Extreme Couponing….WHAT. THE. HECK!

So, everyone is familiar with the Extreme Couponing show, and we all know that every single extreme couponer has their very own stock-pile that serves to function as an in-home 7-11…I mean...an in-home “store”.   These people take stock-piling so seriously that their children have to sleep with about a hundred 24 roll packages of toilet paper neatly stacked under their bed.  And, sometimes the family cat even makes out like a bandit with its very own stock-pile of 30 years’ worth of food!

Well, now, it seems we’ve reached a new level with this stuff….I was just watching an episode of Extreme Couponing…don’t judge…there was nothing else on…or…I may have just been too lazy to turn the channel…

Anyhoo…I was just watching an episode featuring this nut-job…I mean totally conscientious not-at-all-OCD lady….who…wait for it…..

…..takes picture of her favorite extreme couponing trips….and then

…..she scrapbooks that junk!!!

…….and THEN….she sits and leisurely browses said scrapbook in order to reminisce the shopping trips with her children.

Oh…but wait…there’s more…

This lady ALSO has 300 plastic dog collars….AND NO DOG! All because she “needed” to use the coupons.

Whhhaaaaaaaatttttt?!?!  O! M! G!

I’m all for saving as you can.  And, if coupons help you save, then great.  Personally, I have no luck in the extreme couponing arena.  I’ve tried to be a semi-extreme couponer, and that only lasted for so long.  I found it to be a bit taxing to just keep track of everything – in-store sales, double coupons, stacking deals, mail-in rebates, on-line coupons, the Sunday paper, and the sheer volume of coupon clipping it took just to save some money.

Don’t get me wrong, I did appreciate the money I saved per shopping trip to the grocery store, but in the grand scheme of my life, serious couponing stressed me the heck out!   Especially since it took me hours to research the deals and to make my "shopping plan".  Then I had to run from store-to-store executing that plan.  I have two kids - my time is pretty limited these days.  So is my patience.

Oh, and in case you were wondering how we ended up with so much stuff in our pantry that we never used….I’m blaming coupons!

That’s right…it was all coupons (not at all me *wink*).  I can’t tell you how many times I bought something (that we really didn't need) because I had a coupon for it.  Did you see the three bags of unused food that we donated to the food pantry? 

Here’s the picture again in case you need a reminder:

 

I’m guessing that about half of that food was “coupon food”.   Never used….*shaking head*

Oh well, I guess the lesson in all of this must be that coupons are evil reincarnate, and should be used with extreme caution and care if you're going to use them at all. 

Unless you really want to store 750 bottles of BBQ sauce under your bed….sleep tight….hahahahaha!