FRAUDULENT COUPONS & THEIR USERS GO AWAY!

photo credit

Jill Cataldo just wrote another great post highlighting the fraud 

that has occured on TLC's All Star Finale. You can read it here!

I have to say I very much appreciate her doing this because it just helps point out that not all things you see are true or worth repeating!  

I had done the following post for you after the All Star Finale because I also saw the fraud and to be completely honest:

It is really upsetting to be beaten by a bunch of cheats!

If these couponers are "PROS" as they like to say they are

then I guarantee they new exactly what they where doing and new the coupons they were using were fake!  

LETS RE-VISIT MY FIRST POST FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVEN'T SEEN IT:

Let me start off first by saying this:

FREE item coupons do exist and there is nothing fake or fraudulent about using them 

if they are legit!! 

Last night on Extreme Couponing All-Star Finale we watched three shoppers strive for 100% savings using nothing but FREE item coupons.  Is there anything wrong with that?  NO!  Though it sure leaves many wondering how does someone get their hands on two coupons for FREE Tide, let alone $800 worth!

There are many ways to get your hands on FREE Item Coupons:

•  Manufacture Facebook 
• giveaways are usually for a FREE Item, that will come in the form of a coupon
• Rebates 
• I bought a washer & dryer and got a rebate for a year supply of Tide that came in the form of 12 free bottle of Tide coupons
• Store reward promos
• Last year Rite Aid had a diaper sale which instead of a +Up Reward you got a coupon for 1 free package of Huggies (limit 1)
• Calling Manufactures and asking
• When the limited addition Huggies Jean diapers came out I called the company and told them how much I loved the product, they sent me 5 coupons for free packages of diapers
• Catalinas
• durring a water catalina promo last summer, I bought 24 cases of water.  None of the catalinas printed so I called the company and they send me 4 coupons for a free case of water
• Conventions or events that manufactures maybe sponsoring
• 2 years ago at the Smart Women, Smart Money Event Lighthouse was a sponsor and put 1 coupons for a free Lighthouse product in every goody bag
• Employees of a company 
• Many companies will give their employees free item coupons for the products they carry.  Are they all using them or selling them....I'm sure a little bit of both
• Rewards programs
• Both Huggies and Pampers have a point rewards program.  There are codes on their products, after you purchase them  you can enter that code on their website.  Those codes are worth point which you can use to purchase items from their little web stores.  I personally save my points up to buy a coupon from them that is for a free package of diapers.
• EBAY!  
• Here you will find legit and fake free item coupons.  Is it legal for them to sell these coupons? Absolutely, as long as they stick with the guidelines and make clear that you are getting the coupons free, but you are paying for their time to cut,clip,gather,sort.....blah blah blah!
• All of the ones you see on Ebay came from one of the other sources listed about.  There is not a single manufacture that is going to "sell" their free item coupons on Ebay.  Someone has gotten them and instead of using them are choosing to sell them for profit.

These are all legit ways to get legit free item coupons.  Though all of these avenues have limits.  If you call up a company and ask for coupons you might get 2-5, attending a convention you are only going to get 1 in your goody bag (maybe you will get lucky and 2 stuck together), rebate offers or store promos are going to be a limit of 1, even the "year supply" of Tide that came with my washer & dryer was only 12 coupons (= 1 a month...I go through more Tide then 1 a month)

THERE IS NOT A COMPANY OUT THERE THAT IS GOING TO SEND YOU $800 WORTH OF FREE ITEM COUPONS!!

YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY THEM!!

Ebay is a great source to get regional and high value coupons you don't normally see on any given day and at a quantity that you are not going to get anywhere else.

BUT....It is going to cost you!  No one is going to pay more then the value of the coupon.

For Example: 

The Toilet Paper coupons they had last night, they said the value was up to $14.99

So that coupon is going to sale for around $10-13 on Ebay.

Yo are still going to save a few dollars, but to me paying $10 for ANY package of TP is way to much!!

HELLO...I'm a Charmin Snob and NEVER Pay more then 

$7 for a 12 pack of Ultra Soft Charmin; let alone Angel Soft!!

I don't have a set price that I am willing to pay for coupons on Ebay.  Here is my equation to decide if buying the coupons from Ebay is going to be worth the price:

Cost of the coupons + shipping + what I will be paying at the store / by quantity purchased = price per item

*If that price per item is a stock up price for me then it is worth purchasing the coupons....if not, don't buy them!  You will not be saving any money!

Read my "How to buy coupon from Ebay"  This will help make sure you buy legit coupons at the right price!

HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF BAD PURCHASES:

Here is sale for 2 coupons for 1 free bag of Malt-O-Meal Cereal up to $6.50 a bag.  

The "Buy it Now" price is $5.25 w/free shipping

Seems like a good price....but do the math:

Cost of coupons $5.25 + shipping $0.00 + Cost at Store $0.00 / quantity purchased 2 = $2.63 a bag + tax 

WHAT COUPONER PAYS $2.63 FOR 1 BAG OF CEREAL?

Take a look at this one....No one is going to convince me that they got free diapers if they bought this coupon!

Cost of coupon $15.64 + Shipping $.50 + Cost at store $0.00 = $16.14 for 1 pack of diapers!

Sure it is a Jumbo pack, but even a size 1 jumbo pack only has 42 diapers = $.38 a diaper!

See my diaper stockup prices here!

2 Freschetta Frozen Pizzas coupons buy it now price $5.99 + free shipping

We watched one person last night pre-order 200 of these pizzas

*I don't know what they actually paid for the coupons at the time they were filming, this equation is based off of today's Ebay price.  (though I can't imagine it being much cheaper if any)

this equation is pretending that 200 were bought from the same buyer:

Cost of coupon $599.00 + Shipping $0.00 + Cost at Store $0.00 / by 200 pizzas = $3.00 a pizza

NOT FREE, NOR A STOCKUP PRICE IN MY BOOK

We also saw last night 250 of these pizza being pre-ordered.

For sale is 2 coupons for 1 FREE Red Baron Product, buy it now price $8.95 + $.44 shipping

*I don't know what they actually paid for the coupons at the time they were filming, this equation is based off of today's Ebay price.  (though I can't imagine it being much cheaper if any)

this equation is pretending that 250 were bought from the same buyer:

Cost of coupon $1,118.75 + Shipping $55.00 + Cost at Store $0.00 / by 250 pizzas = $4.70 a pizza

NOT FREE, NOR A STOCKUP PRICE IN MY BOOK

I hope this helps you understand where these coupons come from and what it cost.  I guess you can say you have to pay to play.  In my eyes, if it is not a stockup price it is not worth buying!

These coupons do exist and are real; but just as many real ones are out there you can bet an equal amount of fake coupons will be tagging right along.  Remember to follow my rules of buying from Ebay.  This will help make sure you are buying legit coupons and have a great couponing experience when at the store.  

*All information is my own opinion; There are many different things that factor into where coupons come from and their level of ethics.  

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EXTREME COUPONING ALL STARS - GET READY TO WATCH ME IN ACTION

Tonight's the night you get to see me in action!

I have to say this episode was by far my favorite one to film.  I had said after the first time I was on Extreme Couponing that I didn't want to just do a big haul again.  If I was ever going to be on their show again I wanted it to have a purpose.  

This series totally has that and I am completely honored to have gotten to be

 apart of such a great cause.  

I have to say that filming this episode really gave me some appreciation for my Idaho Stores.

Sure, I knew I was lucky to have stores around me that doubled coupons on a regular basis....

so I thought!  

I can tell you now that I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL to live in an area with stores that double!!

This shopping trip was by far the hardest trip I had ever done!  

* I shopped in a State I was not familiar with

* Shopped at a store I didn't even know existed (that was the size of Costco, might I add)

*The store didn't double coupons

* Didn't allow overage

* I got to see the store for the first time only 14 hours before I filmed

* Oh yeah, and had a policy change that took effect the day I was to film (NICE RIGHT!)

Regardless of all of this I choose to stay true to me and how I like to shop.....

WITH A PURPOSE!!

I don't buy things just because they are free, I buy things to make meals for my family.

I did this the first time around and I made sure I did the same thing for Charity.

I am very aware of how food pantries work, I know that they put boxes of food together for families to eat out of and most importantly I know what these food banks are needing.

I made sure I kept this in mind when I did my shopping.....

I didn't want to buy 700 cat treats just because they were free and would boost my savings.  

I wanted to buy items that would give these needy families a solid meal, something to fill their bellies and put a smile on their face!

I made sure I used the same rules for my meals; 

that is why it was a MUST that I bought the following items:

* Fresh Meat

* Fresh Produce

*Frozen Veggies

* Canned Veggies

* Dairy 

* Canned Beans

* Rice

With these 7 items I knew there would be plenty of healthy choices that would also keep them full!

I hope you enjoy watching me tonight!

Most importantly I hope I shed some light on the fact that you can indeed 

Extreme Coupon at stores that 

do not double or allow overage!!

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TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT! EXTREME COUPONING ALL STARS!!

TONIGHT IS THE FIRST NIGHT OF EXTREME COUPONING ALL STARS!

NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM BEYOND EXCITED TO 

WATCH & BE ONE OF THE 12 FEATURED IN THIS SERIES.

THIS SERIES WILL NOT BE LIKE SEASON 1 OR 2.....

IN THIS SEASON WE HAVE BEEN PUT TO THE CHALLENGE OF COUPONING FOR CHARITY!

THIS IS A COMPETITION - IN THE END CHARITY IS THE REAL WINNER!

THEY GET 12 OF THE BEST COUPONERS WORKING THEIR MAGIC ALL IN THEIR HONOR!

SOME OF THE RULES WE HAVE TO FOLLOW:

*We only get 30 minutes to grab groceries

*Can only pre-order 3 items

*Must purchase at least $500 retail

*Must purchase at least 15 different items

*All must be donated (can not be kept for yourself!)

WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER WHEN WATCHING EXTREME COUPONING!!

In a few hours we will all be watching the premiere Extreme Couponing, All Stars!  Witnessing the POWER OF A COUPON!   I am sooo excited as I know many of you are.  While you won’t be seeing me on the second season of Extreme Couponing, you will be seeing me soon.   I do have a few exciting projects coming up this fall with TLC; so you haven’t seen the last of me and my crazy couponing ways just yet!  

I'm sure by the first commercial you will have visions of coupons dancing in your heads and want to know howYOU can do this to.  Anyone can coupon, there is not a "one size fits all method".  You can customize how you use coupons and to what EXTREME you use them.  Couponing is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and a change for the better.

I think sometimes many new couponers can feel overwhelmed and a bit discouraged after watching Extreme Couponing; while it is exciting to see the “Power of a Coupon” it can also leaving you feeling like a bit of a failure in your own couponing adventures.  So, I thought it might be helpful to give you some behind the scene tips about Extreme Couponing before we watch another season of saving experts at their best!

I hope this will give you a better perspective of the show.

1.      This show is called Extreme Couponing for a reason!
 Be prepared to see 3-4 shopping carts loaded with crazy amounts of product.  If the show was called “The Average Couponer” It just wouldn’t be as exciting to watch now would it?!  Seeing someone buy 1,000 boxes of cereal because it is FREE is going to be normal for this show!  When you agree to do the show you are agreeing to perform the largest shopping trip of your life! 

2.      The Pride and Joy!
 Oh the STOCKPILE...Every couponer must have a stockpile to save big.  The items in your stockpile are items you bought at ROCK BOTTOM PRICES!  That is how you save mega mulla for your family.  You will never have to run to the store and pay full retail for anything because you bought it for pennies on the dollar!  While some of the Extreme Couponers on the show have basements or garages full of products, don’t feel the need to compare yourself to them.  Even my stockpile might seem extreme to some of you, but it is the perfect size to take care of my family of 6.  You know your family the best and will be able to create an efficient stockpile to take care of them.   Remember, sale cycles come around about every 4 months, so there really is no reason to have more than a 6 month supply of anything.  You are just going to waste your money, time, space and product.  (Just my opinion, sorry if I offended anyone)!

3.      Time is Money!
Yes, the shopping trips on the show are very time sensitive and are not normal everyday shopping trips for us Extreme Couponers or anyone for that matter!  Honestly….Why would you?  Nobody needs that much CRAP I mean food!  The shopping trips on Extreme Couponing are very detailed, well planned and everything that is being bought in crazy amounts is pre-ordered way in advance to make TV happen.  NO,they are not “shelf clearing”!  Stick to following your local websites where we crazy bloggers do all the deal seeking for you!

4.     Share the Wealth!  Just because you don’t see it on TV doesn’t mean it’s not happening!  The thing I love the most about Couponing is it enables me to give back to my community on a very low budget!  In no time you will have enough supplies to run a small army.  Did you know that when you donate food you get to write off the retail value of your donation on your taxes not the price you paid for it!  That’s right….So, when the duty calls, DONATE!  Sale Cycles come around about every 3-4 months, you will constantly be able to add to your stockpile; SHARE THE WEALTH! 

5.     You’re watching Reality TV! Need I really say more?!  Trust me when I say “you don’t see everything that goes on”!  While I know it is very easy to be critical when you are watching Reality TV; I’m just as guilty.  All I can say is KARMA, KARMA, KARMA!  I’m sure I speak for every person that has or will be on TLC’s Extreme Couponing…. Yes I am an “Extreme Couponer”, Yes I am a “Real Person” and Yes I have “Real Feelings”!  I don’t expect everyone to approve of what I do or how it is done; and yes it’s ok if you disagree with what you see.  Let’s all just remember our manners and treat others the way we would like to be treated.  Let’s all remember our Morals, don’t get on blogs or Fanpages just to bash someone from the show.  Attacking their personal appearance or families is just tacky.  If you run a blog yourself remember you can hate Extreme Couponing and express your opinion with class.  Many experienced couponers as well as new comers will be looking up to you for advice and guidance.  Not a messageboard for “Extreme Couponer Haters Anonymous”.  If you really want to know what went on with a shopping trip why don’t you contact that person and ask for an interview.  We all would rather you give an interview with answers from the horse’s mouth instead of the rumor mill! 

I hope you enjoy watching the new season just as much as I do! 

I look forward to seeing some new techniques! 

Maybe even learn something new!!

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