I have officially been labeled an "extreme couponer" by the checkers at my local grocery store. I have now figured out how to walk in a walk out paying only tax and getting a haul of stuff. Yes, the checkouts on the TLC show could very well be legitimate, because I have done it on a smaller scale. Please allow me to let you in on a little not so secret secret of mine: I am broke as hell. I have no job, we recently lost our apartment, and I am currently (thankfully) staying at my father's house with my children. He has noticed my very peculiar skill of making a dollar out of ten cents. He thinks its amazing. It was not a good feeling to lose our apartment and not have the ability to just pay the rent and bail us out. I really wish I could have... and I refuse to put myself and my children in a situation again where I have no control over that and have no ability to provide for them.
I took up couponing origonally as a way to make our very slim grocery budget stretch. We were so broke that paper towels were considered a luxury. I still refuse to buy them unless they are free... I see them as a waste of money. It is a culture shock to live with my dad who uses his heater and buys paper towels and actually PAYS for water in gallon jugs every day. (Average of $600 a year...) We lived with our belts pretty tight. However, I did learn how to make something out of nothing.
My POINT: because I have been so close to the shelter- I refuse to ever let that happen again. I will continue to coupon to save money and provide for my children. It makes me feel really good that we have a 2 year supply of soap (which I got for FREE) and I have enough razors to probably last me the rest of my life (which I got for next to nothing). I used to shop when I had money to burn... and I loved the feeling of taking the plastic bags home from Target and knowing that what I bought was all mine. Now I still shop, and I get that same feeling, only better. I never have buyers remorse anymore, because I pay so little for the things I bring home. We have better cleaners and better food than I could ever previously afford... and I am using less than 1/4 of the $$$ I used to use.
Anyone can coupon. Its not true that you need $$$$ to be an extreme couponer. Keep at it, and if you are on the edge- just take into account my testimony: our lives have drastically changed for the better because of my couponing hobby. Its amazing what those crazy little pieces of paper can do.
Keep clipping, and good night.
