Extreme Couponing...Made easy?

A dear friend of mine has recently embarked on the mission of becoming an extreme couponer. I have to say, I wouldn’t take this challenge very lightly. This has to be the hardest way to save money ever. She informed me of some of her tips and tricks and I started to get interested. Yes, I researched the topic for hours online in hopes of gaining knowledge from these coupon queens. It seemed easy enough at first. I mean, we’ve all watched the shows. Clip a bunch of coupons, head on out to the store, and WooHoo, rack up those savings. Before you know it…$700 worth of groceries for $30.

But wait, back up! Its not that easy. We can eventually get to that point, but there are a few things we need to keep in mind, let me share the knowledge I have learned with you and then I’ll let you in on my little plan.

·         First, A friend turned me onto a website called, couponingdodisney.com. This websites give you coupon, tips on how to use them, and much more. In addition, the plan is to put all the money that you save from couponing into an account to use toward a trip to Disney World. Who doesn’t want that? For an extreme couponer, this can happen quite quickly.

·         Second, when you go to those coupon websites, a really good friend gave me an amazing tip to…rather than typing in your zip code (they always ask for it so you can get coupons tailored to your area), type in the zip code for an area with a high cost of living, such as L.A. The coupons you get are normally for a higher face value. What would be a .35 cent coupon here may be $1 there.

·         It is also important to remember that extreme couponing like you see on TLC takes a lot of time. It is almost a part time or sometimes a full time job, and not just for one person. Family’s usually get everyone involved in the process.

·         I like to set a goal for myself when using coupons. It is usually a low goal such as 10% or 15%. When I reach my goal, I feel great. As I learn more about couponing, I can incorporate it in as I go.

·         Also, stores have different coupon policies – the way coupons were allowed at the store on the show may not be the same at your local store, even if it is the same “brand” of store. The same store could have different “policies” at different locations. Some will double or triple coupons, some don’t. Some limit the number of “like coupons,” some don’t. Some will even limit the number of coupons per transaction. Find out your local store’s coupon policy before shopping with coupons. Don’t assume just because you saw it on TV that you can do it too.

·         Instead of hording an excessive amount of groceries that you and your family may never use, donate them. The show Extreme Couponing has yet to highlight this. Everyone has some huge stockpile of groceries. Tell me, who uses 20 bottles of mustard? In their life? Nobody does. If you can get a whole mess of stuff for super cheap or free, keep what you will need/use and by all means, donate the rest to a homeless shelter or food bank. Remember that there are some people who cannot afford to even buy ANY groceries. Why not let your mad skills help someone feed THEIR family?

Lastly, I have a couple of my own tips. Go to the websites of your local grocery stores and see if they have any online coupons you can print and use in conjunction with the other coupons you have. Also, look for twofer” deals. For example: Pomegranate juice was on sale 2/$4 today at my local Town & Country. I had two coupons for $1 off of one pom. Juice. So, I ended up paying $2 for 2 juices. No, that isn’t very extreme but I cut the cost in half. Some stores have those store cards, such as Jewl/Osco, that enable you to save more or to rack up points for a discount or something later. Take advantage of these. They can’t hurt.

Alright well, that’s all I have. Hey, I’m a beginner, what do you expect from me? J These are some good tips to start out with though. Now with my plan…

I have challenged myself to an extreme couponing excursion. For the next three weeks, I’m going to cut every coupon I can find. I’ll look in my local newspaper(s) as well as online for the best coupons I can find. On the fourth week, I’m going to shop with my coupons. I’ll do my best to really track what is going to be on sale at what stores to see where i can get the most BANG for my couponing buck. I have no idea exactly what I am going to do or how it will go but my goal is to cut my bill in half. Yes, that is 50% off what I would pay without coupons. Four weeks from today, I will post a picture of my receipt so everyone can see how I did. If you have any other tips or tricks, please let me know!

Wish me luck! And good luck to you if you decide to take on the challenge too!

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P.S. I have been informed by a few people that they are having trouble adding comments. Someone told me that you have to have a Google e-mail account and you have to preview your comment before you post it. Just thought I would let you know!

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