Mustard, Toothpaste, and Other Things I Don't Need in Bulk

My mother was a kindergarten teacher, so two things were especially true about my childhood: Every moment was a teachable one, and everything we bought was on sale. Consequently, I learned the color red as a toddler when my mother made me help her find clearance racks in Goody's. If I ever got lost, my mom knew where to find me: under a red rack.

Incidentally, I learned peach next, since it was my mom's favorite color. So my assignment grew: Find red racks and look for peach sweaters. But I digress.

I was bred for frugality, and two decades later, I'm eating knock-off Oreos from Save-a-Lot and buying dress pants at the Methodist Mission for twenty cents. 

So you'd think I'd be obsessed with TLC's Extreme Couponing.

And I guess in some respects I am. I've only watched three or four whole episodes so far, but I've already set up my DVR to record it whenever it's on. And I was initially really, really excited about the idea of getting $1,000 worth of groceries for $20.

But tonight I started taking a closer look at what they're getting, and to be honest, it's kind of terrifying.

I watched a lady buy 150 bottles of mustard. That, in and of itself, is completely ridiculous. But her husband, who was helping her shop, laughed and said, "And I don't even like mustard."

What?

You don't like mustard, and you're letting your wife buy more than a lifetime's supply during one trip to Kroger? As much as I love a bargain, and as much as I'm guilty of buying things because they're on sale, there are lines I can't imagine crossing. And a lifetime's supply of mustard is definitely on the other side of that line.

Another guy bought 1,000 tubes of toothpaste and only paid tax on them. Quite admirable, yes, and in his defense he did much of his shopping for charity and troops overseas. He is a wonderful example of how this talent can be used for the greater good.

But that's a lot of toothpaste.

Sometimes when I'm watching the show I think about how obsessed we are with "a lot." It's such a telling thing that even when a show focuses on saving, it still manages to perpetuate materialism. To the point of clipping coupons for and buying 150 bottles of mustard.

And even though God asks that we live simply, He also explains one key aspect of that clearly. We're supposed to live freely, one day to the next, depending on Him for the needs that arise. And we're supposed to travel lightly:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21