Are you one of those people who is into extreme couponing? But is this a good idea? Let’s find out!
There have been many shows about couponing, such as TLC’s Extreme Couponing, and this has made coupon clipping more popular than ever. Many people are hunting for the best deals, and it is easy to understand why. Who wouldn’t want to buy $300 in groceries for only $2?
But since this is such a big thing, it was only normal that people started wondering if extreme couponing was truly worth it. And even more, is it practical? Or is it ethical? Read on and see what the main pros and cons of extreme couponing are. Do you consider yourself crazy about couponing?
1. The never-ending stockpile
You probably have a pantry in your home. And you use it to store various foods like canned goods, pasta, flour, and pickles, right? This is something that almost everybody does, but if you are one of those who use extreme couponing techniques, then you might have a pantry that is full.
These people have a stockpile of supplies that can last them for a whole year, and we are not joking. Since they never pay the full price for anything that they buy, extreme couponers have a lot of items they don’t need right now. When they see a deal, they take advantage of it.
This is why many of them end up with many items that they store for later use. This is one of the advantages of extreme couponing. You will never have to go to the store if you find out that you ran out of toothpaste in the morning because you probably already have another 15 tubes in your garage and they are waiting to be opened.
2. The bargains
This is the reason people choose to get into extreme couponing in the first place. They want to know how much they can get for as little money as possible. And generally, it is possible to get incredible deals and bargains.
And there are coupons for virtually anything. From food and drinks to electronics, you can buy them all using coupons. From time to time, extreme couponing can help you get free stuff if you manage to correctly combine the coupons with the sales. What more can you want?
There are many blogs on the internet that are meant to help you get the best coupons and deals. Deal Seeking Mom is only one of them, and here you can find some of the most useful tips.
Even if you can’t compete with the coupon champions you see on TLC, almost everyone can get a decent deal. The sort of deals you discover will depend on where you live and the kinds of coupons you can use.
3. Giving back
As we already said, extreme couponing is a fantastic way to get a lot of stuff. But getting so many items is not always ideal because sometimes you might end up having so many things that you don’t have anywhere to store them.
This is something that really happens in the lives of those who practice extreme couponing, and there is a great way to deal with it. You can take all of the things you don’t need and give them to someone else who can use them. Maybe it’s a member of the family or a neighbor. Maybe you want to donate them to shelters or food banks.
It doesn’t matter. What is important is that you can do something good for someone who is in need, and this is just incredible. This is why we say that the ability to give things to others is, for sure, one of the pros of this practice.
4. It can become an addiction
Since couponing has so many benefits, it is easy to understand why it can become addictive. And when we say that it can be addicting, we truly mean it. Have you ever watched Extreme Couponing on TCL? If you did, then you know how far it can go.
People literally dedicate their entire lives to couponing and getting the best deals possible. All that they do has something to do with couponing. They clip them all day long, or they go to the store to use them.
But do you really need a three-year supply of paper towels? You can buy them, let’s say, for three months, and this will be more than enough. Three is an important number here because coupons usually come in three-month cycles, and this is why a three-month supply is the perfect amount.
You really don’t need 300 bottles of shampoo or detergent unless you are thinking about donating most of them.
5. It can be unhealthy
So, when you go coupon shopping, you buy items in bulk, and usually you don’t even need that much. Ok, this is already not the best thing. This can take over your life, and it is not ideal for your mental health. But besides, all of this couponing is not healthy because most of the coupons are for highly processed food or junk food.
Even though in recent years there have been more coupons for healthy food, most of them are still for sugary and unhealthy stuff. If you exclusively consume foods that you can get for a discount, your future medical expenses will undoubtedly be higher. Then, are you really saving?
6. Extreme couponing will make you rude
If you can buy $500 worth of groceries for only $20, don’t you feel a little tempted to get as much as you can? Aren’t you tempted to totally sweep the shelves for all of those sales items?
Well, this is not illegal; you can do it without any legal implications, but is it ethical? If you and other couponers do this, there will be no more left for the rest of the shoppers. And since you don’t need all of the items you get, why would you take all of them?
It is extremely annoying for the other shoppers to want to grab a cereal box that is on sale and, when they get to the shelf, see that there is none left. All of them are with the gentleman who is in front at the check-out.
As you can easily see after reading, all of this extreme couponing is not for everybody. Most people don’t have the time to do this, and they may also not want to eat only the foods they can get by couponing. Sometimes it is just not worth it.
But, if it is not extreme, couponing has its perks that we can’t ignore. You can get some really good items at incredible prices. As long as you are not couponing at a TLC level, you should be okay.
If you want to get into couponing, the best thing you can do is learn how to be organized. This will help you a lot, and you will be sure that you will get all the deals. If you want to keep your coupons in one place and have them organized, you might need a mini organizer.
This organizer can be easily purchased on Amazon and will surely get its job done: Expanding Accordion File Folder Mini Organizer Wallet
You should also read Being Too Frugal Is Not Always the Best Solution! Here Are 9 Examples
