Coupon Sherpa: 5 Practical Lessons from "Extreme Couponing" Season 2

With all the hoopla about TLC's first season of "Extreme Couponing," it's no wonder Season Two is eagerly awaited by many fans. Starting Wednesday, the maniacs of the supermarket aisles take to American TV screens once again to show shoppers how it's done.
Thanks to a bit of a sneak peak, Coupon Sherpa offers practical advice based on a selection of Season Two topics.

1. Shelf Clearing
No matter what the extremists say, clearing a shelf of every item is just plain rude. Sure it's okay to go for big bargains, but it's also important to remember the lesson we all learned about "sharing" in nursery school.

2. Teach Your Children
Another couponer teaches her college-bound son a few tricks of the trade. What a great way to ensure the next generation learns frugal lessons before it's too late! If you want to extend this courtesy to your children, make it relevant by encouraging use of both print and online coupons.

3. Building on a Dream
Do you get the feeling TLC learned the public wasn't too crazy about the hoarding aspects of couponing? This season focuses on more than filling your home with endless boxes of toothpaste. One segment in Season Two tells of a couponer with the worthy goal of building a dream home with coupon savings.

4. Feeding the Masses
Is it possible to feed 280 wedding guests on just $150? Apparently one woman is giving it a shot this season, but thankfully your family's food requirements are likely more manageable. In addition to using coupons for groceries, avoid paying too much by reading 8 Overpriced Grocery Items to Skipfrom SavvySugar.com.

5. Share the Savings
A featured couponer this season feeds both her family of seven and 200 fellow parishioners on just $100 a month. Now there's a good lesson. Extreme couponers often get a bad rap, but most of these thrifty consumers donate part of what they purchase. Read up on these rockstars to renew your faith in the practice.

Guest Post: 6 Reasons Why Extreme Couponing May Not Be Your Thing

by

Andrea Woroch

Extreme Couponing is a money saver for many, but the practice recently landed a confused woman in legal hot water. , The Consumerist reported a Denton, Texas, coupon addict stole 185 newspapers worth $231 in an effort to lay her hands on advertising inserts.

Surveillance cameras caught the woman swiping bags of unsold newspapers from distribution boxes. In her defense, the alleged thief told police she didn't know it was a crime. The less than sympathetic cops charged her with a Class A misdemeanor that could net her a $4,000 fine and up to one year in jail.

Such practices -- including dumpster diving and stealing from recycling bins -- are giving a black eye to the trend first highlighted in TLC's "Extreme Couponers" reality show. Here are six ways to decide if this practice is up your alley, and some suggestions on how to counteract excessive enthusiasm.

1. It Requires Serious Stockpiling
If you've watched the show, you know coupon junkies dedicate huge amounts of square footage to storing their over-the-top purchases. Even kids' bedrooms aren't off limits when space becomes tight. Some claim they donate a portion of their surplus to food banks, but the majority clearly ends up in their homes. Ultimately, you have to question how many tubes of toothpaste you actually need. Sales happen all the time but, for most of us, space is a premium.

2. You Have to Be Selfish
I saw a lady at our local supermarket entirely clean out a shelf of popular cereal. Sure enough, the ubiquitous coupon binder was perched on her shopping-cart handles. This method leaves nothing for casual shoppers who want to take advantage of a sale. Even little kids know the best practice is to share and share alike.

3. It Consumes Your Free Time
You can't just dedicate a few minutes on Sunday to scanning the inserts and expect to save hundreds of dollars. Extreme couponers dedicate many hours each week to finding, clipping and sorting. That isn't frugality; it's a serious commitment. Done properly, you can actually spend roughly one hour per week and still make a dent in your grocery bill. In fact, the Coupon Sherpa app allows you to search by ZIP code for the supermarket in which you're shopping, check for desired coupons, then download them to your store loyalty card. Now there's a time saver.

4. You Must Make Multiple Stops
You really can't just shop at one store. You have to match coupons with the right merchants then run around filling shopping carts. If you stick to your favorite retailers, you'll spend less time under those irritating fluorescent lights.

5. You Become a People User
The shoppers featured on "Extreme Couponers" usually involve family and friends in the process. While they may consider this a fun activity, most people find it stressful and overwhelming. If you do find a soul willing to help you, make sure there's a reward at the end of the process. Buy them lunch or better yet, why not offer them some items from your grocery hunt!

6. It Takes Over Your Life
Do you really want to be known as the nutty coupon lady (or man)? When extreme couponing takes over your life, it's time to sit back and do a reality check.