I find that TLC is highly skilled at consistently producing shows that end up on my guilty pleasures list. It actually sort of freaks me out. Shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, My Strange Addiction, and 19 Kids and Counting never fail to leave me less than completely captivated. My new obsession: Extreme Couponing. Normally, grocery stores and discount vouchers do not fascinate me too much, but you have to see these coupon clippers!
The pilot episode of the show featured young mom Jamie who took up extreme couponing after her husband lost his job. She did this so she could maintain her lavish lifestyle while there wasn't any income coming in. TV crews followed her as she embarked on her priciest haul ever, retail valued at $1200. Though, Jamie did not pay $1200 for her purchases, she paid $103. Why you may ask? Because Jamie is a coupon freak! But it's not just Jamie, it is every single woman (or man) on the show!Other extreme couponing ventures on the show include a $600 haul ending in a $3 bill and a $144.33 haul costing only a penny after coupons. Everyone who is featured on the show spends countless hours a week collecting, clipping, and organizing coupons for her hauls. They even plan out their massive shopping list in advance, calculating the grand total before and after their coupons are added. Then, they preceed to go home and stash their new booty in organized "stock piles". These stock piles look like mini grocery stores, click this LINK TO SEE REBECCA'S STUNNING STOCKPILE. Absolutely mind blowing
At this point, many guests on the show admit that they get a certain high from this couponing. Basically, they make it sound like some sort of drug addiction. They say they feel as if they are "robbing stores" because they are taking so much of the stores' product at little to no cost. It just seems to me that all of this is madness. Would you really want your main activity in life to be couponing? These peoples' lives have been taken over by the call of the clip and it is most likely that they will never end up using even half of the products that they accumulate! And imagine how much money a grocery store loses from one extreme coupon-er! What if everyone became extreme coupon-ers, would the grocery store market (no pun intended) be ruined? Even though I find this couponing craze psychotic and bizarre, it is still extremely amusing to watch. Plus, there are some extreme coupon-ers that donate their purchases to the military and to food shelters and I find that very admirable. But all in all this show is crazy, and I highly recommend it.
-Chrisanthy S
This blog is so true. I too find myself becoming addicted to these shows on TLC because they are just so outrageous. This show is one of the best (or worst in some ways) because these people are so extreme with their little "hobbies". They are willing to spend countless hours just to save money. It fascinates me because i don't think i would ever be able to work so hard just to go the grocery store.
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