TLC's Extreme Couponing - A little TOO "extreme"?

Since we don’t have cable, I haven’t seen the TLC series Extreme Couponing. But even if we did have cable, I’m not sure I would watch it. From what I’ve read about it and from the comments I’ve received from thsoe that have watched it, all it is doing is shedding a bad light on couponers. Some of the people on the show are over-the-top and impractical. What some of them are doing is not what couponing is about. Some of it borderlines hoarding (not all couponers are hoarders but it seems the show would like you to think that). And some of what you are seeing (especially in the most recent episode) is blatant coupon fraud. It worries me that TLC would let that go on. (more about that part later in the week)

Lauren at Luxury Living, Frugal Style has been doing some research on the show and the bloggers featured on it. This is the first in a series of posts about it. Here’s what she has to say:

The other night I debated on watching the show or not, and in the end I gave in and watched it. Honestly I feel it was a waste of my time, I see nothing that anyone can learn from it and all I see is it making couponing for the rest of us normal couponers difficult. I do not like the way that couponers are portrayed in this show, it shows more of a hoarding than a couponing type of people.

I have gone back and forth on if I should or should not post this but in the end you can tell what I picked :)

There are many things that I see wrong with this series:

They are NOT average coupon users, they are extreme and overboard and over the top.

The show does NOT show the good that using coupons can do for the community, getting free items can greatly help your local community, donating to food pantries and shelters is a great way to help out those that are in need.

Stores will NOT bend the rules for the normal shopper, but they did for TV. For example the $10 off $50 coupon, it was one per person so she called her friends to come use them. I do not know of any store that is going to wait for friends to get there so someone else can hand over a coupon.

The 60 plus bottles of mustard at .39 each, honestly MOST couponers have condiments like mustard on their FREE list, mustard goes on sale for $1 very frequently and there are .50/1 coupons out so often that when used at a store that doubles it is free. So for me to see them show someone who is an “extreme” couponer to actually PAY for mustard boggles my mind.

The use of coupon sites and finding deals, bloggers like me, spend the time each week to go through the ads, match the coupons and then find the deals to share with everyone because we want to promote coupon use, and help you save money. However it bugs me the amount of importance they seem to put on searching for deals online. Couponing is not just about finding the deals other people are posting, it is learning how to match the coupons with the sales to get the most for your money. But somewhere along the line it got lost for TLC as to show HOW to start finding the deals and teaching people. I will say that there was the one family they showed going through the ad to match coupons. I would have really liked them to show the HOW to match ads, especially for those who do not have the internet.

Employees helping put stuff on the belt at check out… REALLY? Yes my Acme I shopped at in NJ was great and they helped me bag my groceries and if something was super heavy one of the guys would lift it out of the cart for me, but in reality no one is going to help you put your groceries on the belt.

The portraying of hoarding. A house is for people to LIVE in, when you are putting groceries and bathroom supplies in you KIDS bedroom and playroom and YOUR bedroom, it maybe time to reevaluate what all you are buying. The house looked big enough to me that slimming down would make their living in the home much better. I would also be concerned about my kids getting into the stockpile items and getting hurt, cause we all know kids are adventurous.

Stay tuned. We are going to discuss the show and some of the shopping trips featured as the week goes on. There is WAY more to this than one post can hold!

Have an opinion? Please chime in below or come tell me about it on Facebook. Please know that $aving Toward A Better Life and all the great blogs I work with promote practical, ethical couponing. (Please keep all comments and discussions respectful!)