5 Reasons TLC’s Extreme Couponing is Extremely Lame

My wife tends to be a frugal person by nature, so when we were watching an episode of TLC’s new show ‘Extreme Couponing’ the other night, I found it hilarious when she turned to me and said “I hope you never want me to be like those ladies?” And I said, “Like what? You mean spend all of your free time collecting coupons from every person you know, and then start an underground bunker full of Ibuprofen, hot sauce, and Honey Nut Cheerios? No, please don’t ever be like that.” Do I have anything against using grocery store coupons? Absolutely not, we use them all the time. The difference is we use them on stuff we actually need and will use within a reasonable amount of time. I think balance is the key to a good coupon strategy.

Here are my top 5 reasons TLC’s Extreme Couponing is Lame. Drumroll please….

1 – Unless you start eating all of your free toothpaste, you cannot survive on 50 boxes of Lucky Charms and 12 cases of Gatorade. Well, you probably can survive, but authorities would eventually have to remove a wall of your home to get you out.

2 – It is clearly not a show about saving money as it’s a show about strange addictions. Every episode I have seen involves a lady at the checkout register with an adrenaline rush second only to a heroine addiction.

3 – If you don’t actually need it, it does not matter what it costs. The show really goes against the idea of frugal living. Which is strange because I always equate using coupons as a solid aspect of the frugal lifestyle.

4 – Don’t empty my shelves! If I ever go to my local grocery store and my favorite hot sauce and headache medicine is gone, I’m going to be screaming mad! Meatloaf on Celebrity Apprentice mad.

5 – What about online coupons? Ya know, there are other ways to save with coupons other than the 3-foot wide coupon binder. Try Rather-Be-Shopping.com for example. Yes, this is indeed a shameless plug.

Have you ever seen the show? What is your take?

4 Responses to “5 Reasons TLC’s Extreme Couponing is Extremely Lame”

1. brenda on May 25th, 2011 12:09 pm

   i do like watching the show because we laugh at the lengths they go to for some of the deals. some of the people are just nuts. however when the go overboard and then donate the extra, that is nice. i think that just using coupons on regular grocery trips is as far as i will go, i have saved enough to make it worthwhile.

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2. Kyle on May 25th, 2011 12:21 pm

   I agree Brenda, it is quite entertaining. I saw one the other night where they guy donated all of his haul to charity. That was very cool!

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3. Jessyca on September 29th, 2011 1:18 am

   I do watch the show because it is what first interested me in couponing and sometimes I learn something new. Like tonight I learned that there is coupons out there with no expiration date. Never knew that before.

   I wish they went more into how they do what they do. Also I notice a lot of the ladies are on the east coast which is preventive from learning anything from the show because the west coast is horrible for doubling coupons or overage (how can you even get overage without doubling unless the deal is outrageously good?).

   The show has become a pure competition of who can get the most for the least. Which almost makes me have to defend myself every time I go to the grocery store because of the bad reputation the show gives to those who use coupons. I can remember one lady making a snide comment about how I watch too much tv and waste my life away. I use my time to bring our monthly grocery bill from $1200 per month to less than $400, many times less than $300. I buy what we need as of now, but as I learn more I hope to be able to donate in the future.

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4. Lisa on October 10th, 2011 4:04 pm

   I have to say that it is because of this show that I now, coupon. I have always appreciated a good deal- the show and the couponing websites have taught me that I will never again pay for razors, feminie products or gum. While that won’t change my life (I eat a lot of fruits and veggies) it is fun to see how I can score a great deal on free doogie treats. I do totally agree that this is a show on weird addictions… but then again I watch animal hoarders also (oh and I only have 1 dog – extremes are never a good thing).

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