This was originally published February 2012. It still rings true in my life today, so I thought I’d repost it!
I’m not entirely sure this post will come as a shock to those of you who have been reading Simply Frugal for awhile, but it’s been on my mind for quite some time now!
Quite honestly, I don’t really get the “extreme” couponing thing. I mean, I get it, but I personally don’t see the benefit it could have for my family. And by no means am I saying that it isn’t a great thing for other families! Sure, I post about coupons and deals all day long, and I really enjoy getting great deals with coupons, but I am by no means anywhere near extreme. (Maybe most of you are the same way?) Here are the reasons I’m not an Extreme Couponer:
Goes against what I’m trying to accomplish in my life: Simplicity
For me, it’s another thing to add to the to-do list. It takes time. Hours to plan a massive shop. And then you actually have to go shopping after all that planning!
Since simplicity in my home means having less stuff, a years worth of supplies/groceries really defeats the purpose of extreme couponing for me. This leads me to my next reason:
There will always be a sale and there will always be coupons available
Items tend to go on sale for rock bottom prices every 6 weeks – three months. This fact alone keeps me from going crazy stocking up. I only buy what will get us through until the next sale. If we run out, we run out! Then there are the necessities that always seem to be on sale week after week. Can you think of a week recently where there hasn’t been toilet paper on sale? Or pasta?
I don’t have much room for stockpiling
We live in a two bedroom condo. We’re about to have a baby. Space is at a premium. Enough said?
I can’t be bothered
If I’m being honest, I really can’t be bothered to spend all the time and effort it takes to have a shopping trip where I save over 50% off my bill. (or something like that) Mostly because I don’t buy many of the products that have coupons and I’d much rather spend my time doing other things. 🙂
I like to save money by not shopping
Using coupons and getting stuff for free still comes with a price tag. You’ll always pay taxes on the full price of the item, before coupons are deducted. Sometimes I think people buy things just because they have a coupon and the item will be super cheap or free. They don’t think about all the tax dollars they’re throwing away on an item that they won’t use. Donating items could be used as an argument as long as they’re okay with the fact that those items were not entirely free (taxes, gas money and their time). I love hearing about those that do donate items since there still is a bit of sacrifice in doing so, when you take into consideration the time and money that it does involve.
Of course, I do have to go shopping once in a while. I like to go once a week on Mondays. Usually to only one store, the store with the best deals that week. Since I menu plan, shop the sales and compare for best value, I’m able to see significant savings each week as I only buy what I need to get us through until next Monday. I spend about $60 a week on groceries and household basics. Quite often less than that because of the small quantity of items I do have in the stockpile.
I value health
On paper it looks like I “saved” money, but I really may have just come home with a bunch of processed foods that will sit in my pantry for months. I’ve been seeing coupons for more healthful products lately, but the majority of coupons out there are still for processed or chemical laden products. I’ll admit that I do use coupons occasionally for some convenience items, (such as our favourite Ristorante pizzas!) but for the most part I buy fresh ingredients and the parts to create a meal from scratch because I value our health over saving a buck. I’ve decided not to use coupons on things we normally don’t use just to get things cheap or for free.
Here’s how I do use coupons:
- I do order most/all of the coupons I post about on Simply Frugal, but only so I can give some of them away to you. (I do giveaways over at the Simply Frugal Facebook page once in a while)
- I see most of my coupon savings on things like toilet paper and toothpaste.
- I only use a few coupons each shopping trip. Sometimes, I don’t use any because all I’m buying is produce and milk!
- I really like the free product coupons. Who doesn’t? 🙂 Those are the ones I use most.
Did you find it shocking that I’m not an extreme couponer considering all the time I put into posting coupons and deals? How do you use coupons? Do you enjoy the thrill of extreme couponing?
Note: Since this post was actually hard for me to write but has been on my mind since the Extreme Couponing TLC show started, I felt it was necessary for me to write the following due to the nature of Simply Frugal: In no way were the words I wrote above meant to be taken as condemnation. Each family is different. Each person is different. My way is not the right way, but it is the right way for our family. We’re all just doing the best we can do with the resources we have! I have nothing against extreme couponing, it just isn’t for me!
I collect, save and use coupons for the products that I would buy anyway. I don’t believe that buying something just because you have a coupon for it saves you much and my aim is to keep my expenses down. I do scout the flyers to see what is on sale and plan my meals and purchases around this. If it is on sale and I have a coupon it is a double win! I have also noticed the cycle of sales and usually buy enough to keep me in stock until the next sale as I live in a condo. as well.
All the best!
just read a re-post on this today, June 20, 2014.. Need to add my 2 cents. I respect everyone’s point of view and don’t judge. For me I coupon…..since retiring. I only buy what my husband and I can use…Idon’t have any brand or store loyalty though. It’s all WIFM (what’s in for me). Because I have no brand loyalty, coupons have given me the opportunity to try new and different products I would never buy otherwise. I love my stockpile, it makes me feel safe and secure. (I was a single mom) so I’m sure some of you would understand. My 10 year old granddaughter summed it up ” best “Grandma, if we ever have an acoplaspe, I’m coming to your house.” Thank you Simply Frugal for your weekly coupon match ups and best buys ……
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I completely understand how a stockpile would make you feel secure. You have to do what works best for you.
I agree with this completely. I also don’t understand where people are shopping that they allow coupon stacking – NONE of the stores I go to allow it.
Hi Tracey! Thanks for your comment! Currently Target stacks (must be a manufacturer coupon with an exclusive target coupon) and Save On Foods (in BC) and London Drugs (Western provinces). Hope this helps!
I totally agree with you. and I love your site if there is something that we totally use I will buy enough to keep my pantry full. Cooking things from scratch saves us money by not buying processed foods. Keeping healthy & on a budget!
I found a fantastic smartphone app that helps me track what I pay for the items I usually shop for (and some of my occasional buys) while I create my shopping list, Using this app and your site now I know if a sale is truly a good sale.
for a family of four my monthly food budget is 250 a month. I tend to go to my local fruit & veggie mart every week & the grocery store every other week.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=easicorp.gtracker
Thanks for the app recommendation! I’m totally going to check it out!
I heartly agree with each and every one of your points. Thanks for sharing!
I’m a couponer, I have a binder full of coupons, I read what is in on sale….I usually go free style. I know what my family needs, and is always looking for the better deal. Looking on clearance when I stroll pass it. But for the most part, I stock what my family uses the most and how quickly we go through it all. I go on a shopping venture every other week!!!
I am an avid couponer, it can work if you if your organized and know when to look for them. I don’t spend a lot of time with it, just order them online and file them while watching Netflix, if theres something that i’m really after I will trade by way of online but its always quick and easy. I also get tearpad coupons while shopping and watch the flyers but its actually really easy! I see a lot of comments on the US show, its totally fake!!!! Do you really think that a store would let someone clear that much off a shelf and spend so much time holding others up in the checkout line? I love couponing as it has become a hpbby as well as a challenge for me. If done correctly you can save lots of money on things that your household will use and never ever pay full price!!! I just can’t believe that all of these comments are against saving money!!! It may work a little differently here in Canada but it can be done.
I just started couponing and I am enjoying it. I shop sales and match up my coupons. I do not buy anything that I cannot use; I am on a budget and I plan my meals. I do not buy processed foods at all. If I can get items cheap with a coupon, why shouldn’t I? It does take some time but to me the savings is well worth it. I have certainly cut my grocery bill down and am now more aware of pricing. Granted I live in a small community and have to travel 20 minutes to stores so I go once a week and I my lists made and coupons ready for each store. I am getting ready for retirement and with $ saving will make it easier to adjust to a lesser salary. I do not agree with a lot of the extreme couponing in that you have extreme stock piles, to me this is their addiction. Planning ahead, buying what you need using coupons makes financial life so much easier. Not all of us are like those extreme couponers.
Being an extreme couponer like on TLC is not realistic. Alot of that stuff is for TV or 15 minutes of fame and gives true frugal people that coupon a bad rep. All the posts are right saving money is only good if you use the stuff and your not shopping all the time. Its all about balance.
Love this site! Thanks
I have a stockpile and I will always buy something if I can get it for less than $1. That said, I have 3 children and a husband and we go through things very quickly in our house. If I didn’t buy bulk, I would be a the grocery store every day!
I used to do couponing for bragging rights. I felt like I had ‘one-up’ on everyone else. However, I ended up buying stuff that I didn’t need or was overstocked. It also became a mental burden. If I let a high value coupon expire, I’d be unhappy about it. Or if I bought something and forgot to use a coupon I had, I’d also be upset with myself for forgetting. My purse also get really heavy too.
I realized it’s such a waste of my time and taxing on the mind that I make sure now to be more selective and precise. If I remember I got a coupon, great. However, if I forget, I don’t beat myself up anymore.
Love it! I also live in a very small place, very little unused storage. I buy what I need, extras of the serious deals but don’t go out of my way to buy what won’t be used or what goes on sale so frequently that I can ‘coupon’ it next time. I do have a coupon binder that I take with me and always check the flyers but if it isn’t something I like to use or that I am loyal to the brand, I will always pick the deal over the coupon every time.
Enjoyed your post and agree wholeheartedly.
I add to your comments that I consider my time to be worth money (as a self-employed person I actually have a figure in mind, but even if you don’t ….). If I put 10 hours into collecting, clipping, researching, organizing and then another 4 in the store shopping, I can’t possibly save enough to justify the time.
Besides, I live in a downtown urban condo, I have nowhere to put all that stuff either.
It’s an obsession that can have very admirable, respectible and amazing outcomes, but still …. watch those couponers on the TLC program(all nervous and exhillerated at the cash)… it seem like a little bit of an obsessive compulsive disorder as well (for some).
Again.. to each his/her own.. but your post was a refreshing oasis in a sometimes crazy sea of couponing. Well-done!
I am also not an extreme couponer. I’m not a major bargain shopper either. Running all over town for the best deals or organizing a thousand coupons is not simply living. Yes I like to save money and make my dollar stretch but I also have four kids and a husband and don’t have time to waste shopping to the extreme.
With that being said I do appreicate your flyer matchups so that if I do happen to have a coupon and it is a local store, easy to get to etc.. I can use it the best way.
I’ve used coupons for many, many years. As a single parent I was able to offer my children the “extras” because of my coupons. (Way before any extreme couponers.) In Canada, the laws governing coupons is regulated so that we can only rarely get items free by using multiple coupons. And most stores will NOT allow more than one coupon per purchase. Also in Canada we HAVE TO pay the tax on the item before the coupon is deducted. So in short, not much extreme couponing going on here. AND you can get coupons for anything – produce, meat, milk, juice, even water. Certainly not just processed foods. Yes you are right, some people are just greedy and push the coupon policies of generous stores who will allow stacking. Some people are on such a limited income that they need these generous stores the most but these are the people least likely to take advantage of the generous stores, these people have so little they’re not willing to ask and certainly not to argue why they should be able to use multiple coupons even on the necessities. So I guess that is a good indicator of who is pushing these coupons and stores. From what I’ve seen it’s usually the people who don’t need it in the first place. Don’t bother making the excuse that you are going to donate the extras. If you want to make a donation, then make it. Don’t make a donation on the backs of local businesses and then cry foul when you lose the priviledge for everyone of stacking coupons. In my humble opinion.
Oh and I love FPC’s too!
I guess i’m a bit of both. I do not buy things we won’t use, or too much stuff that the items couldn’t be used before expiry. But I do have a stockpile. The reason I choose to have a stockpile (not anything like the show just a few shelves and some space in my laundry room) if because i’m a stay at home mom to an 18 month old, and my partners pay is volatile. He is in the oilfield but its all dependent on bonuses.
I have a stockpile things like diapers, wipes, formula (within reason), shampoo (10 bottles max) conditioner (10 bottles max) toothbrushes, deoderant, baby wash, diaper cream, laundry detergent (4-5 bottles), some cleaning products, pasta, canned tomatoes, canned veggies, salsa, beans, healthy options that won’t expire in the foreseeable future in case we fall on hard times. We can focus on our MUST pay expenses and not worry about our son or basic dry/canned staples.
Like you I stock my fridge with long expiry things like cheese when they go on discount. Yes, I bought 7 300g bricks today on sale but they dont expire until june 2012 and we will go through that in less than a month. So I TOTALLY get what your saying! I never clear shelves, or buy in ridiculous amounts i’m just prepared for the worst!
I appreciated your post… i think its important to see beyond the hype with ‘extreme couponing’ and remember the end goal is to shop smart. Buying too many things you dont need, or products you wouldnt normally even want to buy, for no other reason than because you have a coupon IS NOT smart shopping. It would be nice to see similar values presented from other couponing-type blogs out there!
I hear ya chick. I am fighting myself constantly from becoming a “hoarder” or buying too many processed foods. I guess you just have to decide what products you want coupons for for yourself, and which ones you order simply for trade with those who want the convenience products. I will take my fresh veggies, meat, and fish over any processed food, and day, but like you, I will eat a frozen pizza when cooking is just not an option! Love your honesty, and support your stance!
I fully agree with you!….but, I can see a point to it too. Fast forward 8 to 10 months, you have baby & hubby..and you and hubby both lose your jobs….panic time if you are not stocked up perhaps? Who knows. It is “extreme” but I can see the security it provides for those people who have encountered job lose when only hubby works and then income goes to $0.00. (Morgtgage, condo fees, FOOD etc, scary).
Extreme: no; prepared: yes 🙂
Good Luck w/Frugal baby ! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more with everything you said about couponing. I used to be an avid couponer about 6 years back, lasted about 2 years and then I came to my senses (for me). Most stuff on coupons, I don’t use or like but was buying cause I could get it for next to nothing… I had stock piles of stuff and had way too much. It took up so much of my time, and so often I’d go to the store with the coupon and they’d be out of the product, which I would find frustrating. There’s also no way I’ll waste more of my time waiting in line to get a raincheck, unless it’s for something free that’s worth $35 or more, then it’s worth the effort. LOL I love the freebie coupons of course, and from time to time there’s coupons for stuff I actually use. Though it’s amazing how many coupons are out there for sugar ladenned foods (cereal) and processed food… I skip all of those, which means there’s not a lot of coupons left that have any value… There’s only so much toothpaste and toilet paper one can stock pile… That’s not to say I don’t coupon, I most certainly do, I’m just a lot more sensible (for me) about it. :O) It’s nice to read that someone else thinks the same way I do. I’m not alone!!! :OD and Thank You!!! For posting all of the coupons and stuff that you post, I love it. :O)
Me neither. 🙂
I’d rather be with my girls. I use about $30 in coupons every month. Which is a small dent in our grocery bill. But it helps and at this rate doesn’t “cost” me time with my family. I find most of the savings in baby Tylenol, tooth paste, and other toilettries too.
This and our health, as you said, are the main reasons I limit couponing.
I find some of the women on that show are crazy and grumpy sometimes. I coupon yes, but i stockpile only what i know i will for say 6 months, i write on the product the date i start using it and i know how long it lasts and how many i use. As for food i prefer to grow a garden, buy localy at summer time and freezing it, or to hunt/fish it myself 🙂
I found your webpage because of couponing but I stayed for your blog posts. You have a lot of great ideas that make your blog more well rounded than a lot of other couponing blogs. That said you also catch a fair amount of deals that some of the other ladies miss 😉
I completely agree! When watching the extreme coupon shows I feel like it’s an organized type of hoarding.
Congratulations for coming out! I too don’t see the point in buying a lot of stuff that isn’t good for you, and I have a very small budget. I will use some coupons but not too many to get crazy about it.
Thanks for getting the courage up to write that post. I really appreciate your website and check it regularily for deals and such, I live in Edmonton and like using your site over some local sites. I have a couple friends that do the extreme couponing and was getting tips on how to do it, but I felt overwhelmed with it all and to be honest the thought of a cashier ringing a huge order through and me holding my breath waiting for the total and then handing over a pile of coupons – hoping it all works out makes me feel with anxiety just thinking about it (sorry about the long run-on sentence!). That anxiety isn’t worth it for me and if it’s stressful just thinking about it, then doing it would probably not be a good idea.
Whew!!! SOOOO glad I’m not the only one who feels the way you do! I felt GUILTY for not being an extreme couponer just because I’m a stay-at-home mom, and well, people kinda EXPECT you to be Grocery Superwoman and Family Supersaver! I DO try….we use coupons for foods we WILL consume, use, or donate, but stockpilining is, in my opinion, just greed. I can also add one more to your list, too: I choose to spend my family time with my kids doing stuff we enjoy, not sitting around the dining table for hours clipping coupons out of umpteen newspapers and circulars like some of them do on those TV shows.
I am not surprised you are not an extreme couponer. All your reasons make total sense with me.
Personally, I love using coupons but am by no means an extreme couponer. I agree with you that it is just too time consuming. It would take away a lot of time from my family. The episodes I saw of Extreme Couponing I immediately thought that those are things I would never buy. A lot of processed and unhealthy foods we would never buy and I wouldn’t want my boys to be eating. I also have no room for stockpiling.
I couldn’t agree more and am releived that I am not the only one out there who likes to save a buck or two, but the extreme shopping is a bit too labour intensive for my family. I too am a meal planner (and am starting my own business inspired by Sandy!) and plan my weekly meals around sales in the local grocery stores. This is enough planning for me!! I really enjoy it and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment! The stockpiling doesn’t really make sense to me either… We will buy as we run out and/or at the next sale. Thanks for writing this as it is “real”!!
Great post, I totally agree with you! I’ve managed to lower my expenses to about $80-$90 a week on groceries and household products for a family of four. That’s by using some coupons yes, but mostly by checking out sales and not buying stuff I don’t need. And unfortunately, as you said, coupons are mostly for processed products and not for “real food”.
Sometimes I wonder if extreme couponers really save that much money, because with coupons you may end up buying a lot of items you probably wouldn’t buy if you didn’t have any coupons for them.
I agree with you. I buy what we need. I do not buy to simply buy, for that is not saving. I do get samples etc (more so towards Christmas time) and donate to other families in need. What surprises me about these shows is the reality that MOST of what they buy will go to waste. It also prevents people who need these lower priced items to feed their families.
Your post re-iterates exactly what I have been thinking when reading other couponing blogs lately. Someone will say that they got a $10 item for free, but in fact they had to pay $1.20 or more in tax, so it is not even close to free. In most cases the product is a gimmick or something else I personally would never use, and that bothers me because the point of “Extreme Couponing” is to SAVE money, not unnecessarily spend money, right?
With that being said, I really do appreciate your site. I am from BC so it is nice to see your grocery store posts, in case there is something on sale that I missed that week. You also have some great posts that have helped, or will help, me to save money. Thanks!
Completely Agree!! I am not impressed with those who clear the shelves for bragging rights. The senior, the working mom and those “living on the edge” are ripped off by these types. Some say the “extras” are donated to worthy organizations. I think that a “dollar night” is for those to get together and sell their extras to each other – correct me if I am wrong. And that is wrong, just wrong. Their greed means that others go without.
I too am from BC and Megan – you said it all for me.
I have collected coupons, many have expired, and haven’t used many because I don’t want to be grouped with “those couponers”.
Thanks for posting, I really appreciate the time that you save for me.
I agree with your stand. I feel uncomfortable stacking coupons because I feel like I’m ripping off the company providing the coupons and most of the stuff I don’t need anyway so why bother? And more often than not it is junk. Trying to eat healthier so definitely using less of the coupons.
I am the same as you – I buy what my family can use in a couple weeks/month I don’t stockpile and don’t use a lot of the processed products that tend to have the coupons. – and i don’t really understand the ‘extreme’ couponing either…
thanks for sharing, certain things i stockpile but feel similar as you to what my fam needs