TLC Extreme Couponing Guests Making Couponers Look Bad

Last nights TLC Extreme Couponing featured their youngest participant ever. He was a high school student who from what I got from the show was saving items for college. He had the usual laundry detergent, deodorant and body soap. They this is when it got interesting. He laughed about having this huge supply of maxi pads and not knowing what the wings were for. Then he showcased a mammoth supply of baby formula and bragging how it was free.

My question is why isn't he donating this to a local food pantry. There are thousands and thousands of needy families across the United States who have problems feeding their infants. Food pantries have a hard time keeping stock of baby formula and its not like he can keep them for when he has kids there are short expiration dates. He makes it look as though extreme couponers are hoarders. This is what gives us couponers who are just trying to save money a bad name.

Now you may not know this but I am an extreme couponer. You will not be in line behind me with a $700 transaction because the reality of the regular couponer is that they do not have transactions that large. I just started couponing about a month ago. You would not believe what I have accomplished in that short period of time. Going into couponing I did not expect some peoples reactions to be so strong. Some people will come up to me asking advice others will sneer their nose up and will say "oh you are one of those coupon people". When I was shopping at a local grocery store, I was told of a new coupon policy. I was trying to use 6 of the Free Dr. Pepper 10 coupons and was told that I could only use 5 at a time. I asked about this "new" policy and was told that it was because the of the Extreme Coupon show because people "like me" will buy hundreds of the product and will clear the shelves leaving nothing for everyone else. First, I only had six and second aren't the stores in business to have their shelves cleared isn't that a good thing can't they just order more? Well you know what I mean. They went on to say "you people" hoard and don't even use your merchandise we are saving it for people who use it.

Yes, I have a stockpile, a very small one so far that consists of 5 different kids of cereal, maybe 5 boxes of each; 10 boxes of pasta; 6 jars of pasta sauce; 10 tubes of toothpaste; 6 shampoos; 3 conditioners; 10 Snack Packs of Chips; 20 bottles of soda; fruit snacks; 8 boxes of granola bars; 20 boxes of Hamburger Helper and 4 mens/ladies deodorant. For a family of 11 that is a small stockpile. It may be small but I am already saving money. Week one I save like $30, weeks two through three around $50-80 and this week I decided to shop from my stockpile as we needed all our money for a trip we are taking this weekend. So this week I spent $65 on our groceries down from $250 a week. Quite a savings, eh? I am not in couponing to hoard merchandise that I will not use. One week I got a bunch of razors that I brought in to a local food pantry. That is what most couponers do. They either buy extra for food pantries or they just buy what they need. We are not hoarders.

Come on fellow couponers let's stick together and put out the good word about what we are really about.