Extreme Couponing (TLC)

[thirty-two]

Holy moly there are some serious couponers out there!!

Is this the gateway drug to hoarding?

I liked the one lady who only bought what she needed (aka only had 1 cart instead of 8 carts like the others).

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I'm still trying to figure out how they get their total down so far. Especially when you are lucky to get a coupon that's for more than a buck.

Item is $2.00.
Coupon is $.25. Doubled brings it down to $.50 off. So it's $1.50 (And where are all these stores that double? Not where I live.)

Their total is $1,200. and they only pay $7.98? How is that possible? I coupon and I can't figure that one out at all.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Holy moly there are some serious couponers out there!!

Is this the gateway drug to hoarding?

I liked the one lady who only bought what she needed (aka only had 1 cart instead of 8 carts like the others).

It's really a waste if you don't need everything or use it before the expiration date.

My dad did the grocery shopping when I was 12. (He got laid off and took over the expenses.) He used to get stuff for free with coupons, but it wasn't always what we'd use. I distinctly remember him saying once, "What do you mean you don't like it? It was free!" Yeah, like that made it yummy or something, lol.

I have not seen this show. Will have to check it out.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I'm still trying to figure out how they get their total down so far. Especially when you are lucky to get a coupon that's for more than a buck.

Item is $2.00.
Coupon is $.25. Doubled brings it down to $.50 off. So it's $1.50 (And where are all these stores that double? Not where I live.)

Their total is $1,200. and they only pay $7.98? How is that possible? I coupon and I can't figure that one out at all.

Same here. I use coupons and check the sales circulars every week for sales. (It's nice that I have a Bashas, Safeway, Frys, Albertsons and Fresh and Easy within a three mile radius.) I save a decent amount of money, but not a thousand dollars.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

He used to get stuff for free with coupons, but it wasn't always what we'd use. I distinctly remember him saying once, "What do you mean you don't like it? It was free!" Yeah, like that made it yummy or something, lol.

So your dad knew my mother?

 

[Jersey Girl]

So your dad knew my mother?

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one that had to suffer with that, lol.

I remember another time that dear old dad didn't want to buy toilet paper or feminine hygiene products until he had a coupon AND they went on sale. Um, those are things you kinda can't run out of. Mom called him out on that one pretty quickly (and he STILL tried to justify the delay in purchase).

 

[BirdMan21]

That show amazed me. That is some serious OCD to build up that many coupons or put them in that one binder like that guy had. It just makes me wonder like how much I could really save in my grocery shopping if I took the time. It would be nice to spend $6 at the grocery store instead of $50-100

 

[Linderbee]

Same here. I use coupons and check the sales circulars every week for sales. (It's nice that I have a Bashas, Safeway, Frys, Albertsons and Fresh and Easy within a three mile radius.) I save a decent amount of money, but not a thousand dollars.

One of the things you can do for additional discounts is to register your Fry's card online. They have coupons online that you load to your card. These are on top of any sale or other coupons you have. You only load the coupons to your card that you think you'll use--and they're usually pretty good deals. I have gotten some things for next to nothing--ie, I'll get the printed out coupon at the register to save $2.50 on 5 boxes of General Mills cereal, then they'll go on sale for $1.88 or whatever (bringing them down to $1.33/each, essentially) and then I'll have a coupon loaded to my card for another $2 off 3 boxes of GM cereal, which brings the price of each down to...93 cents? Sound about right?

I know you may not have a need for 5 boxes of cereal, lol, but I go through it pretty quick in my house. That was just one example though--there are lots out there.

 

[Jersey Girl]

One of the things you can do for additional discounts is to register your Fry's card online. They have coupons online that you load to your card. These are on top of any sale or other coupons you have. You only load the coupons to your card that you think you'll use--and they're usually pretty good deals. I have gotten some things for next to nothing--ie, I'll get the printed out coupon at the register to save $2.50 on 5 boxes of General Mills cereal, then they'll go on sale for $1.88 or whatever (bringing them down to $1.33/each, essentially) and then I'll have a coupon loaded to my card for another $2 off 3 boxes of GM cereal, which brings the price of each down to...93 cents? Sound about right?

I know you may not have a need for 5 boxes of cereal, lol, but I go through it pretty quick in my house. That was just one example though--there are lots out there.

Thanks.

You know, I tried to register my card one day about a week ago and it didn't recognize me. I sent an email to Frys and they never got back to me. I better look into this further.

On a side note, I hate those "buy 10, save $5" sales. I hardly ever need 10 of anything, lol.

Still haven't seen this show yet. When is it on, Kate?

 

[Dback Jon]

Is CQ on it?

 

[Jersey Girl]

Is CQ on it?

I think the only thing she is on lately is facebook.

 

[Linderbee]

Thanks.

You know, I tried to register my card one day about a week ago and it didn't recognize me. I sent an email to Frys and they never got back to me. I better look into this further.

On a side note, I hate those "buy 10, save $5" sales. I hardly ever need 10 of anything, lol.

Still haven't seen this show yet. When is it on, Kate?

They're always (at Fry's, at least) mix & match...so you can buy one bag of chips, one thing of detergent, one tv dinner, etc., until you have 10 things. They don't have to all be of the same thing.

 

[Jersey Girl]

They're always (at Fry's, at least) mix & match...so you can buy one bag of chips, one thing of detergent, one tv dinner, etc., until you have 10 things. They don't have to all be of the same thing.

True, but I still have trouble finding 10 things I need.

 

[Russ Smith]

I watched the one last season missed the debut. In the Bay area where I am nobody doubles coupons. I also don't get how they get these situations where they are actually making money on items, that's just never possible where I am. I look at the coupons every Sunday, been doing it over a year from when I was out of work. I save money but nothing like what they do.

For me a big score is $10 in extra bucks at CVS for buying $20 of something, and also having 5 bucks off that item. They will let you take the 20 bucks first and then take the 5 off so you qualify for the extra bucks. so you pay 15bucks and then get 10 extrabucks which I use for laundry detergent or something. So I get 30 bucks of merchandise for 15 bucks.

Agree about the ones buying way too much, for things like toilet paper and stuff that won't spoil I get it, but much of what they buy is going to spoil.

 

[MadCardDisease]

My wife did some serious couponing a few months back. We used to get 2 Sunday papers. It takes a ton of research to get the really good deals (As in free).

She would go somewhere online to find the really good deals. Basically she would save her coupons till an item was also on sale. At times that sale item when combined with a coupon would end up being free. I've gotten shampoo, deoderant, soap, and can goods for free. However in the end we would typically save about 50% off the entire cost of groceries for the week. For example a typical $200 bill would only end up costing us $100.

The problem with many coupons is that you end up buying stuff that you typically don't buy or use. We ended up donating a buch of that stuff if we could get it for free or it only cost a few cents.

The other thing was that in order to be most effective, you would end up having to go to multiple stores. It ended up being too much work for my wife. It was also a lot of work for me as I'm the one who typically does the shopping. I like the convience of only going to one store.

We still use coupons but she doesn't spend all of the time doing massive research.

 

[Mulli]

I cannot remember the last time I used a coupon.

 

[thirty-two]

When is it on, Kate?

Wednesdays. There's a new one airing tonight at 930pm, but there's a few re-runs before it.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Wednesdays. There's a new one airing tonight at 930pm, but there's a few re-runs before it.

Awesome. I have my evening planned, lol.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

This is the weekend to use coupons. Safeway and Fry's are both doubling manufacturer's coupons. (Maybe the others too?) Between coupons and the member card at Safeway I saved $65.96. Plus I'll get 10 cents/gallon off at their gas pump next fill-up.

And I didn't buy anything I won't use. (Pats self on back.)

 

[Folster]

Cool show. But buying thousands of toothbrushes and sticks of deodorant is ridiculous. Some of those people are OCD/Hoarders. Most supermarkets around here have limits on the items and won't let you split up transactions like those people do. One lady on the show had 30 some-odd transactions so she wasn't effected by the limts. I'm not sure why, but these people anger me.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Cool show. But buying thousands of toothbrushes and sticks of deodorant is ridiculous. Some of those people are OCD/Hoarders. Most supermarkets around here have limits on the items and won't let you split up transactions like those people do. One lady on the show had 30 some-odd transactions so she wasn't effected by the limts. I'm not sure why, but these people anger me.

Yeah I agree. These type of people piss me off. They are the ones who empty the shelves so that the rest of us have no chance at these deals. The dude with the tooth brushes I wanted to slap.

I did a major shopping trip to Frys yesterday and saved $113 (38%) using coupons, with my wife doing only minor planning (~30 minutes). I only buy stuff that we will use and most of the cost was for fresh fruits and produce.

 

[MrYeahBut]

I cannot remember the last time I used a coupon.

I have a friend who is a VP at Morgan Stanley...millioniare many times over. I have been on several golf trips with the guy and, I kid you not, his briefcase is full of coupons. He uses them everywhere, parking, food, hotels, rental cars...you name it. He even cuts them out the newspapers in the cities we've gone to. The rest of the guys want to go out for a steak or something and I've had to tell him...dude, we're not eating at Subway just because you have a freaking coupon for 50 cents off..I mean he's compulsive.

I think I used a coupon once in my life, for Nicorette at Walgreens just because that stuff is so expensive

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

What pisses me off about the show is seeing the sheer gluttony from some of these folks. Wiping out and entire store and preventing other families from realizing the savings really chaps me; especially for perishible items... I mean really, what family eats 98 bags of freaking croutons or goes through 122 bottles of Tylenol?

 

[Russ Smith]

This is the weekend to use coupons. Safeway and Fry's are both doubling manufacturer's coupons. (Maybe the others too?) Between coupons and the member card at Safeway I saved $65.96. Plus I'll get 10 cents/gallon off at their gas pump next fill-up.

And I didn't buy anything I won't use. (Pats self on back.)

Is the Safeway thing everywhere or just where you live? I've been looking and came to the conclusion nobody in NorCal doubles coupons, but we do have a Safeway near us that I could shop at if they were doing it this weekend.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Is the Safeway thing everywhere or just where you live? I've been looking and came to the conclusion nobody in NorCal doubles coupons, but we do have a Safeway near us that I could shop at if they were doing it this weekend.

Call the store and ask about thier current coupon rules. They change them on a regular basis and some stores have different rules even though they are from the same chain.