Extreme couponing?

[Jacob's Ladder]

If someone could find me coupons for bullets, that would be awesome!

[*AQuietPlace*]

I've done it a few times, but it's just way too much work. I have friends who do. They can get $150 worth of groceries for $20.

I didn't feel good about doing it, though. It's not the way stores and manufacturers intended coupons to be used - stores can't afford to continually lose money like that. Many stores are now halting or cutting back on their coupon acceptance, and it's because of people doing this.

[Sherri]

Originally Posted by *AQuietPlace*

I've done it a few times, but it's just way too much work. I have friends who do. They can get $150 worth of groceries for $20.

I didn't feel good about doing it, though. It's not the way stores and manufacturers intended coupons to be used - stores can't afford to continually lose money like that. Many stores are now halting or cutting back on their coupon acceptance, and it's because of people doing this.

The stores shouldn't lose money. They turn the coupons in for reimbursements. At least that's the way they did it years ago when I worked in a grocery store.

[*AQuietPlace*]

Originally Posted by Sherri

The stores shouldn't lose money. They turn the coupons in for reimbursements. At least that's the way they did it years ago when I worked in a grocery store.

Not on the coupons, but it's when they double and triple them. The store pays for that. Some stores for a while were tripling 75 cent coupons! You could get a lot of stuff free when you got $2.25 off! But the store ate that extra $1.50. I know the products don't cost them the full price, but if you're getting it free, they're not only not making a profit, they're losing what they paid for the product.

I have some friends who are extreme couponers, and they have at times walked out of the store with a completely loaded cart, and the entire thing was free. They used the triple coupon thing, and only bought the products that ended up being free.

I know that sounds awesome and really thrifty (and the few times I did it, it really does feel exhilarating) but in the long run it's not a smart practice. Because, as has happened in my area, the stores will stop offering the triple coupons, or limiting them to the 25 cent coupons. So you end up completely losing the program.

[ForeverBlessed]

I do not have the time or patience. I have used a few coupons before and got things really cheap because of the triple amt taken off, but only once or twice. I only use a coupon if it is a name brand that I use and it is almost handed to me. I only buy for 2 weeks at a time and never stock pile anything. I shop Aldi's, Walmart and Kroger and I know exactly where all the products I use are the cheapest and trust me, I have raised a family on a shoestring. If it works for some that is great. I think for some it is entertainment..so whatever floats their boat. I don't have cable, so haven't ever watched the TV show.

[Hoovie]

It's kewl but I don't have the patience. Same way I felt about being a Landlord.

[God'sChild]

I don't know how people have time to do the extreme couponing. I do good just getting the coupons from the Sunday paper. I like to use coupons when I have them if it is for something we already buy. But it seems like this extreme couponing is a little dishonest.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by God'sChild

I don't know how people have time to do the extreme couponing. I do good just getting the coupons from the Sunday paper. I like to use coupons when I have them if it is for something we already buy. But it seems like this extreme couponing is a little dishonest.

Not dishonest, but they are "tricking the system" so to speak. I wonder what this mentality does to other areas of life...

Sometimes I work for people who poor mouth and complain until I do some little free stuff add-ons.

I have heard some people say they would never want to do business with the company they themselves own - because they know how to extract the maximum amount of $$ from the consumer. I don't share that view. I would very much want to do business with myself/my company if I were in need of goods and services. In fact I use that as a measuring stick to keep value in perspective.

[ILG]

I started doing couponing and other frugal stuff as a way to help me stay home with my kids when my husband was making $7.00 an hour back in the '80's.

I am sad that some of you seem to think that extreme couponing is dishonest/bad. I think some people can be unethical about it but I also think there is a right way to do it that is not unethical. For example, Walgreens has register rewards where you can get free stuff. Some people go in repeatedly and clear the shelves so no one else can get any free stuff. That ticks me off. Get your free items and move on.

Those of you that are worried about the stores......they set the rules in place. They are responsible for the rules. The CEO probably lives in an awfully nice place.

As with anything, you can go too far. However, I live very frugally and use coupons and have bins organized with the overflow. You can get too much stuff sometimes but a reasonable amount of back-stock is not only a good deal but it is SMART! You don't have to run to the store for every little thing and if you ever have an emergency like a loss of a job you have a little to get you by.

Those of you who are extremely annoyed need to consider there is some good to it. I also cringe when I see frothing at the mouth freebie collectors. But not everyone who does a lot of couponing/money saving is this way. Just use common sense and respect.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by ILG

I started doing couponing and other frugal stuff as a way to help me stay home with my kids when my husband was making $7.00 an hour back in the '80's.

I am sad that some of you seem to think that extreme couponing is dishonest/bad. I think some people can be unethical about it but I also think there is a right way to do it that is not unethical. For example, Walgreens has register rewards where you can get free stuff. Some people go in repeatedly and clear the shelves so no one else can get any free stuff. That ticks me off. Get your free items and move on.

Those of you that are worried about the stores......they set the rules in place. They are responsible for the rules. The CEO probably lives in an awfully nice place.

As with anything, you can go too far. However, I live very frugally and use coupons and have bins organized with the overflow. You can get too much stuff sometimes but a reasonable amount of back-stock is not only a good deal but it is SMART! You don't have to run to the store for every little thing and if you ever have an emergency like a loss of a job you have a little to get you by.

Those of you who are extremely annoyed need to consider there is some good to it. I also cringe when I see frothing at the mouth freebie collectors. But not everyone who does a lot of couponing/money saving is this way. Just use common sense and respect.

Thank you

We hardly do it to the extreme they do on tv, but if I can get $200 worth of stuff for $20, Im there. If the stores are losing money then they should put forth policies that prevent that loss, however as you said, I dont see any store owners who are suffering when I drive by their homes up in the heights.

A lot of the families on the shows are like mine, 5 to 8 person families that are struggling to make ends meet. We keep about enough to survive a month on if something were to happen.

We don't buy a bunch of stuff we don't or won't use, yet at the same time, our church collects a different item each month for various charity's and if we can go in with coupons and buy that item in bulk for little of nothing then God bless us.

Since we have started we are saving anywhere from $200 to $400 a month on our food/supplies bill. That is a huge savings that can be used for things that we otherwise could not afford to do for our girls.