I’m sure many of you probably had a chance to watch “Extreme Couponing” on TLC last night. We don’t have cable, so I actually didn’t get a chance to watch the whole show, but I did watch a lot of clips online this morning. I found it very unfortunate that TLC chose to portray people who use coupons as little more than obsessive-compulsive weirdos.
I think everyone is probably a little quirky in their own way, but I certainly don’t consider myself some sort of freak for using coupons. I’m just a normal mom who likes to shop who figured out that saving money on groceries means more money for other things. I decided to make a little video of today’s shopping trip to show that normal people can use coupons too.
Here is what I got:
At Publix I spent $5.16 for $38.79 worth of groceries, a savings of 87%.
Coupons used:
(4) $2 off 2 Clorox Wipes (All the Trimmings coupon booklet)
(4) $2 off 2 Clorox Wipes (Publix store coupon, Yellow Advantage Flyer)
(2) $1 off Fresh Express Salads (printable here)
(1) Free Hass Avocado (printable here)
At CVS I spent $1.22 for $9.13 worth of groceries & drugstore merchandise, a savings of 87%.
Coupons Used:
Transaction 1 (bought Tone Body Wash):
$2 ECB from several weeks ago
$1 off Tone Body Wash (printable here)
Transaction 2 (bought milk):
$3 ECB from Transaction 1
At Walgreens I spent $0.37 for $4.67 worth of groceries, a savings of 92%.
Coupons Used:
(2) $2.00 Register Rewards from two weeks ago.
Overall, I spent $7.12 for $52.59 worth of groceries and drugstore merchandise, an average savings of 87% for the day and for the week.
Now it’s your turn to share! I love reading other people’s shopping adventures & learn something new every week. If you have a blog, please link up your shopping post below, or simply leave a comment to share your shopping experience. As always, please feel free to post any questions below as well, and I will answer them as best I can!
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ali December 30, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I have success with coupons when I am diligently use them – but I’m not consistent. However, I must say this…. YOU ARE DARLING!
Laura @ Frugal Follies December 30, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Wow, amazing video! I loved it – I even wrote a blog post about it and embedded the video in the post. (The post won’t be published until Saturday.) And your kids are super cute and very well behaved! Thanks for sharing your trip with all of us.
– Laura from Frugal Follies
JRFrugalMom December 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm
What a cool video! I actually tried to watch it twice, and got interrupted both times:) Love it though.
You did great on your savings too, fabulous!
Happy New Year!
JR
Frugality Is Free.
JRFrugalMom December 31, 2010 at 9:12 pm
PS: I love the first image from the video above, where you are checking the product, and one of your daughters is pulling the other one’s hair……that’s so how my grocery trips go:)
Ruth January 2, 2011 at 3:16 pm
That one cracks me up too. It is so typical of my youngest, too….she is just a troublemaker!
Cheryl @ Simply CVS January 1, 2011 at 1:13 am
I watched the TLC show and it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be. Three of the four I know donated almost all they bought but that wasn’t clearly stated and also they were told to do the most extreme thing they could–but that wasn’t portrayed well either. Nathan Engels of We Use Coupons, the guy in the show, is answering questions from my readers (and other blogger’s) to be sure it is clear what he is really all about. But they have to sensationalize everything today on T.V. It certainly has gotten a LOT of people searching for ways to coupon which is good. Great video!
Ruth January 1, 2011 at 1:20 am
I probably should’ve been more clear. I didn’t mean to imply that the people on the show were freaks, because I don’t think they are. I was just disappointed at the way they were portrayed by TLC. ABC News even took it a step further and said that extreme couponers are “obsessive compulsive” and need psychological help. And it really bothered me that they didn’t emphasize the charitable giving part. Thanks for linking up!
Debi@Bluegrass Savers January 1, 2011 at 5:35 am
Great video! I also like the new additions to your site. Happy New year!!!