you can't buy that, we don't have a coupon.

I've been spending the past 24 hours trying not to steam over the TLC extreme couponing show... not working.
First I should confess: Hi! My name is Ali, and I'm a couponer.
I learned from one of those crazy ladies that was on the show... no not literally one of those ladies, but a lady like that. It started out a girl time with my neighbors. We went to this lady's house and learned the basics. She had a group of ladies that came over and they traded coupons and cut them every week.... like a scrapbook club. She showed us her BINDER, and her stockpile...
Hers was only a walk in closet and a bedroom, but I still had second thoughts because who needed that much stuff, but she assured me that she gave to food banks etc. So I went home, having taken no notes on what to do and I began clipping coupons.
Some neighbors picked it up right away and it was a fun thing to talk about... but I had to be careful. I didn't want to buy crap, just because it was free or something that I didnt think people could use if I donated... I think the point of couponing is to be a good steward of your resources whether at home, finances, or giving.
Now, on facebook I have a couponing 101 I came up with, but I am by no means extreme... on average I save 2/3 of my bill and i'm ok with that... there are things I refuse to buy and things I want to buy ... I have saved 90% before and I've saved 30%... and no I don't spend 70 hrs a week... crazy lady
I don't have a stockpile of 150 years ... crazy dude.
And i don't have control issues... bulimic , hoarders, and OCD's
this show was crazy and i'm sure you've read reviews of the unreality of it... but now I have extra eyes on me I'm sure when Iwalk in... what a bad wrap for us couponers... we look insane, which maybe was the point, to stop us. I mean, if I was going to get 216 boxes of noodles, 189 candy bars, etc etc etc... I WOULD call ahead and get them in cases instead of grabbing the display and emptying it into my cart... And to the guy who donated "some" of his boxes of cereal to the food bank... what about the 300 toothbrushes you got or the 180 things of deoderant or the 68 bottles of soap that would last you 2 years but you already had 2 full shelves at home... AHHHHHH... makes me so angry... what about tsunami victims, or homeless, or down and outs... dream center , ECCO... something... I have 2 shelves waiting to take to the food bank and that's just from the past couple months...
as you can tell I'm starting to fume, so I should slow down and finish up. this is what happens when you're 31 I guess.
I'll just say this. I'm not crazy, or hoarding. I don't call out people in the store (and yes, I do give out coupons when I see someone who needs one - sacrilege) . Yes, I like to buy almost everything with a coupon, but I promise I'll share, and if you're out of noodles or something like that, come on over and raid my pantry, I won't slap your hand for touching my "stockpile"