Who doesn't like...no, love...to save money?!?!? At this point, who doesn't need to save on purchases? There's more buzz than ever before about people really trying to work coupons and customer loyalty programs to maximize their savings. I watched one episode of the show "Extreme Couponing" and I can assure you, it was the last one I will ever watch.
One of the women profiled really caught my attention. I may be fuzzy on my details; so while my opinions may be a little misguided, here are two particular points I took away from this person's story:
- She spoke of spending $70 on a "clipping service". Whether this was for one shopping trip or, say, a month, was unclear. However, what is clear is that this money she spent to "buy" coupons needs added to her "total" in some way.
- She also spoke of carrying $35,000 of insurance on her hoard of soap, toothbrushes and candy bars. This is another cost that needs to be added to the total that makes viewers "ooh" and "aah" over how much this woman saved.
Essentially, I think this is another level of hoarding. Filling up space with items that can't conceivably be used before their expiration dates (or in some cases, can't conceivably be used during a LIFETIME) is not in any way saving money. I see where families do benefit from stacking savings from coupons and other savings programs. However, this "extreme couponing" track seems to advocate hoarding and gluttony, in my opinion. Dragging home anything you don't need or can't use, is wasteful. I do see instances where folks are using savings to purchase items that they donate. That I can get behind. The family with 457 candy bars? I just can't.
1 comment:
Not a Big fan, seems crazy to spend all that time collecting coupons. Those that utilized it for charity I applaud!
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