Need to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill? How About ‘Extreme Couponing?’
- Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:23am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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In this photo taken Tuesday, June 28, 2011, Monica Knight, a dental hygienist and mother of two, shows her coupon binder at her home in Boise, Idaho. Knight, a used to spend spent $600 a month on groceries. Thanks to extreme couponing she's down to $100-150 a month. (AP Photo/Jessie L. Bonner)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The women sat expectantly as Monica Knight told them she once routinely spent $600 a month on groceries for her family of four. Breaking into a broad smile, Knight says that figure has been reduced to only $100 to $150 a month.
And now the dental hygienist and mother of two is about to tell them her secret.
The women lean forward in their seats. They’re the latest disciples of extreme couponing; women who carry pictures of their overflowing pantries on their cell phones; savvy shoppers who will spend hours flipping through newspaper and magazine advertisements in search of their bargains, and homemakers who have pinched pennies to put food on the table during the recession and need the extra help.
Most have watched the television series “Extreme Couponing,” which debuted on TLC in April and follows shoppers whose intense devotion to finding bargains can whittle a $555.44 grocery store bill down to $5.97, to cite one extreme example.
Heather Border, a 36-year-old mother of four in rural Idaho, is a new to the extreme coupon phenomenon. But she was hooked a few weeks ago, after coupons and store deals brought her $180 grocery bill down to $40.
“I was feeling a little conspicuous because people were staring at me,” Border said. “Then, I felt a rush.”
She was among about 20 women who attended an extreme coupon class on a recent Saturday in Boise. The three-hour course was taught by Knight and her business partner, Cathy Yoder. They own the extreme couponing blog, “Fabulessly Frugal.”
The women oohed and awed as Knight pulled out the fat binder of coupons that saves her 50 percent to 90 percent on every grocery bill. She showed off pictures of the stockpile of food at her home, where 46 boxes of cereal are stowed in her children’s bedroom closet and packages of breakfast drink mix are kept under a bed.
In their class, Yoder and Knight warn against some of the practices that have given extreme coupon cutters like themselves a bad rap.
They instruct their students to be kind to their cashiers. They encourage them to stockpile food to help their families, but caution against “hoarding” or clearing shelves of items that their families don‘t need or won’t use. They also warned against photocopying coupons, which can place stores on alert and ruin deals for everyone.
“I think the stores are a little freaked out because of the television show,” said Knight, who advises her students to keep a copy of grocery store policies on hand during shopping trips in case problems arise.
Even before the “Extreme Couponing” series, grocery stores were put on alert about counterfeit coupons that were circulating online. The National Grocers Association issued a warning in 2009, as couponing made a fierce comeback during the peak of the recession.
The coupon-processing company Inmar Inc. reported coupon use doubling in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period a year earlier.
The Internet has also bolstered coupon use, with a wide range of online promotions, databases of coupons and bloggers who regularly post about the best deals.
“This is a whole new ballgame,” said Glenda Glisson, 63, who attended the extreme couponing class in Boise.
The Kroger Co., which operates the nation’s largest traditional grocery chain, launched a website about 18 months ago that allows customers to download coupons to their store discount cards or onto home computers to print. The site added a mobile phone coupon app last year.
“We’ve seen slightly more complex couponing, which can take longer for us to help our customers exit the store,” said Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey.
The so-called extreme couponers make up a small portion of customers and Kroger has not been forced to limit coupon use because of the trend, he said.
“But we’re certainly keeping an eye on the industry,” Dailey said.
At Fabulessly Frugal, savvy shoppers can find video tutorials and state specific coupon lists. The site boasts nine bloggers, including the coupon class instructors Yoder and Knight, who specialize in specific grocery stores.
Yoder started the blog about three years ago for family and friends. She knew Knight, who had also started to clip coupons, from her church and the two started blogging together in November 2008. A few months later, Yoder learned that she was pregnant with her seventh child, and then her husband lost his job.
Her family, however, had a reserve of food to fall back on thanks to coupons, Yoder said.
During her best shopping trip, she purchased 165 boxes of cereal for about $14.
It wasn’t long before Yoder and Knight realized their extreme coupon website could make money. The site features advertisements and they get paid per click on about 75 percent of the coupons found on the website, Yoder said. They made $35 the first month it featured the coupons, she said.
“We make that in an hour now,” said Yoder, who now supports her family with the website, which gets about 30,000 hits per day.
The coupon craze is both good and bad, she said.
On one hand, she makes a living off it.
“At the same time there’s just an increased level of frustration for everybody,” she said in reference to the long lines and sometimes empty shelves.
Yoder and other extreme coupon cutters acknowledge some participants do cross the line.
In Idaho, two newspapers reported this month that coupon inserts were being stolen from their racks. The state’s largest newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, set up a sting in Boise and filed a police report after a woman was caught pulling the ads from more than a dozen copies.
In nearby Nampa, a woman said she was banned from Wal-Mart stores because of an argument over her use of a competitor’s coupon.
“We should have accepted the coupon, and we understand that this could have been handled differently from both sides. I’ve since reached out to the customer and invited her back to our store,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a Wal-Mart spokesman based in Arkansas.
While some newspapers have reported thefts, several have also reported that sales are up with help from coupons.
In Washington state, the Columbia Basin Herald reported single copies sales were up 12 percent in May, compared to the previous year. The newspaper reported that more than 800 newspapers were sold at its Moses Lake, Wash., offices on a recent Wednesday afternoon.
While the coupon clipping trend is probably not a huge factor when it comes to newspaper circulation, the coupon business has been very healthy during the recession, said Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“I think, particularly with unemployment rates what they are, the phenomenon is going to be around for a while,” he said.
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Comments (244)
endgamer
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:43amIt does work with the right stores. I have proof of a friend getting a 46 cent CREDIT on a $30.00 purchase. Most of the stuff wasn’t something I would use but my friend does GIVE what is not needed to food banks and charities that can put stuff to good use!!
Report Post »Mr. Oshawott
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:39amIt looks like “extreme couponing” has taken thriftiness to a new level.
Report Post »tom
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:36amWe have to get creative to live under Obama. his wife was seen throwing large amounts of food into the garbage many times, I’ve read. But these are the same people who fly to NY or Chicago for dinner too. Vote these “nation destroyers” out in 2012.
Report Post »kentuckypatriot
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:33amWell, I for one use coupons and love it. Several times I have gotten items for free. I’m not at the extreme couponing level, but I’d like to be if I had the time. I agree with KRISINIL: there should be a limit to the number of items you can purchase, rather than clearing the shelves like they do in the TV show. This way, it makes it more fair for everyone……… kinda like the gubment does…….opps did I just say that!! LOL
Report Post »tom
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:31amThe UN is a worthless organization and needs to be removed from America shores. Geneva would be a better place for the palace of endless debaters and pseudo Euro intellectuals.
Tyr
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:13amHuh?
Report Post »CanadianTory
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:26pmTom, while I agree with you I would like you to enlighten me as to what in God’s name the United Nations have to do with couponing? If you have nothing productive/relevant to say please be quite.
Report Post »ryukidn
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:52pmI second that motion!!
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:31amThere isn’t much profit in operating a Grocery Store. Seems to me the Food Manufactures pits the consumer against the store. The store will place an item on sale, here comes the coupon against it, does the store make any money? I don’t know. You can help your local grocer and pay full price, but that wouldn’t be American, we tend to buy when there’s a sale, or calamity.
Report Post »DJR
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:01amThe grocery store sends the coupons to the manufacturer & gets reimbursed at face value for the coupon. Grocery stores don’t lose money on coupons unless they double the coupon which is a store discount & the manufacturer doesn’t cover or someone uses a fraudulent coupon.
Report Post »constitutionaldirective
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:00amNope.. store gets value + % for trouble..
Report Post »EyeofthePatriot
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:14amExcept that a Manufacturer’s coupon is reimbursed to the store.
The store still sells the item at its sale price in the end…
Report Post »KeelyinFL
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:20amActually the store receives the money saved from the manufacturer’s coupon back.
Report Post »jadeconspiracy
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:51amThe store gets reimbursed by the manufacture for the coupon’s face value.
Report Post »SouthernReverie
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:17pmThe grocery store is reimbursed by the manufacturer for the coupon amount plus a handling fee. Coupon usage can actually increase a store’s sales. Besides, many, if not most, sales are sponsored by the manufacturer. It is my understanding that manufacturers promote the sales of a particular item by paying for space in the stores’ weekly ads. This arrangement seems to benefit everyone.
Report Post »teemee234
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:43pmActually, the store makes just as much money with coupon usage as they do without. For every manufacturer coupon they accept, they are reimbursed for the face value of the coupon, as well as 8 cents for handling (mailing the coupon to the clearinghouse for reimbursement). Coupons are cash to many people, including myself. It doesn’t cost me or anyone else anything to use them, I get the products I need, for a price I am able to afford (being on a $80/month grocery budget for three people is a LOT easier when I use coupons, and it doesn’t carry the stigma that food stamps do where I live.) The way I figure, if people don’t want to use coupons, that’s their choice. I choose to utilize them to feed my family healthy foods (entirely possible, btw). On a side note, I filed a complaint with the FCC regarding the show “Extreme Couponing” on TLC. Some of the featured people were using unfair and illegal practices when using coupons, and THEY (the people, and those responsible for promoting them) are the reason that couponers such as myself are given such a bad name. It is possible for people to use multiple coupons legally,fairly and ethicly. Just my two cents (since thats usually all I have at the end of the month anyways! :)
Report Post »BrownBear
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:22amLooks like Sunday coupons will save the newspaper industry. Except for the snotty ones who are too good to have them…
Report Post »OUTRIDER WRITER
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:20am@Kickagrandma
Report Post »Organic milk is straight from the cow and has not been processed; i.e., not heated to kill bacteria, not reconstituted, not had fat content removed, not strained, etc. As one would expect, its refrigerated life is quite short.
..
Item of interest: Did you know that most dairy farmers are prohibited from selling milk except to approved buyers? That means they cannot legally sell to their neighbors. Has nothing to do with sanitation; everything to do with the politics of milk production that determines quantity of milk produced and the number of dairy farmers allowed to be in the business so as to control milk prices.
Someone more knowledgeable can add to this if I’ve left out an important fact or stated something in error.
dangmc
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:33am@outrider-What you seem to be referring to is ‘raw milk’; virtually all milk is transported from the farm (dairy) to a creamery to be processed. This is where the milk is pasteurized, a heating process which kills the bacteria, and homogenized, which prevents the cream from separating from the liquid milk. I believe the ‘organic’ designation as applied to fresh milk only pertains to the food dairy cattle consume. One caveat-in some states raw milk can be sold to the public; this can be dangerous!
Report Post »Milkman
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:06pmI beleive you are actually referring to and describing RAW MILK, not organic milk. they are tow completely different products.
As to your other comments regarding dairy production and the ‘politics’ of it, your comments are inaccurate. It does have to do with sanitation, at least from the FDA’s standpoint. The dairy industry has a vested interest in assuring a safe, ‘clean’ and consistent product. Dairy farmers are free to sell their milk to any number of co-ops or other processing plants. These co-ops and plants compete for farm milk supplies. There simply is no restrictions or ‘quotas’ as to ‘who’ can produce milk. Controlling milk prices? Class III milk price ( milk used in the production of cheese) for June was
$ 19.11 /cwt. In May of 2009 that same milk price was $ 9.84 /cwt. Now, who’s controlling the price?
Lastly, there may exist in certain areas of rural America where the dairy producer may not have many options as to who to sell their milk to, due to geographic limitations in hauling costs etc. Under this scenario the farmer is certainly a ‘price taker, not a price maker’
Report Post »ratzit56
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 1:28pmWhat you are describing is raw milk.Organic milk refers to how the cow is raised and fed.
Report Post »Iman Barak Hussein
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:17amcoupons push useless processed junk we don’t need.
Report Post »ryan
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:27ammilk? eggs? sugar? bread? condiments? FRUITS? (I got two pineapples for .75) meats? pasta? toiletries? veggies? salad mix? water? juice?
I can go on and on.
That is truly an ignorant statement and you need to start collecting coupons and really looking at them
Report Post »ddp77
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:59amNo they don’t…what, toilet paper isn’t important?
Report Post »Conservative New Yorker
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:15pmThat‘s what I’ve noticed too. Many coupons are for highly processed foods and we try to eat mostly whole foods. Not being snooty here- just something we focus on for our health and well-being.
Report Post »krisiniL
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:17amI coupon and it’s really not that hard to save a lot of money on everything, including produce and meat. My problem is with couponers that clear the shelves and have a selfish entitlement mentality, as if the evil grocery store and manufacturers owe them something. Companies are starting to get a clue to put an end to extreme couponing (limiting quantity, barcodes that can’t be manipulated, investigating companies that sell coupons, etc.) Personally, I’ll be glad when all the super couponers have to find a new high for their addiction.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:40ami agree. When both my boys were at home, a neighbor gave me her coupons and , along with mine, I saved at least $30 a week. I invested perhaps an hour a week on cutting, filing, getting rid of expired coupons. Now with just my husband and me, it’s such an ingrained habit that i still cut, file, and use coupons. Sometimes I still save the $30, sometimes less. There have been times when I have saved even more. It is easy for me to watch TV and do my coupons and an easy way to save some money. I’m upset, though, that my Kroger store has stopped doubling and tripling – soon after the extreme couponing shows came on. Coincidence?
Report Post »nysparkie
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:15amCoupons. Gads I am 59 years old. I have used coupons maybe a couple hundred of times in my life.
Report Post »I hate the stupid things. I know folks that live to cut, cut, cut the Sunday paper to make piles of coupons most of which they never use. JUST PUT THE STINKIN ITEM ON SALE FOR CRIPES SAKE!
kyorphans47
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:37pmTotally agree to you NYSPAEKIE. At 64 we don’t cut coupons anymore because we have time to go shopping at stories that have excellent prices. A friend of ours did cut coupons but she was a professional, garbage cans, other people’s trash, and she had a garage full of boxes of cereal tops, diaper tops, cleaning box tops, etc….no car parked in there. I thought then, NO THANK YOU, not for me.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:14amNot long after this series debuted, our Kroger store stopped doubling and tripling coupons, which they had been doing for over 10 years. I can’t help but wonder if the two things are related. Has anyone else had this experience?
Report Post »cktheman
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:47amThe Kroger thing is a local phenomenon. Over here, they still do the double/triple etc…. What they have disallowed is using a coupon attached to the shoppers card, with a paper coupon.
I figured stores would clamp down somewhat (it’s often wise to NOT publicize stuff like this), but there is only so much they can do. Ultimately, the manufacturer has to reimburse the coupon to the retailer, which is a wash if it’s not doubled, etc…
Report Post »ddp77
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:55amYes, they are related..the show is great to get people going but it has caused more headaches than smiles…I’ve seen quite a few coupons being used on that show incorrectly…I’ve couponed heavily for about 7 years now and it is easy to get carried away…buy what you need for a 3-6 month period, depending on the frequency of that item’s sale frequency…my $.02.
Report Post »URKiddinMee
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:04pmThe fact that Kroger quit doubling and triling coupons probably has more to do with Obozo’s devalued dollar than anything else.
Report Post »MimiR
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 9:53pmTwo of our local starts STARTED after the series hit, and a third changed their limit from $.50 to $.99. So I don‘t think it’s a trend.
Report Post »Lone Star Girl
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:14amI haven’t done the coupon thing since I was a kid. We have talked about it though.
Report Post »We realized as a part of our food storage project that the whole food buying process would change. Now we shop twice a month instead of weekly & are starting to figure out how to buy from multiple stores to get the best buys. Having food storage requires rotating so we keep our eyes open for deals. Fresh garden foods are also nice but we are still learning that skill set. It isn’t paying for itself yet.
GENEPAGLIARI
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:13amBack in the 80′s I worked for a grocery chain in Phoenix. The chain doubled manufacturer coupons and there was a tea display by Tetley Tea. I bought one box which had a 50 cent coupon and since the box of tea was .99 I got the entire display for 50 cents.
Report Post »Uncle Sammy
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:08amI enjoy watching that show.. not for the couponing… entirely too much work to get to that level.. but I like seeing the glimpses of their storage rooms. Some are very well done and clever. I do enjoy taking advantage of my favorite store having weekly buy-one-get one sales. We only buy items we actually use and even though prices have risen dramatically, it is still the easiest way to get 50% off. For those who haven’t started their own family food storage yet, if you have a store that does the BOGO ( like all Publix stores ) taking advantage of that can really help you justify building a reserve. After all, you saved 50%.
Report Post »RIGHTNOTLEFT
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:06amWhen Glenn Beck started talking food storage I told my girlfriend we should start stocking up. Coupons helped GREATLY! My girlfriend never pays more than half of what the actual total is when she goes shopping. In fact last time she went, the total was $98.00, she paid $30.00. You cant look at the coupons and say, “well I like that so I will just clip this one”. That doesn’t work. You have to adjust what you eat to fit what coupons are available. We actually eat BETTER than ever.
Report Post »constitutionaldirective
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:01amFunny title.. I compare it to bowling.. FREE STUFF is a “Strike”!!
We’re HOOKED!
There are a lot of things you typically give $3-5 for that can be gotten for a dollar or even free..
#1 TIP: when it’s available get enough to last for at least 3 months..
Report Post »#2: build a network for your coupons,
#3: you CAN order them on line for pennies each, if you’re quick enough to catch the weekly sales!
OUTRIDER WRITER
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:01amGot caught in a common grocery store checkout line behind a woman who rang up….about $400 worth of items. After the items were totaled, she produced a fat coupon book that discounted her purchases to about $16 after a very long 30+ min effort. Being in no rush to leave the store during a lightning storm, I just waited there amazed. To the woman’s credit (LOL), she did not have to weed through the coupons, and not a single one of them had expired.
Report Post »FreedomCostsblood
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:26amMy wife does this and we make our menu out of what is on sale and what we have coupons for. We do get lots of cereal but we go through lots of cereal. We clip the coupons and store them in the sheet holders that you use for trading cards. She gets her list and then takes out her coupons and puts the ones she needs in a bag. It works out perfectly
Report Post »Fina Biscotti
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:45pmInteresting!
Report Post »rabblechat
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:59amHow long until the stores and manufactures put an end to this?
Report Post »eleemosynary
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:57amThey never will. This is the best marketing tool and the reason why cereal is $4+ a box without the coupon. Maybe congress should look into that, again!
Report Post »louise
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:56amthere are rarely, if ever, coupons for produce and fresh meat. Lots of times, the store brand products are cheaper than name brands with a coupon.
Report Post »In any event, If you don’t need something, it is not a bargain.
DJR
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:22amThe misconception that house brands are cheaper than name brands with coupons is not always true. If you use a manufacturers coupon with a store sale and an instore coupon you can get many items for free or very little money. For those who don’t have the money to buy from Food Insurance or stockpiles of food for the hard times may find learning to use coupons can help build a stockpile for very little money. The goal is to buy when an item is at it’s lowest price before you need it and then have to pay full price. You don’t need to be extreme when couponing to save lots of money.
Report Post »melving
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:07amI agree, we always buy the off brands and it is always less expensive than even after taking the coupon discount off the name brands. What ever floats the boat….
Report Post »americangriffin
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:08amActually with coupns, I rarely buy the store brands. National brands have much better sales, and paired with coupons, it is so much cheaper than the store brand. You just have to hit the right sale at the right time. Okay I have to brag about my est coupon deal: 54 boxes of cereal, 18 gallons of milk, 6 packs of oreos, 10 medium bags of m&ms, and a $40 gas card and I spent $33.56. Oh yes! We were able to give some of the milk to our friends that needed financial help and some of the cereal to our church for families that needed food. But man that was the best deal ever!!
Report Post »hsmom24boys
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:10amnot true. I have been couponing for 30 years. I frequently get coupons for produce, meat. toothpaste, toothbrushes, and razors are always free. Paper products, shampoo, condiments, are pennies, Just this past month I had coupons on fresh chicken, any fresh produce and today I printed coupons for milk (any brand) , cheese (any brand), and salad. I do eat new products that I otherwise wouldn’t try but usually it is for free or almost free or sometimes a moneymaking deal. It’s all in knowing what you are doing. I feed 4 always hungry teenage boys and a husband so we go through a lot of food. BTW, the shopping trips they show on the tv are NOT typical. they save up their best deals for the camera and you could not eat off 300 bottles of vitawater, noodles and headache meds. Real couponing saves an average of 60-70 % of your TOTAL grocery bill when you stay at it over a period of 6 weeks or more.
Report Post »fabulesslyfrugal
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:51pmAgreed!
Report Post »fluffdog
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:01pmAmen. Who wants to eat all of that pre-packaged crap food. Not me. I have a large garden and only eat venison instead of beef.
Report Post »Tigertame4
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 10:49amAs do I but, many folks live in cities with no yards. You do what you gotta do. The couponing is a great idea and the more stocks folks have the better the can help themselves AND help others.
Report Post »fabulesslyfrugal
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:49pm@Louise, that’s what we thought too when we first started. Now we see coupons for meat & produce often. Also a big trend towards organic couponing as well. But many of our readers save thousands each year without using a single food coupon. They just stick to cheap/free toiletries! Check out how here:http://bit.ly/oxjlEp
Report Post »tangonine
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:56pm“fabulesslyfrugal
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:49pm
@Louise, that’s what we thought too when we first started. Now we see coupons for meat & produce often. Also a big trend towards organic couponing as well. But many of our readers save thousands each year without using a single food coupon. They just stick to cheap/free toiletries! Check out how here:http://bit.ly/oxjlEp”
Exactly! We don’t coupon EVERYthing. But if I can get 8 tubes of Crest toothpaste for $0.25 a tube I’m on it. Personal care stuff for us is now virtually free.
Report Post »MimiR
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 10:15pmSo you missed the Del Monte pineapple coupons, then….. And the Perdue chicken breast coupons….
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:56amMe and Mine do it.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:54amI have used coupons for years now. I save $20.00 to $30.00 every time I grocery shop. I don’t however have 150 boxes of Cheerios under my bed. :-)
Report Post »Tigertame4
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 10:47amHeck NO, 150 boxes of Cheerios under my bed would be crazy. I have 150 boxes of Cocoa Puffs!!
Report Post »Amy
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:41am165 boxes of cereal for $14.00? Couponing is okay, as long as you eat what you purchase and don‘t fall for the ’Try Me… Buy Me.’ Coupon purchase what your family usually uses. btw… have you seen the price of organic milk? guess I’ll be drinking my coffee black.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:54am@AMY ~~~ What is “organic milk”? If milk comes from cows or goats, it’s organic, right? Don’t fall for the lies. Just a thought.
Report Post »ManuManu
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:13amMuch of the milk you see in the grocery store is reconstituted and or comes from cows on multiple production hormones. Organic milk means that it comes from a cow that is just a cow. It produces less and is on a different diet. Hence, most of the cost difference.
Report Post »I challenge everyone to drink the same %fat in both types, organic, and what has been commercially produced for years and passed as milk. If you can’t tell the difference, your taste buds may be seriously impaired. I was a scoffer a few years ago, but there are many “organic” products that are just better tasting and most are in fact healthier. Having said that, there is some hype around the organic craze and there are few coupons for such products.
DDD
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:21amI believe in the case of milk, cheese, meats, etc. that “organic” means no hormones or antibiotics were given to the animals, too. If organic is on sale and cheaper than non, I’ll buy it – otherwise, I don’t.
Report Post »wheelz0505
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:24amDo some research…organic and raw milk is far superior to the milk that has cancer causing rbgh in it!
Report Post »Milkman
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:48amI’m in the dairy industry and I agree…oh organic milk is simply milk from cows that are fed rations that are grown supposedly pesticide and herbacide ‘free’. However the milk is NOT any more ‘healthy’ for you NOR is conventional milk less ‘healthy’ or even harmful to you….it’s all simply in the marketing. The milk is more expensive due to feed costs being much higher (since fertilizers are not used to produce the crops, yields are much smaller).
Report Post »ConservativeCate
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:12pmThere is a BIG difference between conventionally raised and organically raised milk. Organic milk must be rBGH-free, antibiotic-free and the cows must be fed an organic diet (ie. no GMO, pesticide, herbicide, etc.) Better yet is raw milk, which isn’t pasteurized or homogenized and is so much healthier than either regular or organic milk.
Report Post »GONZO_G
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 1:05pmOrganic milk is cow’s milk minus the chemicals that they inject into the cows. All I know is that my wife can taste the difference and if it keeps her yap shut the better.
Report Post »Cindy in CA
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 1:32pmOrganic milk comes from grass fed cows or goats that are allowed to roam free in the pasture. The majority of cows are in large corrals and fed hay or corn.
Report Post »Ming The Merciless
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:37pm@ kickagrandma: organic milk = soy milk like the product “Silk” or other like products. Organic usually refers to plants grown from the soil – that’s organic.
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:45pmNot really… it all depends on what the cows and goats eat. Cows eating grass (a food that they were designed to eat) tend to be a lot healthier than cows eating GMO corn and other food products that companies are trying to get rid of.
Then there’s raw milk… for people who don’t like pasteurization. It’s illegal in some states.
Report Post »jaws810
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:07pmOrganic milk comes from cows that have been fed with feed grown without chemical fertilizers, have not been given hormones or steroids, or anything unnatural. Basically the cows are raised old school as in pre-WWII farming methods.
Report Post »Judahaut
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:35pmOrganic means no growth hormones injected or other synthetic crap in the cow and feed grain that has no pesticides, herbicides, or fungucides. And the grain has not been genetically altered. I am no enviromental wacko, I think they have done a lot of damage, but I have done my research and have come to the conclusion that for my family it is a healthier choice for us.
Report Post »shotzie
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:36pmKICKAGRANDMA – With milk especially there is a huge impact on your children with the difference between organic and regular. And there is really is a difference. But you must research the company brand you buy. As with all companies, there are differences in quality. Milk is a huge player because of the antibiotics and growth hormones given to cows. Our children, decades ago, were not not constantly being dosed with antibiotics from the doctor. I was born in the 50′s and by age 20 had only had 3-4 prescriptions for antibiotics in those 20 years. Now, children get that in a 6-8 month period. So the antibiotics given to cows did not carry the same punch to children’s immune systems decades ago as it does now combined with the over prescription of the drugs. Normally that’s what is meant by “organic” milk, that the cow who produced it was not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. There are plenty of good studies done that can steer you towards reputable organic companies and if you are going to pay the extra price, it’s a must to do that research because not everyone plays by the rules. We just simply did not have milk in our house when my children were growing up and I have two grown healthy, strong young men, 6‘4 and 6’2.
Report Post »shopper
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 9:13amThat depends on if you believe that the chemically-pumped white liquid with the shelf-life of a Twinkie that you buy in the grocery store has much to do with a cow or a goat.
Report Post »NEAF
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:51amI seen the show, and make me sick. I don’t mind people using coupons. I believe it’s a great saving tools. The big problem is; when they hoard more that could use. Most of those items have expiration date. They are few that donate most of their groceries to charities or sent packages to soldiers overseas. Which is great and excellent.
Report Post »couponjunkiesunite.com
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:24pmHi Amy, Noticed you need Organic Milk? I went on a little hunt and found Stonyfield so far. Posted the link on my website so feel free to go to print your coupons. http://www.couponjunkiesunites.com. Hope this helps!
Report Post »jaws810
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:23pmMany of the items that extreme couponers buy in excess are given to charity and are purchased because they have a coupon that pays more than the item costs which gives them a negative balance which could be used on items that never have coupons like meat and produce.
Report Post »MimiR
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 9:48pm165 for $14? She must have had the store order more. I’ve never been brave enough to do that, and I only “clear the shelf” when there’s hardly anything left. But I’ve bought 32 boxes of cereal in the past 2 days because there were some insane deals. 165 boxes would be gone in my house in 8 months–plenty of time before they expire! I’d totally go for that.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:39amEffort goes a long way! I have Grocery store apps that helps. I have yet to allocate the time for the coupons. I see the benefit, lack the discipline to organize paper coupons.
Report Post »mncrunchycon
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:31amA pantry full of boxes purchased with your coupons
Report Post »and more fiber or nutritional value in the cardboard box that they were packed in.
Wonder why cancer is everywhere these days? You can keep your
coupons. Keep the chemicals, dyes, msg and loads of other crap too.
As grandma always said, “Pay now, or you pay later.”
BlackAce41
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:15amBuy a binder.
Report Post »MerryJ1
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:30pmI get regular e-mail coupons from “www.coupons.com” – you have to download the printer application for a first-use, but then just “click” the coupons you want and print them out (3 coupons to a printed page – cutting them all into single coupons can be done by stacking all pages into one or two stack(s) and “cutting out” 3 coupons or, if you’re lazy, simply cutting the stack into thirds).
Report Post »LovinUSA
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:57pmI am the same way, I don’t get the news paper, and the coupon items on the internet, I don’t use. I don’t have time to dumpster dive, but I do pick up extras that are on sale that I use.Sometimes I will pick up extras thatI have enough of if they are on sale.Guess I better start to look into this more with Obama trying to take our lives away!
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:30am.
Report Post »Need to Save Money? How About ‘Extreme Voting?’
kickagrandma
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:52am@SPANKDAMONKEY~~~ AMEN to that comment!
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:10amAll “Extreme Couponing” does is make stores limit coupons, not allow doubling the coupons, and just make it harder for normal people to be able to use coupons. Who in the $#@$ needs 75 packs of toothpaste? You will never use that in your lifetime. “Extreme Couponing” sucks big time and only cheats the normal consumer out of deals.
Report Post »constitutionaldirective
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:01amReally?? Wow!!! …. 8)
Report Post »countrysideflair
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:16amActually, what we don’t use, we donate to local shelters. Everything gets used… eventually.
Report Post »TMKeel
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:27pmI agree. Most of this is greed. No one needs the quantity they take off the shelves and the practice of extreme couponing abuses the purpose of offering coupons by the manufacturers.The person who really needs the product finds the shelves cleaned out by these greedy individuals.
Report Post »Most stores in my area limit the amount of coupons any one person can use. This must become universal to stop this madness.
billymoon
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:48pmi love you. coupons essentially are for the lowest level of food. it’s crap. and whoever left the comment about if milk comes from a cow or a goat the milk must be organic. Wake up!! Read a book. Visit a factory farm. Who are you?
Report Post »Debra
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:53amCouldn’t agree with you more, you hit it head on.
Report Post »muhamadhater
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:10amLmao…well put Monkey
Report Post »Jacque
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:44amNeed to save money…Impeach BO
Report Post »URKiddinMee
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:18amLOL I like the way you think!
Report Post »Lee Butchee
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:07amlol, RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:07amTo answer the headline, Yes I am so READ. What a bunch of illiterate maroons
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:24amAlso, the coupons I have gotten only give me a month to use them.. and if that item doesn’t go on sale during that month well there goes that coupon? There was a store in Colorado who was doing double coupons but since this extreme couponing came along has stopped. I travel to Colorado every couple of months and was hoping to at least get double deal ha well that didn’t happen!
Report Post »mimitweetin
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:34amObama is going to give them more food stamps!
Report Post »justafollower
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:56amWhat you have to realize is that “extreme couponing” is finding legal way to screw over food manufacturers. If everyone would be extreme couponing, food companies would be going out of business. I think it’s great, sure, save money. Lord knows I need to save money on my groceries with a fam of 7. But, I’d rather bring food prices down than scam food manufacturers. I think it sucks for anyone who works in the food industry.
Report Post »mfspradley79
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:10amI enjoy couponing and save tons of money doing it especially on toiletries and health and beauty products. It has been over a year since I paid for a toothbrush, tube of toothpaste, floss, dish detergent, shampoo, makeup, Glade spray, razors, vitamins, . . . . . . . and I have that stuff over flowing in my cabinets. Every time a friend or family member comes to my house I try to throw together a little care package for them so I‘m not hoarding 100’s of boxes of anything like the crazy folks on the TV show. It is absolutely legal as the food manufacturers issue the vast majority of coupons. The only cost to the store for taking a coupon is when they double. The coupons bring in lots of new customers to the stores (that double coupons) and move large quantities of product making the benefit out weigh the cost. This is not a new craze but it is much more widespread now than ever before.
Report Post »DJR
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:05pmJUSTAFOLLOWER, the food manufacturers have control on how many coupons they release and the amount of the coupon. If people are couponing legally they’re not scamming the manufacturers. If the manufacturers feel they are losing money, they’ll adjust their coupons by price or the number they release. The negative comments on this story is coming from people who don’t understand how they can save money on everyday items that they already buy with coupons. I know many people who do this that go by the store’s policy & use coupons legally. The industry will adjust if they start to lose money and they already have started to do just that.
Report Post »EgoBrain
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:57amI’ve seen jaw dropping savings, from women in front of me in the sl
Report Post »oooooowwwwww check out lanes.
BlackAce41
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:03amI am a Extreme Coupon Man. I have ADHD and OCD tendancies so i am very good at it. You have to do it to save money in these trying times. I got into because I work part time and can no longer afford the rising cost of food thanks to the economy. If you want to get into or learn more about it this is one of the websites i follow. http://www.Thekrazycouponlady.com
Report Post »Now this is Art
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 12:08pma LOT of this is bullshiit. i’ve seen the show. most of these dumb broads are buying 50 packs of mustard and their is NO FREEKIN way that they will use that much before the product expiration dates pass…WTF??? unless they are giving the rest to charity, it is just for show.
Report Post »gbfanhoosier
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 2:52pmYou got that right!
Report Post »Brushjumper
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:10pmNeed to spend money – Vote for the Failed President in 2012
Report Post »Bluebonnet
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 6:41pmSome seem to think organic is supposed to taste better. Sometimes it does, but basically it’s food that has been grown without chemical fertilizers or chemical sprays. Organic chicken & meats have been fed grass & grains that were not sprayed or grown with chemicals, and are not given growth hormones or injected with antibiotics. I don’t want to eat meat that has been injected with anything let alone growth hormones & antibiotics.
Report Post »May not kill you, but I don’t want to take a chance. Why else do you think young girls get boobs so young? They give chickens growth hormones for quick growth. Chicken supposed to be the best for low calories can actually be the worst in chemical dangers. Read up on it folks. May not hurt everyone, but kids with limited immune systems are affected in other ways. I never eat chicken out, and order limited meat………oh, what the heck, I can hardly stomach to eat out anymore, even the veggies, salads etc. (want mine to be organic and washed thoroughly, like I do at home.)
ehbardin
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:20pmLmao
Report Post »MimiR
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 10:11pmBluebonnet–you’re an idiot. There are NO HORMONES IN CHICKEN.
Report Post »