Extreme Couponing: Let’s Set the Record Straight

It doesn’t happen too often that I Google my name, but I did this morning and found that my name was mentioned in an article on Jill Cataldo’s blog. The blog talked about why viewer’s transactions were not similar to those who appeared on Extreme Couponing.  I thought it was a good piece, but I wanted to clear the air about one part in my episode.  It has come to my attention that I misused one coupon on the show. During the episode you would think that I argued about the tuna coupon, but in actuality I argued about the Trident gum coupon. All of the confusion surrounding my episode was a result of post editing.

The value of the tuna coupon was $1.50 not $1.00.  The cashier never scanned the tuna coupon; she placed it to the side before she started scanning the coupons.  So I ask that if you are an Extreme or professional couponer that has a question about my episode, please ask me.  I would love to take you back down memory lane when it comes to my episode.  I can’t speak for other shows, but I can speak on mine and inform you on what actually happened. 

If you are a novice couponer, please know that it takes time to do what people did on television.  It took me 7+ days to prepare for my shopping trip.  I did not order any coupons, I actually walked around the store for 2 hours one day just to see the unadvertised sales, and I created my grocery list on items that my family could use. After the show was completed I gave away 80% of the items that I purchased.  Some items went to family and friends, some went to my brother’s job, and the bulk of what I purchased went to Feed-A-Neighbor, a local non for profit organization that feeds and clothes the less fortunate in Chicago, IL.

For a long time I held my tongue when people talked bad about Extreme Couponing, but that ends now.  I like being a single, African-American, mother on Extreme Couponing.  I did the show and started my blog to show people that looked like me that you can save in the large inner city of Chicago.  So in closing, I would hope that my fellow coupon bloggers can unite to teach the country how we save and help our families.  I enjoy teaching people how to save hundreds per month, and I’m sure you all do too. But to unjustly assume someone made a mistake without verifying whether it was true or not is just bad journalism.

I hold no grudge with Jill or anyone else who may have incorrectly critiqued my episode on TLC. I just wanted to clear the air once and for all. If you have any questions or comments please email me or write a comment below. Thanks and happy shopping to you all as you Master Frugal Living.