Extreme Couponing

Image from WikiCommons, taken by Carol Pyles and used under the Creative Commons

Image credited to OOingle.com, which seems to have some great ideas for the USA

I am watching Extreme Couponing with bear.  This is at bear's request.  I am enjoying it, but I have to fast forward through the adverts, I really don't want to explain to bear about what some of the programmes on TLC channel are about.

It's interesting.  I have discussed with bear about how many papers some buy to get the coupons, and what he thought about getting them out of recycling dumps (not a lot!).  I've discussed with bear how much the racks that the Extreme Couponers use for their stash would cost.  I've discussed the difference between saving money on groceries and saving money in the bank and just not buying stuff.  I've discussed the morality of hoarding stuff you don't need and how great the people who do this to donate to foodbanks are.

Bear has his own thoughts.  He is very clear that there is no way on this planet that he would spend that amount of time in a supermarket - some of them spend over ten hours!  He is not going to do the whole coupon thing with me in the summer.  He agrees that some of the people don't speak nicely to their families, and that some of them are not very nice when they make their family eat stuff they don't like just because there is a coupon, not financial necessity.  The one we are watching is about someone 'saving' money (getting stuff for little money and probably stuff they need, but not necessarily) to get a bigger shed to store their stash from their couponing.  To be fair, it is probably a lot cheaper than my eBay habit.

We've agreed that it is probably worth it in the USA but not possible in the UK.  We just don't have the coupons here.  Bear has already learned to accept that some things are only ever bought on offer.  We discuss some of the cynical 'offers' that aren't really good deals.  I may put him in charge of a price book.  He is always saying he likes numbers.