There was an ad on the TV for that couponing show. The lady was talking about how there is a stigma about couponers in that some folks think they are hoarding but what we don't realize is that they are taking care of their families.

Well, if they are clearing the shelves of an item then they are hoarding. What they don't realize is that everyone at the grocery store is taking care of their families and that if they take all of an item no one else can take care of their families.

I use coupons some, but just threw out a lot of expired ones this evening. I watched that extreme couponing show last night, and for the life of me I can't figure out how they do it!

For a few years I used a "pay for" website that told me which coupons to use at my stores each week for the best deals.
I managed to keep a stockpile of about a 3 months supply of non-perishables.
(Think of financial experts advising 6 months of salary in savings reasoning.)
Not hoarding.
(See Extreme Couponing shows for hoarding.)
It was wonderful and really helped me keep a very reasonable budget.. until..
my local Kroger stopped double and tripling coupons several months ago.

Since that time the stores seem to be getting a "heads up" from the manufacturers as to the coupons they'll be issuing and basing their sales on that information.
The deals seem to have just about dried up. The sale items don't have many coupons to match.

I still get a Sunday paper and keep my coupon inserts but now I use a free website:
www.couponmom.com and ad-match the things I want to purchase at Wal-mart instead of trekking to 3 different chain stores.
I don't coupon shop every week like I did in the past, only when I see some really great deals on things I know we'll use.
For the most part, we've gone back to shopping at Sam's Club for a lot of our grocery needs.

I chalk the decrease in coupon deals, stricter coupon policies, and lower coupon values up to
the economy and the Extreme Couponing shows that have exploited -in most cases- blatant abuse of coupons.
I really feel for the family that *depends* on coupons to feed their family within their budget each month.

I have found the more we use the more we spend in money and time. I trim my time and money by shopping generics and making from scratch as well as knowing who has the best rpices on things we regularily use. When I waste money with coupons I end up with items stuck in the cupboard that end up expiring before use.

I just have to laugh over this topic....I find that couponing seems to be a waste of my time but.....today while at Wal-Mart, the girl in front of me used so many coupons for makeup and baby food. I think the total price would have been over $100 and she ended up paying (after using all her coupons), 28¢. I was shocked. LOL

I have watched a few of the coupon shows...who the heck wants to stock up on all of that stuff...and they just buy to buy....Many of the items I have seen them stock up on I would not use. I have better ways of spending my time.

Baby food may have been WIC.

Nope it was all coupons....the sales clerk and I were wondering if she's re-selling stuff because it was an awful lot of makeup....I think foundation and pressed powder. And the baby food was all those jars of Gerber's or whatever brand. Wasn't WIC.

I agree. It borders on greed/ hoarding.

We shop at Foodmaxx and for most things we use the store brand. It is usually cheaper than name brands with coupon. When I do have a coupon, by the time I remember to take the coupon, the damn thing is expired, so NO, no couponing for me.