I recently watched TLC's new show "Extreme Couponing." Have you seen it? If you haven't- this is basically the jist of it: the women on the show go on one giant shopping trip and save something like 95% of the bill. They do this by collecting many, MANY copies of coupon inserts that come in newspapers, matching the coupons they have with items at the store that are on sale, and shop on a day when the store is doubling or tripling coupons- so they get most of their items nearly or totally "free." They buy multiples of the sale/coupon items so that they will not need to buy them again for a long time.
Sounds pretty good on the surface. But to do this the women spend HOURS organizing and clipping coupons, as well as researching and planning their shopping trip. And most disturbing was the way their couponing ways take over the house. On the episode I saw the lady called her stash of coupon-ed goods her "stockpile." Seriously. They had entire rooms dedicated to storing all the stuff, but it seemed to overflow to closets and rooms all over the house. One lady had metal shelves stocked with, I don't know, laundry detergent or ketchup of something, IN THEIR BEDROOM. Another lady had a literal tower of plastic egg crate bins filled with coupon flyers in what looks like it was once her kids' playroom.
I have been thinking about the whole idea of "shopping ahead" lately, even before I saw this show. I know it is better to stock up on something you use when it is on sale, and I know that it is less expensive to buy in bulk or in greater volume. But recently I became frustrated with how difficult to organize and messy and my pantry and cabinets were getting because they were just too full, and I decided to change the way I shop and just buy what I need from week to week.
I really do not need to have a several boxes of cake mix, 5 different shapes of pasta, and 2 "back-up" boxes of cheerios in my pantry. I also do not need 25 rolls of toilet paper all at once, even if it is cheaper to buy them that way.
A few weeks ago I "splurged" and bought the smaller bottle of mouthwash that could actually fit in the medicine cabinet in our bathroom. It has been so convenient (and easy to pour) that way- I have been using it more often! Could I buy the big one, pour it into the smaller bottle for daily use, and store the large under the sink? Yes, I thought about doing that. But it's crowded enough down there. And maybe the few cents per once differance isn't worth the time, effort, and inconvience.
So I have to say I am "anti-extreme couponing." (Extreme anything is usually not a good thing) I still use coupons and buy things on sale- but only if I need them. The stores and manufacturers don't give us coupons to be nice- they want us to buy more stuff. And we aren't really saving money if we are buying more than we can use or need.
So if I run out of peanut butter and don't have an extra bottle in the pantry, it's okay. I can wait till it goes on sale again. I probably eat too much of it anyway, haha, but that is a different story : )
Where do you guys stand on the couponing/buying in bulk thing?
To be honest with you, I have been couponing lately, BUT I do have my limits. I've seen some clips of shows and really had to think about my own stand. I choose not to keep more than I can use. If I see too many tubes of toothpaste on my shelf, I set them aside for donating.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, when you have four kids in the house feeding them can get expensive. I'd really like to cut costs, so I try to save money any way I can.
Two things.
ReplyDelete1. I am way too lazy to extreme coupon. Between work and all that involves being Caleb's mom, I am happy I can get to the store.
2. I do appreciate those who extreme coupon, but give it all away. There is something to respect there.
I probably am not the person you'd expect to comment on your blog, but I can authoritatively speak about this issue.
ReplyDeleteBottom line is you are right...
a) buying in bulk is not all it cracked up to be. You can generally do better than what BJ's or Costco offers if you follow sales carefully.
b) as for normal stores, extreme couponing more often leads one to purchase things they don't really need or cannot expect to use in a reasonable amount of time. If they do use it, especially food items, its probably not for the best health or weight wise.
c) It does make sense if they are trying to give it all away.
By the way, I'm a little confused about the mouthwash, I thought you were supposed to chug straight from the bottle or to use the cap as a cup :-)
I agree Erin. You know Nate and I are fans of Costco, but there are only certain things worth getting in bulk. Pantry space is real estate!
ReplyDeleteInstead of spending 40 hours a week cutting coupons so that I can save $600 in groceries. I go to work and make much more than $600 for that same 40 hours. Now THAT'S a good deal.
:)franny