Tonight's TLC's Extreme Couponing will be back for another episode at 6:00 pm.
I purposely have stayed away from this topic. If you've been with me long you know, it's not for me. To me this kind of couponing is a fad, unrealistic for any long term savings and incredibly wasteful.
But, the show does promise to be one thing and that's interesting and entertaining. Remember, by their own admission, these people spend most of their waking moments eating, sleeping and breathing coupons. I often wonder when the last time was they read a book to their child. Or, spent time together as a couple doing something other than clip coupons. In addition the stores and shoppers are prepped. It's editing at it's finest.
What will be the effect? Already, coupon values have gone down. Utah, as a population, is one of the highest ranking States for coupon use. It doesn't take long for a coupon user to notice that our freebies aren't nearly as plentiful as others around the country. Manufacturers can't afford to give it free to everyone, so they adjust the value of the coupon as needed, or worse, as we Utahan's see so often, take it away completely.
Coupons were developed as a companies means to get consumers to try certain products. If you turn that use to a means of income that you count on, what will you do when the fad is over and your fired? Take out unemployment?
For me it is wonderful that coupons have been able to save so many families from possible disaster during these troubled times, by helping them get the things they need for their families. I'd hate to see it come to an end because a TV company, some producers and a few coupon users wanted a minute in the spotlight.
Want to learn a little more about tonights couponer's? Check out what one very popular coupon blogger remembers about one of tonight's stars. You'll be surprised! Or..maybe you won't….
Want to weigh in? Don't be shy, I can take it. Comment now and we'll meet again after the show. Enjoy!
Hilary says
April 6, 2011 at 10:28 pmI totally think it is an addiction for them, because anytime food takes up your whole home and you are storing items in your kids closet there is a problem. I totally agree with having a food storage, but this is a little extreme.
I am not a huge coupon user (because of the amount of time it takes to do coupons), but i did notice in the show they had many of the same coupons used several times. In my experience the computer would flag the coupon for being doubled. It is totally set up (expecially the ceral guy buying 1,000 boxes of ceral) and will be fad that passes after just one season.
Michelle says
April 6, 2011 at 6:38 pmI saw this series about a month ago on TLC. I’m confused as to all they hype over the “Premier”. How can it be a premier if I’ve already seen an episode? Is this a new season or something? I TOTALLY agree with the wasteful comment, especially after watching this show.
Jen says
April 6, 2011 at 5:35 pmI think people are drawn to these shows because they are so outside the norm. It reminds me of the “side shows” from a traveling circus. I think TLC was fully aware of the bad publicity of the star mentioned in the link above. The more controversy, the more viewers. People are intrigued by the extreme anything.
I have noticed though that it has made couponing more “cool”. I was in Walgreens a few months ago buying one box of Exedrin and there were a few people at the registers. One woman was saying how little she pays for anything and she was teaching her friend. She was so loud, I found it obnoxious but then I tend to side with you on getting what your family needs and not doing it just to see how cheap or how much you can get it. When I paid, I used a coupon and the cashier made a comment about how popular it has become. I do think it is a fad that will die out when people get tired of doing the extra work but I am not a fan of the show. I think it expands the negativity of couponing.
I don’t do this to brag to my friends about how little I pay. I do it to make my money go a bit farther and I do enjoy trying new products. I love finding a new something and sharing that with my friends. So that was a wordy way of saying that I agree with your post. Moderation in all things is good advice for living a happy life.
Thabal says
April 6, 2011 at 4:50 pmI’m worried about this series. But, when I spoke with my hubby about this, he said, it is extreme and not many would be inclined to do it. He said, ‘Biggest Loser’ has been going on for a long time and people enjoy seeing it, but we dont exercise daily, do we 😉