Extreme Couponing

The other day I was trying to find something to watch on TV and came across this show called “Extreme Couponing”. I have always been fascinated with people who are diligent enough to find and/or clip coupons; but not only that, to actually remember to use them. I try to clip coupons from time to time but never seem to use them before they expire. I just forget about them. I was so fascinated by the lengths these extreme couponers and the obsession with finding deals.

In the episode I watched, the lady had amassed enough stuff to last her family years on various items. And she got all this stuff for free, mostly. She made this like a job. She did research on sale and searched for coupons. She even developed a strategy for one of her biggest outings of the year. This stuff had me glued to the TV. This was her life, her families’ lives. This was their lives. Their house had rooms devoted to the stuff she had collected. Amazing.



I have heard stories about couponers but the most interesting to me was the one about a man who was a couponer but didn’t have as large a stash as the lady from the TV show. This was because he donated large amounts of the free stuff he found. I thought this was a neat idea, but still very much obsessive.

I try really hard to clip and use coupons, but I never actually use them. They sit in an envelope or drawer until I remember them and of course by that time they are expired. I mean to use them. Anyone who knows me knows I love to save money and will do almost anything to save a buck or two. But I can’t seem to be disciplined enough to actually use them.



I am challenging myself right now to start clipping AND using coupons. Not in an obsessive way, more in an “I really need to save money” kind of way. I might even check out some of these coupon websites and see if this is something I can add to my financial independence plan.

Do you clip coupons AND use them?