Extreme Couponing

UPDATE: Listen to LIVE interview (top right) with Coupon Pro TODAY (7/21) @ 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET!

Nearly 1 month after the mayhem of last month’s interview with of Extreme Couponing’s J’amie Kirlew (the lady accused of coupon fraud), I’m going to be chatting it up live once again with Nina Frye of Living The Dream Mom on Toginet radio this Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 7:00 AM PT /10:00 AM ET. My last interview with Nina wasn’t what I hoped it would be. After Kirlew’s interview, it was my turn for an interview. We started about 10 minutes late, a lot of tension was in the air and many of you felt the interview was rushed. I want to apologize for that. Moving on we’ll be doing it one more time, discussing lots of topics including more about my personal life, aftermath of Extreme Couponing, stockpiling, scoring freebies and much more. Also, don’t miss your chance to win a $10 Target Gift Card. It’s going to be rather early for me since I’m in California, so I bet I’ll probably say something I shouldn’t say. Tune in to find out! 😉

Go here to listen live and if you’d like to ask me a question or whatever else is on your mind, give us a call at 1-877-864-4869 starting at 10:00 AM ET on Thursday, July 21st. I hope I get to speak with some of you! 😀

I just spotted Extreme Couponing making it’s second appearance on the front page of Yahoo! News. Grrrreat! 😉

“Why Extreme Couponing Won’t Work For You
Wednesday, July 6, 2011

In today’s environment, frugality has become trendy and shows like TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” have gone viral with 2.1 million viewers tuning in for the premiere. The show depicts penny pinching as an extreme sport. For the stars of the TLC show, and for the customers who you see three carts deep in the supermarket check out line, this is no haphazard coupon clipping. This is an organized way of life. The concept is impressive, they may proudly hand over a handful of singles for hundreds of items, but is this level of couponing wise?

Time Commitment
Gone are the days of snipping a few interesting looking items from your local Sunday paper. Extreme couponing requires real commitment and organization. Before you even get to the store you have to start researching in newspapers and scourging online sites such as Coupons.com, RedPlum and the Grocery Game. Once you have cross-referenced your coupons you need to find a binder with slide-in slots and start filing them by item, expiration date and participating store. For the dedicated shoppers this gathering, cutting, printing and cataloging is a part time job taking up hours of each week. If you don’t have several hours a week to dedicate to the work you will lose interest quickly. It might become necessary to create a support network of friends, family and neighbors so you can swap coupons and share ideas.

Once you have your binder ready and you have checked your email account for any last minute sale specials, you are ready to start the business of shopping. In the world of extreme couponing this does not mean a single trip to your local supermarket. Pack a water bottle and ready yourself for a long journey. Many coupons are store specific so you will need to start jumping from one store to the next. Is the saving worth the extra time spent in traffic, gasoline used or minutes spent waiting for public transportation? Unless you have gargantuan calf muscles and are prepared to carry a heavy load, cycling may become difficult for this type of shopping.

Stockpiling
If you are going to start extreme couponing, some serious storage is essential. Be prepared to look like you are preparing for the apocalypse. Depending on the size of your home, you will need to put up shelves in your garage or dedicate a closest to your loot. Extreme couponing may not be feasible for people living in small city apartments who don’t want to see canned goods taking over their living room. If you do have the space for storage then organization is key. You will kick yourself if you squeeze everything into a cupboard and then realize that half of your goods have gone sliding past their expiration date.

Are you buying what you want?
If you are dedicated to couponing then you will do your best not to deviate from the shopping list in your binder. The problems with this are threefold. One, most coupons are for pre-packaged foods rather than the freshest and healthiest food products. Two, many of the products that have coupons are new to the market; they are often not the tried and tested favorites and may have very little user feedback to attest to their quality. Three, in your determination to get a great deal you may not be buying goods that you either need or want. Some extreme couponers get around this problem by donating many items to food pantries. While this is both worthwhile and noble, the food pantries may not need the more obscure items that you are generously giving away.

The Bottom Line
If you are organized, have free time, have the room for storage, want to save money or feel compelled to donate offerings to food pantries, then extreme couponing may work well for you. However, if you are attempting to re-create what you have witnessed on television, will you ever be able to save enough? If the extreme couponers are the stars of this world, your efforts may seem pitiful in comparison. You may save money here and there but will you feel like a failure if you spend more than you save? With the increased use of coupons in the wake of the changing economy and the popularity of the TLC show, supermarket retailers are starting to revise their couponing policies to avoid driving themselves out of business. As our expectations for frugal shopping rise, extreme couponing may become increasingly difficult with only a few dedicated shoppers seeing the addictive savings that have driven the craze.”

We’d love to hear you what you think. Thoughts?

(Source: Yahoo! Finance)

BREAKING NEWS

Oh boy… TLC’s controversial show Extreme Couponing and it’s impact on couponers has hit the front page of Yahoo! news. Of course, we know stores are changing their coupon policies and limiting couponers, though they’ve always done so, but all eyes are on TLC’s show for the latest changes and impact on retails, newspapers and more.

“Extreme Coupons: TV Show Draws Extreme Backlash
Monday, June 27, 2011

Last month I described five reasons to steer clear of extreme couponing, and now I think I have a sixth: It brings out the worst in both consumers and retailers.

Industry watchers say TLC’s popular reality show, Extreme Couponing — which depicts coupon-obsessed men and women spending 30 to 40 hours a week cutting coupons to net pounds and pounds of groceries for pennies on the dollar (exhausted yet?) — may be causing more harm than good in the real world.

On the retail front, some big retailers — wary of couponing copycats — are pushing back on former coupon allowances for ordinary shoppers:

• At Rite Aid, shoppers can no longer combine buy-one-get-one-free coupons or promotions — a strategy that, in the past, allowed customers to get two free items. The chain is also limiting the number of coupons a shopper can use per item to four, as long as there is enough stock. Before, the store accepted “multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items.”

• Target now forbids “stacking,” the act of combining manufacturer and store buy-one-get-one-free coupons, in order to receive both items for free.

Phil Lempert, food industry expert and editor, told her that “shoppers no longer feel good about saving $10, or 10-to-20 percent. They’re becoming depressed that they are not able to buy $1,000 or more groceries for 25 cents.”

And, believe it or not, some of the coupon-obsessed across the country have reportedly turned to newspaper theft to take advantage of as many coupon circulars as possible. Some subscribers complain that their papers are missing coupon inserts, while some regional newspaper companies report papers have been stolen from coin-operated racks. Now, that’s extreme.

Coupon Dos & Don’ts

Still, as wary as I am of coupon mania, I’m willing to concede that there are some smart ways to use coupons — as long as you’re buying something you actually want or need. Many stores still have lenient policies. Here’s some advice for tactfully getting the most out of coupons and some coupon etiquette Do’s and Dont’s.

Do Know Your Limits. Save time, energy and embarrassment at the register by playing with the rules established by retailers and manufacturers. Visit their Web sites to learn if there have been any updates or changes to their coupon policies.

Do Ask Friends and Neighbors to Leave Aside Papers. Some people actually subscribe to newspapers for the articles, not the coupons. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask these friends and family members — politely — to set aside the coupons for you to pick up at a later time.

Don’t Barter for New Papers. According to a report in North County Times, local publishers say customers are asking to return papers for new ones with fresh coupon circulars. I’m all for trading up, but, really?

Do Start a Small Coupon Swap. Rather than stealing your neighbor’s Sunday paper to benefit from the extra coupon circular, create a support system through a small, local coupon exchange. Members can meet once a week in person for 30 minutes to exchange coupons for things they actually would buy anyway. (One person’s buy-one-get-one-free instant oatmeal is another person’s 50-cents-off cold cereal.)

Don’t Copy Coupons. Many stores mention in their coupon policies that “coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold …” etc. Again, stick with the official policy. You’ll still manage to save a good chunk of change — and by skipping a long debate at the checkout, you’ll also avoid unnecessary delays both for you and the shoppers waiting behind you.

Do Ask Manufacturers to Send Coupons Directly. If you can’t find manufacturers’ coupons readily on their Web sites, email or call them to request coupons be sent directly to your inbox. That’s what many successful couponers claim to do. It sometimes earns them freebies, as well.”

For more couponing tips and tricks, visit our Become A Coupon Pro page!

Yikes! What are your thoughts?!

(Source: Yahoo! – thanks @Meridith, Jamie, Stefanie for the heads up)

Did you miss my interview with Nina Frye this morning? Here it is… my exclusive interview with Living the Dream Mom Radio from this morning. I come in about 35 minutes in but I’m sure you’ll love it all. Enjoy! 🙂

Welcome to Coupon Pro Blog! 😀

Here are the best ways to stay updated on all our latest daily deals, samples, extreme couponing match ups, freebies, money saving tips and much more:

• CLICK HERE to “like” us on Facebook
• CLICK HERE to follow us on Twitter
• CLICK HERE to subscribe to our daily FREE email
• CLICK HERE to follow our RSS feeds

If you’re new, be sure to START HERE and to learn more about me, go HERE. For all my tips on how to ‘Become A Coupon Pro’, like me, go HERE.

To get started, visit deals, samples, coupons and freebies for the HOTTEST offers on the net. Enjoy! 🙂

LISTEN LIVE HERE!

Just a friendly reminder… I’m going to be chatting live with Nina Frye of Living The Dream Mom on Toginet radio this morning Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 7:30 AM PT /10:30 AM ET. We’ll be discussing lots of topics including a little bit about my personal life, my thoughts on Extreme Couponing, running a successful blog and much more. It’s going to be rather early for me since I’m in California, so I bet I’ll probably say something I shouldn’t say. Tune in to find out! 😉

Oh and by the way, Extreme Couponing’s controversial star J’aime Kirlew will be on right before me. I can’t wait to hear hear what she says on everything going in her life and the accusations of coupon fraud. Should make for a very interesting show.

Go HERE to listen live and if you’d like to ask me a question or whatever else is on your mind, give us a call at 1-877-864-4869 starting at 10:30 AM ET on Thursday, June 23rd. I hope I get to speak with some of you! 😀