. Just like any obsession when you start to forget everything and everyone in your life and spend all your time doing the thing. It really is kinda sad:(
I haven’t read other comments posted yet. I wanted to say that I just watched the show with my husband and he stressed that they wouldn’t have aired the show if they didn’t depict the couponers in that light…did you see the ads for the next show? Yuck! I think it was great to get it on the air and get some light directed at couponing…no publicity is bad publicity…or something like that. The retired nurse said that SHE OWES NOBODY ANYTHING!!! DEBT FREE PEOPLE!!! Even Nathan said that they dug out of credit card debt and had no car loans! Note to Nathan: DONATE MORE!!! I started couponing more seriously when I came to this site and read a comment that “no one should pay anything for shampoo”, etc. I thought, “Yeah, right!” Well, that is right! I’ve learned! This year my goal is to get my grocery shopping on that level. My husband works in the automotive industry and we’ve gone six years with no raise while the cost of living continues to climb. I have one son entering college in the fall and another one 3 years behind him. We have a food bank in town that I used to give to regularly, but have had to cut back on to feed my own clan. I would be thrilled to back up a truck load to donate. Thanks for all you do, Collin! You are awesome!
My husband is in the automotive industry too! I am a nursing student and we have 3 small children. I started couponing about a year ago and have saved thousands of dollars thanks to websites like this one! My family thought I was extreme when I had 20 boxes of cereal! To defend myself, it was an organic brand that was on clearance for 99cents and I didn’t even use coupons for it! lol I never ever see it go on sale so I grabbed 10 boxes one night and when I went back a few days later they still has a ton so I grabbed 10 more! That is about as crazy as I get!
I like to save money but that was crazy! Nathan just couldn’t let a good deal go. Why would you buy 30 bottles of hand soap at ,30 each if you have 200 in your garage????? I too would like to see how much he pays for all of his extra coupons and what he thinks his time is worth. I have 3 small kids at home and have decided that my time with them & my husband is worth more than getting “a good deal”. Thanks Colllin – sometimes you just gotta let it go!
It’s all about balance. Thanks for reminding us, Collin! Happy almost New Year!
Let me start by saying that I did not read all the comments posted so forgive me if I am repeating something. Nor have I not seen the show yet. I did see a segment on GMA yesterday about the show. They show a clip from Amanda that she states that she is happy to have all the stuff and that she will back out of plans with others just to go shopping. For me I started couponing to make thing better for my family just as many of us have. I would never give up time with my family and friends just to get a short time high of shopping and giving all my time to it. There is life out of the world of couponing and it needs to be embraced also.
Collin – Rock On!
I missed the show but from what I am reading it sounds like I missed a buunch of hoarding and out of control couponing. I am a stay @ home mom and to be able to stay at home I have to coupon. I love good deals but I am really trying not to let it consume me. I have been following hip2save for about 5 months now and I have gotten so much better at couponing. Thanks Collin for all the great infomation and all you do to help all of us save money.
I really liked the show tonight….I very rarely use coupons but am very interested in doing so now! There is no way that I have the time or the energy to be as extreme as the people on the show but it would feel great to get a few hundred dollars worth of groceries (that I need) for a few dollars!!! With the way things are today we could all use to have our grocery bill cut at least in half!
Kudos to these people and their intense efforts to save money and reduce debt.
HOWEVER…aren’t these the people that are taking MORE than their share of product off the shelves…so that when we arrive, there is NOTHING left. It’s less than fair that ONE person should hog all the savings!
MORE IMPORTANTLY: PLEASE tell me these people donate MOST of their stock…there is just something SO incredibly selfish about shelving 138 jars of pasta sauce and 200 boxes of pasta when there are STARVING children living in our country. There is SO much good to be done with a little effort from couponers. I challenge all of your readers to challenge themselves in 2011 to see just how much good they can do; how much they can pay their good fortune forward with incredible donations made possible with coupons.
I’ll continue to watch the show because quite frankly, it motivated me to get back into serious couponing in 2011. But I agree, Collin… this is the EXTREME end of the hobby, and definitely not reality for most of us!
Those people are not coupon clippers they are hoarders and will be on that show in a year or two!
the lady who walked to get coupons and helped people use them in the store was wonderful…rest of the show was informative…but Nathan at the end of the show..have seen him before and no way…if can’t shop with one cart won’t do….to me inconsiderate to the store and employees helping to shop..no way
I have been couponing for a very long time, but only recently have been doing it with any regularity. I like your attitude and agree wholeheartedly. Couponing should be fun, or at least entertaining. Believe me…missing out on a tube of toothpaste is not up there with a category 5 hurricane when it comes to disasters.
I am wondering how the Nathan guy did the cereal deal…I think it involved Catalinas so how do you get that many in one transaction?
I shop at the same line of grocery stores he does (Kroger) and they often do a “buy and X amount of an item, get so much off your order. It comes off automatically and not as a catalina. You can do multiple senarios without separating transactions. For example they recently had a sale that if you buy 10 toothpastes you get $5 off your transaction (that brought the cost down to .99cents each) then you use your $1 off to get them free. No catalina.
thanks!
I just got my new Kroger ad today and a lot of the same things are on sale! They have this stuff on sale quite often. I learned my lesson when I first started. I bought 10 boxes of toothpaste once just to get the deal……little did I know that deal is a regular at Kroger! lol
I feal this show is not about qpon cutters but about..more then that its like the horders shows they have these people need help…..i agree with you this is insuting in so many ways to us savers….but we have to come terms with they have a sickness and have to do it….it never have to stop me from savin a dollar here and there….Loves ur sight u are great in these hard times…ty Jennafee
Yall are so judgmental. If you hop onto his website we use coupons . com you will see that he has gave so much back to the community! Without his website I wouldn’t be the extreme couponer I am today! And that shopping trip was huge because the producers wanted him to do the biggest shopping trip he could. So he has been planning this for months in advance. more then 90% of that stuff he got was pre ordered. The producers made the management set it up to look like it was just an average day. He has donated so much & even posted pictures of more then half of that trip being donated! Its amazing what he does!
His garage is overstuffed with expiring products that he is just wasting. He is pathetic.
Nothing is expired you dumb a$$
I think what she is trying to say is the food will expire eventually and with it just being him and his wife, will they really use it all before then. I totally get that this show is hyped up for ratings. Surely Nathan doesn’t shop like this all the time if he really knows Kroger sales…..they have the exact same items on sale all the time! I shop there and get the same items….only I buy fewer quantities (enough to last my family until the next sale)!
I thought it was an interesting show. I was so impressed with each of them. I wish I had that kind of time and energy to put into half of my shopping. I didn’t like that they portrayed them as crazy for it, but I thought they were amazing.
post from nathan himself:
Okay first let me say a HUGE thank you to my Kroger. They are awesome. Also a huge thank you to Kroger Corp for working with us to help charities across Cincinnati. We rarely talk about our giving habits publicly because we feel it’s best to give quietly. But in understanding television, we try to show our donation because it is such an amazing aspect of couponing that so many non-couponers do not understand!! It’s an enormous part of how we can give back!!
Okay so here is what I purchased, items in BLUE were pre-ordered (even if you see me grabbing them off displays, the producers asked the stores to set them up):
Total Cereal – 1,100
Reach Toothbrushes – 300
Life Waters – (Rain-check) – 140 (Lacy drinks this religiously)
Reach Floss – 110
Pepsi Max (20oz) – 87 (One of my favorites)
Right Guard Deodorants – 80
Dial Hand Soap – 50
Gillette Body Wash – (Rain-check) – 40
Country Crock Butter – 10
Dial Bar Soap – 10
Fiber One Honey Cluster Cereal – (RC) – 10
Nature Made – Magnesium – 10
Nature Made – Vitamin A – 10
Nature Made – Vitamin D – 10
Oranges – 8
Sunny D – 6
Pepsi Max (2liter) – 4
Nature Made – Folic Acid – 4
Similac Liquid Formula – 4
Yakisoba – 4
Bags of Carrots – 3
Canergy Drink – 3
Reynolds Wrap Foil – 3
Tampex (20ct) – 3
Dannon Yogert (Greek) – 2
French’s Mustard Dipping Sauce – 2
Kraft BBQ Sauce – 2
Nature Made – Vitamin B – 2
Nature Made – Vitamin C – 2
Nature Made – Zinc – 2
Steamfresh Frozen Veggies – 2
Yoplait Yogert (Greek) – 2
7-Up (2liter) – 1
Banana’s – 1
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix – 1
Cottage Cheese – 1
Head of Lettuce – 1
Mission Tortilla Shell – 1
Morning Star Burgers – 1
Morton Sea Salt – 1
Mt Olive Product – 1
Sky Line Cheese – 1
I had a coupon for EVERYTHING, including most of the produce (Kroger sends out coupons in the mail).
I called this my COMBO haul. Most of the items in Blue are donation items. Some are kept because we use them, but the majority are given to local food banks, school resource centers, and shelters. They are ordered ahead of time so that we do not effect stock!! Our church also does a monthly grocery giveaway which we give to also. The rest of the trip, is for my family and what we consume regularly.
I heard them mention the deodorant on one of the previews, that was almost entirely donated to a local shelter or school resource center. Giving is an amazing aspect of couponing. I would have NEVER guessed that I could give so much.
Thanks so much guys and I hope you enjoy the show tonight!!
Just an FYI if anyone missed it (like i did lol) its on again at 1am, if you have a DVR you can record it:)
A local woman in Illinois named Jill teaches classes about couponing. TLC contacted her to do the show first but she doesn’t do Extreme couponing, she does enough to support a family. Such as buying 10 boxes of cereal instead of 1100. She and Nathan were on the news a few months ago and were each given $100. He bought cart loads of the same stuff and she bought meals. She saved a huge amount of money. TLC asked her to do the show by herself, then they asked her who else might be interesting for the show. When she gave them the names, she didn’t hear from them again and they dodged her calls. Then she heard they were already filming. TLC took her ideas and did the show without her. Now she is SO happy that they passed her over as the show makes all couponers look crazy. You can read about it here: https://jillcataldo.com/node/14388
“It’s called reality TV… but in my opinion, it’s definitely not realistic.”
^^couldn’t have said it better. it’s completely unrealistic and then need to sensationalize something to make it cool.
I have to say I really enjoyed the retired nurse, she wasn’t a hoarder by any means and she even said “she only gets the stuff se needs”, that’s the way it should be. Good for her!
The retired nurse was adorable. I liked how she was teaching everyone in the store about how to use coupons. Too cute!
Yes, I agree. I loved her she was cool.
I was impressed that she walks 7 miles to collect her coupons! Plus she spreads her knowledge with others at the grocery store! Her story is inspiring….unlike some of the others.
Plus walking around collecting inserts was a way to stay in touch with the elderly and get good exercise! 🙂
My husband is definitely an “It’s no big deal” kinda guy too. It helps keep me grounded when we’re in the store, I remember something I need, don’t have a coupon with me, and don’t want to buy it. He says buy it anyway, you can save on something else later. A lot of extreme couponers and shoppers really probably do have OCD tendencies or are shopaholics. I’ll admit that I really like to shop and buy a whole lotta stuff that I don’t need because it’s nearly free. I also sell it at a flea market and donate it to shelters in my town so I don’t let things go to waste and give something back.
Every little thing is for ratings these days. Every little thing is done to make money somehow. And not that I have a problem with it, but it goes the same for blogs like these.
woza, I don’t know if that little dig at the end was necessary. Colin didn’t start this blog to make money. And from what I have seen in following her for 2 years, her blog kinda exploded and many opportunities have landed in her lap, and yay for her because she has done a lot of hard work, and deserves it.
p.s. my hubby is the it’s no big deal guy too, and often will question me on what I want to go buy, like do we really need more body wash? we have enough for 6 months. keeps me sane and my house clutter free! 🙂
I totally agree with you and the poster also said she sells things at flea markets??? Wow, I think that is just plain wrong but this is just my opinion. Colin, keep up the good work, you deserve it and if it weren’t for you my husband and I would not have eaten back in July when he lost his job. Thanks for all your hard work.
The show seems to be a major set up to draw a crowd.. Has anyone watched the show Downsized on WE? I found it on my on demand and turned it on one day. Their income was dramatically cut down when the economy tanked, and it is about a family of 9 cutting back, changing habits, and plain out trying to survive. In the first episode they couldn’t make rent and their son sold his baseball glove to help out. My 7 year old was so touched by this he was in tears.. I recommend it!
I have watched that show since it premiered. But I think that it, too, is unrealistic. They live in (what appears to be) a large, beautiful home in AZ. And though they clearly had to downsize their lifestyles, they still appear to have a pretty blessed life. Many people in this economy have been forced to have their homes foreclosed on and have been forced to move into very small rentals with people sleeping on sofas in common areas. I also disagree with the amount of detail that they provide to their children about their finances. Children, IMO, should not be forced to worry about whether they can make rent, go to prom or play baseball. I do agree that it was so touching that their son sold his glove.
I just wish they were more realistic about the current state for hundreds of thousands of families affected by current economic times.
I felt that the show made us ” normal ” couponers look bad. If you need 9-10 shopping carts, 2 cars, trailer, spending 6 hours in the store (2-3 hours just for check out), 4 rooms for stockpile – You have issues. No one needs that much stockpile. I stock up on items that my family we use in 3 months. You have to be realistic on what you do spend. It’s easy to get caught up with the thrill of couponing and lose money with buying items ( even for pennies ) that you don’t need or will use. I agree with others if you can pick up items for free or almost free and donate it . But clearing grocery shelves and consumed for hours per day…. Not normal.
Maybe if they do run another show … It’s toned down and realistic.