A new season of Extreme Couponing on TLC starts tonight. Will you be watching? I have too many things to do and will miss it. I am sure that there will be enough recaps that I will never need to watch it!

I have so many thoughts and feelings on this one. As you know Paul and I were on the first season, the  first show back in April. When we decided to do it, we were excited and felt like we would have the chance to help so many people find a way to save money like we had and make a big difference in their lives. After our episode aired, we were sad to find out the woman J’aime in the episode with us had committed coupon fraud and was widely known to have done it many times before on camera. It was a shame we were on the same episode as J’aime Kirlew, because from that episode the coupon fraud committed by her was all that was ever talked about and we were forgotten. I felt like out of the entire season we had the only trip that was  realistic and normal. It was a trip that anyone could have done, there was no special ordering, we did not use more than 10 of any coupon, and we only doubled or tripled 1 of any coupon. plus, had we not doubled any coupons my total would have only been $5.50 more.

Our teaching moment that we thought we had, was overshadowed by fraud and sensationalism.

Then throughout the season, I feel like it went downhill. More people committed coupon fraud and the episodes showed more and more people acting in very selfish and unrealistic manners in the store.

There is no doubt that this show has hurt couponing, in the way that it has given people the idea that you need to clear shelves, has massive amounts of coupons and fill your entire house full of items you can’t possible go through in 5 years.

What would be a more realistic approach? WARNING: This is boring. 

• Show how to make a weekly grocery list for food your family will eat.  
• How to get toiletries for free and still leave some for others.
• What are grocery stores sale cycles and how does that save money.
• How to rotate your “stockpile” so all that STUFF you bought doesn’t expire!
• Etc. etc. etc….. everything that they don’t show.

Here are a few of my observations from the show: Every person on the show said, “This is my biggest trip ever!” Yes, because you were on T.V. and they pushed you to have it that big! People used catalina’s to pay down their total, that cost wasn’t added in, they used perscription transfers to pay it down, they had 100 of each coupon, the cost of buying coupons was not added in, and so on. There were so many additional costs that most “non-couponers” don’t really know about that they got an unrealistic image of how to “Extreme Coupon”.

When you have an unrealistic image, you don’t know how to properly do something. All the new couponers out there trying to copy what they saw on the show, are the people we see now clearing the shelves, and stealing coupons. They are so excited to get something free that they don’t care how to do it properly or do it legally. Then there are also the couponers who are still in the “honeymoon” phase where they are so excited they think they need to get every deal and as much as they can. At some point however you realize that you don’t need to get eveything, you don’t have room and you get tired of running all over getting every deal. They will realize that these deals come around again and again.

What can we do?

• Educate people on the right way to coupon.
• Show people our purchases that are not “extreme” but still save your family money.
• Don’t buy coupons from people who steal tear pads and coupons from stores.
• Be kind and polite to cashiers and other customers in the stores.
• Don’t watch Extreme Couponing 🙂

For all the negative, Extreme Couponing has had many positives. Many of you are here today on my site because of it and for that I thank you. It has shown people that couponing can really help your family save money and in some situations save a family from complete financial ruin. It helps you build confidence that you can provide for your children and yourself  if you need to. In learning how to coupon you can teach others and change their lives. That is why Paul and I are here and why we will continue to pass along the things that we have been so fortunate to learn from other amazing people… Extreme Couponing show or NOT!