Extreme Couponing: Believe it or not?

Talk about extreme couponing has been floating around for the last several years.  I'll have to admit, when I first heard about the TLC show, Extreme Couponing, I was kind of excited to watch it and learn some tips even though I regularly used coupons when shopping already.  What I learned was that for the show, extreme couponing was sometimes "made" and that it is not very practical. 

After being amazed by the families on the show saving 90% on their groceries, I started to look into their methods.  One family had about 4 or 5 upright and chest freezers to save all of their frozen food finds.  Another family dedicated their entire garage to their stock pile.  Where do they keep their tools and cars? 

I also recognized one of the grocery store chains on an episode.  After watching the shopper hand off 50 of the same coupon in amazement, I started to look into why she was able to do that.  See, most grocery stores have a coupon policy on the amount of same coupons you can use in one shopping trip.  My favorite local store only allows 5 of the same coupons for the exact same product.  So why could this shopper use 50?  As it turns out, the store allowed her to use all the coupons in the same trip for the show recording only.  They allowed her to use 50 coupons just to benefit the show! 

Now where does one get 50 of the same coupons?  Probably printed off from a website or from Sunday coupon circulars which would possible mean 50 Sunday newspapers.  Most coupon websites only allow 2 prints of the coupons per computer.  So you would need 25 computers to print them out unless you were really savvy in tricking the coupons to print over and over.  I know that these people did not purchase 50 Sunday papers.  That would be more than $50 in newspapers.  So the best answer is that they purchased the coupons from a couponing service, dumpster dived, or others sources to gain that many of the same coupon. 

Extreme couponing is just that - extreme.  The store I shop regularly would ask me to do several different transactions to use 50 coupons or ask that I come back another day. I also didn't see me buying more than one deep freezer.  Having frozen pizzas on hand is nice, but I don't need 50 of them sitting around...and I really don't need that many tubes of toothpaste.  Though I’m not below grabbing a Sunday paper from the top of a trash can if I happen to notice it, I will not take the time to dig through people’s trash.  And cutting out that many coupons every week would be a full-time job - 40 to 50 hours!

With extreme couponing debunked and my store savings of 90% out the window, is couponing still worth it?  Absolutely!

It is still possible to eat well and save money on groceries with a little time investment.  A more practical approach to coupons would be about 2-3 hours spent in meal planning, store match ups, and coupon clipping.  The savings would be closer to 50% off.  With the rise of grocery and food costs, I would say it is definitely worth it.

Start by finding a good savings blog like Bargain Blessings (great one for Colorado residents) or another one on DealPros to help you with matching coupons to store sales and invest in a major local paper for coupons (I have two papers delivered to my house).  Then find an area of your home that you can store a modest amount of food on items you find at great prices (when you find something for free, you might as well buy as many as you can).  Start investing a couple of hours every week in meal planning and coupon clipping for only the week of sales and you are on your way to saving 50% on your groceries and still feeding your family good food!

Strawberry Preserves

I had so many strawberries at $0.63 per pound, that I decided to make some preserves before they got too soft.  It's a good use of a lemon or two as well.  This recipe is easy and tasty.

2 quarts of firm, ripe strawberries, sliced
1 package of pectin
1/4 cup lemon finely chopped (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup water
6 1/2 cups sugar

Smash strawberries in single layers and place in a large sauce pan or medium stock pot.  Add pectin, lemon, and water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Bring to a boiling stirring frequently. Boil for 1 minute while stirring.

Remove from heat and fill hot pint or half pint jars leaving 1/4 head space.  Fit two piece lids onto jars.  I use a little water and my finger to make sure the jar rims are free of the jam so that the lid will seal.  Process using the boiling water method for 15 minutes.  Make about 8 half-pint jars.

I highly recommend using a jar lifter and funnel when canning such as the Progressive 3-Piece Canning Set.  It will save time and keep you from getting burned so easily.

Enjoy on toast, bagels, muffins, waffles, ice cream, etc.  Mmmmmm.

Groceries on a Budget

For those that think couponing is too hard or time consuming, here is another thought to saving on groceries: find a "scratch and dent" store near you.

We live close one of these types of stores that buy expired and imperfect food from grocery stores and convenience markets.  Expired?!  We have never had any issues with any of the food we have purchased including yogurt (great for freezing for smoothies) and cake mixes to name a few.  Yes, some bags of chips have been a little stale, but for the most part the food is great (I'm a little afraid of eating expired mayonnaise).  Some of the food is just in dented or smashed boxes.  We thoroughly inspect these product to make sure they are safe before eating.

For example, I bought 10 jars of peanut butter, 3 boxes of cereal, grapes, bananas, lemons (marked down because they were in orange bags!), 2-1 lb. containers of strawberries, spotlight peppers, and two bags of wild rice.  And the cost?  I bought everything in the picture below for....$18!

 

So if you want to shop on a budget without coupons, try to locate a scratch and dent food store near you.  You may be surprised by how much you can save on even a few items every month without picking up your scissors.

New Beginnings

One chapter of my life has finished and another has just started.  I have been a mother for 6 years already, but now that I have a 3rd little boy and a very trying pregnancy, we decided it was time for me to be a SAHM. I have always had the desire to stay home and be a housewife.  Naturally, I am a homebody.  :)

So, 2 weeks ago, I started the SAHM journey.  However, staying at home means one less income to help house, clothe, and feed our growing children.  God has placed in my heart to be a good steward of the things I have and to be smart about the things I purchase.  I have decided to start a series on sustainable living and smart economics.  This is somewhat new to me, so I am sure I will make mistakes.  I am going to cover some of the things I have started such as cloth diapers, gardening, and couponing to name a few.

Have any other ideas for good topics or things I should try?  Let me know!
Happy Friday!