To the Extreme

Last night I couldn't sleep so I got up and was flipping channels.  There are some really interesting things on television in the middle of the night.  There are lots of infomercials for things like sculpted abs and home organizing systems.  But there are also some really bizarre shows on TV in the middle of the night.

Have you ever heard of Extreme Couponing?  This show is all about people who clip coupons and can get $800 worth of groceries for $6.97.  There was one guy who purchased 1,000 boxes of Total cereal using a combination of manufacturer coupons, store coupons, and double coupons.  His net cost was $0.  He actually had the grocery store special order 1,000 boxes for him.  On the same shopping trip, he also got several hundred toothbrushes along with more deodorant than he will ever use in a lifetime.  All for free.

There was another woman profiled who walked around her neighborhood every morning collecting newspaper circulars with store coupons.  She collected hundreds of dollars worth of coupons everyday and parlayed that into thousands of dollars of free merchandise at the grocery store.

These people are really something.  One has turned his garage into a giant storeroom.  He hasn't needed to buy toilet paper in years because he has some much in his stockpile.  I want you to just take a moment to think about how much toilet paper that would be.  Scary.

I know this is a food blog and mostly we talk about food.  But I think couponing qualifies under the genre of food so I just had to mention this show.  Now, I'm all for saving money, but who has the time to walk around their neighborhood everyday collecting abandoned store circulars?

I just had to mention Extreme Couponing on TLC.  If you have the opportunity, you have to watch.  It's so bizarre that you almost have to see it to believe it.  But, whatever you do, don't stay tuned for the show right after Extreme Couponing.  It's called My Strange Addiction.  It gave me nightmares.  There was a woman profiled who slept with her blow drier and another woman who ate two ply toilet paper.  Maybe she should get together with the guy on Extreme Couponing who stockpiled toilet paper.  She could at least save some money.  Another way to be thrifty.