Extreme Couponing

You heard it here first.  I am coining a new disorder.  It's called Obsessive Couponing Disorder.  After watching the first two Extreme Couponing shows on TLC, I think this diagnosis is quite fitting.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for couponing. I actually started couponing about six months ago myself. I am just a typical mom looking to save a few bucks on our weekly grocery bill.  What's my couponing system? I visit lots of couponing sites to see what coupons I can print, review the weekly sales ads, usually buy the Sunday paper for the coupons, and might do a few other things in order to get a hot deal.  I even have a very small stockpile of some basics like mustard, laundry detergent, cereal, and such. I said small, meaning that I have about 5 bottles of mustard, 10 bottles of laundry detergent, and about 10 boxes of cereal (the family does go through about 3-4 boxes a week). BUT, I would not say that I qualify as one of TLC's extreme couponers, otherwise known as an Obsessed Couponer, and honestly, I don't think I want to be.  I will say that I have enjoyed watching the show, but I compare it to the likes of the other shows on TLC that I enjoy, such as Hoarding- Buried Alive and My Strange Addiction.

For the record, let me say again that I love saving money! But that's the extent of it. Couponing doesn't rule my life, I don't run out at 11:30 in the evening just to save fifty cents, I don't have the attitude of, "Why buy 1 toothbrush when you can buy an entire grocery buggie full", and I don't have a stockpile so big that I have to add $30,000 to my home owner's insurance.

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Definition of extreme:  of a character or kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average

Definition of obsession:  the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

If you haven't viewed TLC's show Extreme Couponing, just watch this video clip and see if you think this qualifies more as an "extremely obsessed couponer" than simply an extreme couponer. 

I really feel sorry for the husband in this clip. 

After watching these first two episodes, I have come to a conclusion. If you experience any of these symptoms, you might have Obsessive Couponing Disorder.

Signs that you have Obsessive Couponing Disorder

1. Your entire life revolves around couponing. For example, you spend 70 hours a week on couponing.
2. Your stockpiling takes over your entire house.  For example, your child has 100 rolls of toilet paper under their bed, in addition to the 250 rolls in the shower, and you seem to think he doesn't even know they are there.
3. You have to break your grocery trip into 18 different transactions in order to make it work, and you get agitated with the cashier when they accidentally scan an item in transaction 1 that was intended to be in transaction 2.
4. You clear the shelves of 62 bottles of mustard when your husband doesn't even like mustard.
5. When you add an 11th commandment that states, " Thou shalt not pay retail."
6. You spend 4 hours in the checkout line at the grocery store buying food you know your family won't eat.
7. You figure it's best to go ahead and clear the shelves because you have the coupons.... despite the fact that you aren't leaving items for the next customer.
8. The cash register actually freezes up because too many items have been scanned.
9. You get a feeling of exhilaration when you get a standing ovation at the checkout lane, and you finish it off with a tap dance.
10. You start getting heart palpitations when you watch the total get higher and higher before your coupons have been scanned.
11. You refer to your grocery shopping trip as a 'haul'.
12. You use terms while shopping, such as, "cart issue", "just start grabbing", "I lost count", "moving truck".

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