So has anyone else watched "Extreme Couponing" on TLC? I had heard about this "crazy phenomenon" for a few weeks and decided one day to watch it. For those of you that haven't watched, it is crazy. They spotlight people who generally went through a life altering event like a spouse losing a job, and how they decided to save money. They turned to the Almighty Coupon. Some of them will spend 30 hours a week clipping and organizing their coupons with supermarket sales. They then chart out their mission plan through the store to get all the items they "need" and then review the stores coupon policy to insure that their shopping trip will go off without a hitch. They might even call to make sure there have been no changes to the policy. Then they go to work wiping out the store for all they can get.
All I can say is why? I do think it's incredible and a little bit inspiring that these people can take $1200 worth of groceries and get it all the way down to five dollars. Sometimes they even make money, which with the cost of food these days, who doesn't want to be paid to shop? It is amazing, but when you look at their houses, they are stock piled with crap. They have three years worth of food and their own little grocery store, but they keep adding to it, and it's all crap food. I am not the most all natural girl when it comes to food, but I am slowly heading that direction, but why do you need 500 bottles of Gatorade or 300 cans of soda? Or even 600 bottles of pain killers?
I feel that this show is more on the level of organized hoarding. One gal bought three years worth of diapers and she doesn't even have kids! I grant you that diapers are very expensive, but why pick up something you don't even need? I know this isn't necessarily a pre-requisite anymore in our culture, but she isn't even married or in a relationship. I get she got the diapers for free, but why? That's just clutter, even if it is organized on a shelf in the basement. I mean she could at least donate it to needy people who do need diapers.
I feel that TLC really needs to blend two shows together here. "Extreme Hoarding" and "Extreme Couponing" should join together to treat these people. Help them start eating some of the food and wait a little bit until the stock pile gets low and then stock back up. I mean three years worth of cereal is great, but if you keep adding and never eating it, you're just wasting food. And if the food isn't going bad after that length of time, why would you want to put it in your body? Think of all the chemicals it takes to preserve that food for three years. TLC needs to start treating these people pronto and make sure they get the help they need. Or perhaps just encourage them to start giving some of the food away. The overweight daughter in law clearly does not need two years of her favorite soda stock piled. Let's donate that to a food shelter and maybe they can give those needy people a sugary treat.
