Extreme couponing....it's baaaack!

So….it’s back. How does everyone feel about this? 😉  I saw there was a new episode on last night, haven’t watched it yet though. I did see a promo where the lady was laughing about being a shelf clearer – and saying other shoppers should beat her to the store. I can see that if there’s 2 or 3 products, but knowing how the show is it’s probably more like 20-30 (or 80-90!) like we saw people do last year. I’ve read and heard a lot of horror stories since the show started – people stealing all the newspapers on their street, people stealing papers from the store, people selling huge stockpiles at garage sales or online deal sites – even things like people hiding stock in the stores for sale day, trying to trick stores with multiple coupon purchases and complicated returns.

For me I find the show entertaining, laughable. A few people last season I could identify with, on a much smaller scale. (ok, maybe just 1 or 2 people). At first it was funny to see people go so crazy over free stuff you know they’ll never use – then it just got a bit scary for me. All these huge stockpiles are fire hazards – imagine having hundreds of bottles of spray air freshners in your house and there’s a leak or a fire….scary stuff!! At some point it just becomes hoarding – maybe they’ll do an update show on some people where all the food and product went bad? Or for a few of them how maybe their husbands left them over it….you know who I mean! 😉

I am a stockpiler….within reason! If I find a good deal on soup I won’t buy 1, I’ll buy a dozen. Same thing with fruit – if raspberries are on sale we will get a few containers…..but not 50! I like not having to run to the grocery store every time we need something – freezer full of cheap bread from McGavins, check! Cheap meat packs from the butchers in the freezer, check! 200 razors for a single family…uncheck! I do have fun sharing my finds with my family, if I find a good deal on coffee, shampoo I always know to pick up a few extra for my mom, grandma etc.  I have no dreams of turning my house into a store though….a room full of shelves is not in our future!

What are everyone’s thoughts on the show? And on “extreme couponing” in general? It’s my new pet peeve…I can’t stand it at the store when someone calls me an extreme couponer…I’m just a lightweight, and proud of it! 🙂