Is Extreme Couponing the New Hoarding?

I think that it crosses the line into hoarding when you store more than you could possibly ever reasonably use. If you are continuing to play the coupon “game” then you should be taking items out of storage as fast as new items coming in.

I do think that the best use of those extra items would be to donate them to a food bank, where they could be appreciated and used now. Nothing (other than maybe toilet paper) will truly last forever! If you have enough to make a comfortable stockpile for your family (6 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, whatever it is for you) then donate the excess.

I think that couponing is a great way for some families to be able to help out in a charitable way when they don’t have huge amounts of money to give.

That’s exactly what I thought Jan – if you’re really playing the coupon game, then you should only be buying to replace what you don’t need. There are some things I have “in-stock” like soap and toilet paper (usually). But I don’t need extra bottles of ketchup and mustard for an emergency. (That’s what I save the little packets from take out for!)

I am definitely going to look at couponing as a way for me to make some donations to my favorite charities. I don’t always have the cash available to participate in their big fundraisers by buying stuff (I don’t really need) or attending some overpriced dinner. This may be a REALLY good way to go!

Thanks so much for posting – I appreciate you!

Ievette, did you see this too – http://www.jillcataldo.com/nod…Come to find out not ONLY is it hoarding, but now TLC has put a punishable crime up on National Television and glorified it…. They need to stick to shows like WHAT NOT TO WEAR….(why cant THOSE practices catch on as the new fad?!?!) I’m just sayin…

funny you should think that. I thought the same thing. must be bragging rights

Yes Shelly, me too. I usually have one on the shelf, once I use that I restock with 2 or 3 on soaps, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. The only “food” I have an inventory of is canned veggies, especially tomatoes and potatoes. Hmm, wonder what that says about me! LOL

I’m going to learn to cook good meals in 30 minutes or less if it kills me. I just had a Pampered Chef party last week and learned all sorts of new tricks. Wish you had been here to share yours!!!

Everything you wrote here passed through my brain as I watched several episodes On Demand last night. I was strangely drawn to the show, but at the same time disgusted by it. The worst thing I saw was the family whose stockpile spills out into the kids’ bedrooms and the master bedroom. Yuck.

I really think that stockpiling the items bought with coupons is way too much, it is hoarding. These people should share what they have with those who are less fortunate.  What is the point of shopping for 47 bottles of mustard, really it is insane. This is why people from less fortunate countries think Americans are greedy, selfish and cheap. This has got to stop, or at least have some sort of limit.

There is no such thing as having too much paper towels or hand soap because they last forever.  Unless you can honestly say that you’ve stockpiled more than you can use up in your lifetime then how can it be too much? 

Cereal is a different matter.  The question should be whether you will use it up before it goes bad. 

People that judge couponers don’t seem to have a proper understanding of sales cycles.  Some things only go on sale once a year, so if you stock up then it will save you throughout the year.  And yes, policies are now getting stricter because of the show.  This is unfortunate but the fact is that it proves us couponers right for what we have done.  I am damned happy for my 40 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and 60 bodywashes now that it’s almost impossible to get new ones free. 

You judge people without thinking that maybe they coupon because they have to. 

Hoarding is by definition useless. A stockpile has monetary value as well as use.  I have sold OTC meds and make up on EBay as well as given to my family. 

Be happy that you are priveledged enough for couponing not to be a neccesity at your house, and the next time you see someone getting 80 free boxes of pasta with coupons, remember that he might not be eating at all if he didn’t get them.

I was utterly disgusted when I watched that show for the first time this weekend.  I also watched the Hoarding show on TLC for the first time.  I quickly picked up on the similarities.  I really have to wonder how this type of “shopping for free” affects the cost of groceries for the rest of us.  You know the manufacturers are making up somewhere for the person who buys 50 packages of cream cheese in one transaction and doesn’t pay for them.  The majority of the food they are saving on is packaged food with little nutritional value (one woman got 300 cans of soda), and that’s what they’re feeding their kids.  How about spending $75 on fresh, sustainable food that your body can actually use?  If you’re really on a budget, you should be focusing on those food items you really need.

is anyone here going to grow a heart and respect what  people do?

I don’t think it’s considered hoarding, hoarding is completely different it’s when you keep collecting items and never use them and to where you can’t even walk through your house lol. Extreme couponing is PROVIDING FOR YOUR FAMILY, I’m a couponer not as extreme as the ppl on the show but i believe it’s proving for your family, and preparing for any type of disaster you never know and it’s better to be prepared it’s just like have an emergency fund in case anything were to happen.

With the way people are so “use by date scared” most of the foods in their “hoarding” inventories will be tossed in the garbage at some point.  Don’t say they won’t because YOU KNOW….most people will put food in the garbage the day of the use by date!!!!  Selfish hoarders…just because it is free does not mean you need it or will use it!  You are giving to a false economy for the companies, filling the landfill and getting morbidly OBESE in the mix!!! 
No one needs to have more than 3-4 months of supplies….for god’s sake there is a grocery store on nearly every corner.

If you shop with coupons and get mostly everything free, why not donate half of your purchases to the food shelves!!!  You won’t be losing money, you will be giving away some thing you got free or very very cheap!  Think of the children who maybe get one meal a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will disagree with you on the hoarding aspect of this show; one distinction is the reason for compiling up so many things if you will. A hoarder uses the things they keep as a barrier to a traumatic event in their lives. For example the man who turned his whole house over to the rats, he did this because he lost is fiancée to a cancer I believe. So the rats represent life to him and he becomes emotionally attached as well, associating the rats with the love he lost.
Extreme couponing would fall in the category of obsessive compulsive disorder. The need to keep the stock pile is key in that they see the fruits of their labor. In the case of the man who had like over 1000 tubes of tooth paste and prized his collection could be viewed as a type of OCD. for some people it is cleaning, performing subtle hand movements before entering and exiting a room. They also keep their stock piles very well organized again displaying traits of OCD.
If you could correlate a link that is true for both the hoarder and the extreme couponer I would agree then but it would be a new type of hoarding. I may use this for my next thesis.
A theme I see in most of the blogs about this couponing is many feel they should give a portion of their goods to charity. There is some logic to that but in the mind of one who has OCD, and you did imply they would say no to it, parting is hard to do and it can leave the person feeling a bit empty. But to force someone to give up some of their stockpile is like telling someone who has a job they need to give up a portion of their pay check to one occupy protester. It really makes no sense, but I do understand the angst with it.
The antics that take place on the show are just for the show and ratings, as well the grocery stores do give up the recoupment on the coupon to get their brand out there to the public.
Finally, the days of this type of couponing may be coming to a close sooner rather than later. Currently you can use a coupon that gives $2.00 off, for example, on a 10oz. jar of pickles for the smaller cheaper 2.5oz. Jar of the same brand of pickles. The couponer can get away with a bigger savings this way.  The scanners in the grocery stores just recognize the family of brands not the specific size. This is an effort to reduce extreme couponing but it does pass on the cost to all consumers the same as shoplifting.

Exactly! I could use a couple of bottles of that mustard and some paper towels right now!

Extreme couponing people should be made to pay a fringe benefits tax, where the savings have to be declared as ordinary income just like debts forgiven are taxed.