Down with Extreme couponing

TLC Extreme Couponing starts tonight.  Let me say I hate this show with a passion and I refuse to watch.  Why?  It shows the worst in couponers.  It shows the 1% that hoard, clear shelves, They give normal couponers a BAD name.  Honestly who needs 100 tubes of toothpaste or 50 bottles of Tide.  This show promotes hoarding.  You can expect to see these people some day on TLC Extreme Hoarders.

When I started couponing my husband set up a few rules.  They were simple and made sense.
1.  Only buy products we use.
2. No more than a 6 month reserve NO matter how good the deal is.
3. Be willing to donate 10% of the surplus to the local food bank or woman's crisis center.

Easy.  Those were common sense.  I have a house big enough I could store years worth of stuff but why would I?  I don't have 18 kids to feed.  Even the Duggars admit they don't shelf clear or buy more than they truly need.

There has been talk by those who run coupon blogs that in the next few days things will be worse because everyone will think they can do what TLC shows.  I get excited if I say 65% and that is the average savings for the average family.  Please don't expect to walk into a store and get 750.00 worth of groceries for 6.12.  Not going to happen.

I never really find much in the local paper that we use.  I tend to have better luck on a few sites scattered around my blog.  I will post links in my next post.  IF you use coupons.net, coupon network be aware that for a few weeks the new "extreme couponer" will be gung ho so get  your coupons printed now because there are usually limited numbers allowed to be printed.

Thanks to shows like the one on TLC - stores have become more strict on what coupons they accept, how many, and doing several purchases at once.  The Extreme couponers have ruined it for those of us that need coupons to make ends meet.

It is always best to know the store rules before going in.  Print them off and carry them in your coupon binder.  Be polite, don't take it all, and give some to those less fortunate and we will all be better couponers - and people