Extreme Couponing

This is one of the things I feel a bit sheepish admitting, but I watched two episodes of this (Extreme Couponing) recently. Maybe I should try to look at it (watching television during the day) as one of the perks of being retired or at least on Christmas break (for those who are not retired), but then there’s also DVR so really there is no excuse. I think the coupon show was on the same channel as the hoarding shows too, but anyway, though I am loathe to admit it, I recognize that I am attracted to the idea of extreme couponing. I had enough Oust (room deodorizer) stockpiled to keep the bathrooms I frequented at school and the three bathrooms in my house smelling tolerable for a year and this was before I’d ever seen the show. One other plus for stockpiling canned goods is that I would always have something available to donate to a local food pantry.

The major drawbacks that I see include the fact that I love to shop at the commissary and they don’t take double coupons. In fact, none of the stores in our county do. The closest store that does is either on Amelia Island (Fernandina, Florida) or St. Simons Island, Georgia and the distance and gas it would take to go back and forth would probably negate the benefits. I also do not have a phone that is sophisticated enough to go online for coupon codes etc. And if I did then I would have to figure out how to work the data package on the phone too. Printing online coupons is complicated enough. I also have a tendency to buy just the things on my list and I noticed the stockpilers on the TV shows purchased items because they were good deals whether they used or consumed them or not.

And after all this weighing of the advantages and disadvantages, and faithfully reading the column in the newspaper about couponing, I went ahead and borrowed a book on it on my kindle in a last ditch attempt to convince myself that extreme couponing is for me. And one of the first things I read was that the results you see on the coupon shows on TV are not realistic. So I am happy to report that I saved a dollar on Fred’s dog food during my shopping trip at the commissary. That’s as extreme as it gets for me today!