Extreme Couponing: It's Harder Than It Looks.

Extreme couponing. It's all the rage these days. Mostly, I think the craze is TLC's reality show about it. Really, wouldn't you want to go start clipping and saving in these tough economic times when you see people on TV getting thousands of dollars worth of groceries for free or almost free? Don't you want to save 80-100% at the grocery store register?

I did.

So, two summers ago, I did some research and started clipping. I went on my own extreme couponing adventure. It was my coupon summer. I went to classes about using coupons, I studied store policies, and I collected Sunday paper inserts. I clipped. I organized. I planned. Then, I went shopping. All that summer, I gave it my best shot, and although my results wouldn't bring in the ratings, they brought in the "reality" to the reality TV.  I don't claim to be an expert, and I'm certainly not qualified to teach any classes, but these are my realities from my coupon summer.

1. TLC lies. 
       Well, at least they are deceptive. The eccentric folks on their show get to triple coupons, buy oodles and oodles of the same product, use bazillions of coupons in a single transaction and have cashiers, managers, and fellow shoppers cheering them on the whole time. But in real life. you're lucky if you have a store that will double a coupon and you're really lucky if they'll double it to a whole dollar! In real life, there usually aren't 50 bottles of mustard on the shelf and the only way to guarantee the complete and joyful cooperation of managers, cashiers and fellow customers is to bring a TV camera crew with you!

2. Don't let couponing become a compulsion 
    Listen closely to the extreme couponers on TLC and you'll hear little hints. They'll say things like "I eat sleep and breathe coupons!" "I'll go the the store at midnight to get a good deal." "I spend 40-60 hours a week with my coupons." Some of these people spend two hours just checking out and almost sweat blood watching the total at the register climb further and further up! In real life, I learned that I want to have a life outside of my coupons. My savings weren't as great because of that, but look here. 40-60 hours is a FULL TIME JOB! and the sheer intensity of those planning sessions can be grueling. If you're going to coupon, you have to decide how much of your effort and sanity you want to invest in it, because that's what you will get out of it.

3. Stockpile with self control
   The Stockpile, it's the trophy of the couponer. I get it. It's rewarding to look at the fruits of your labor, but the pride of the stockpile can quickly snowball into a hoarder's compulsion. Honestly, if you don't have a baby or plan to have one, there's no need to fill your shower with diapers, and if you already have 85 tubes of toothpaste, pass it up. Having a stockpile is very important with couponing, but once you've built your stockpile to a reasonable size, it's also important to simply maintain it, not grow it. If you have excess share it. Donate it! But don't hoard!

4. Be happy with your savings
    You get out what you put in, and practice makes perfect. Even as much as a novice as I am, I did save a considerable amount with coupons. most of the time I saved 10% or so. A lot of the time I could even get percentages in the upper twenties or more. Sometimes I even cut my bill in half! It takes skill and practice. Those people on TV, and the really good coupon shoppers in real life, had to start someplace too!

So dear reader, I encourage you to give the coupons a shot. Have fun and save some money, but be careful not to lose your brains. Don't buy stuff you don't need and don't forget to have a life outside of the grocery store. Go ahead! save some money, but take a lesson from my own coupon summer. It's harder than it looks.