Extreme Couponing!

Hey we all feel that deep sigh when we are on the line in a grocery store and the cashier says a ridiculous price for the goods you are about to buy. Yet when I turn on my TV a show called Extreme Couponing is on and it portrays people getting $1000 dollars in grocery’s to a measly 100. Yet is this show really portraying the truth, or is it just stretching the truth. 

In an article by Brian Wheeler he talks about the fad that the show has created and discussed how the fad has influenced smarter spending. Kimberly Pepper-Hoctor stated

   "For a lot of us in the States and beyond, this economy has hit us really hard and if you can save money on your grocery bill, it allows you to take that money and put gas in your car and buy clothes for your kids and have more money for the mortgage." 

This shows how this issue of higher bills has been a stress for most people and the use of coupons to lower the cost, make it so much easier for the show to really connect with viewers. Yet there is some things that the show doesn't show which is the hard work that is put to get these lowered prices and the fact you still waste money to get those bills down to 100 or less.

Another article that sheds better light on Extreme Couponing is from the author Lindsay Goldwert. Who within the article shows how the show is less focused on the coupons as a great source for people to try new products, but as a reality show aimed at the who activity of saving so much in tough times. Yet this is one show that relates to this type of shopping or reality, a few similar shows to this would be pawn stars or storage kings.

In an additional article on couponing the author described a list of 10 things that the show doesn't show which include:

-How "Extreme" couponing actually takes a lot of planning prior and time to collect the amount of coupons

-There is also the bitter truth that coupons, which the people on the show use to get free food, still actually cost you before they are even bought

Lastly the author states,” The Show is EXTREME couponing... This isn’t about Saving Sally going to the store and getting $100 in groceries for $55… that’s not exciting TV…" This goes to show that it is a show and what it portrays may be true, but it is influenced to show something exciting. Just something to keep in mind while your breezing the web or looking for coupons yourself, what the media portrays is really just to sell so not everything will work like the show but coupons will help your budget!