Thoughts on "Extreme Couponing"

I've been couponing (seriously) for about a year now.  We didn't start couponing to supplement a lost job or out of extreme necessity, but rather because I realized by reading a few blogs that people were getting things like cereal, toothpaste, and deodorant for free or close to it all the time.  Charlie and I want to be able to enjoy the fun things in life like travel and experiences, and this was one way to get closer to that dream and fulfill our "date night" fund.  And so it was: enter my scissors and the daily paper.

A lot of people ask me about couponing--especially recently since Extreme Couponing on TLC has aired.  They tell me they want to start but they just don't know how or just wonder what I think about it.  Especially after people see the show, they are left jaws on the floor going...

"Thaaaaaaat's....not normal.  I hope Kathryn isn't like that."

And that's why shows like Extreme Couponing really yank my chain.  (Here is a clip of the show if you have never seen it).

COUPONING IS SO NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXTREME!

I don't teach couponing classes, and I don't have a stockpile of 357 deodorants or 900 Jellos.  That is insane, and in my opinion, hoarding.  I don't "dumpster dive" for coupons and I NEVER spend 6 hours..or 3...or even 2 at the store.  Ever.   The show portrays people that have used the system as crazy and obsessed.  They make it seem like to save big at the store your job needs to be couponing, you have to special "order" coupons from online.

I save about 50-70% at the grocery store.  Charlie and I used to spend about $110-$120 weekly at the store, and now we spend about $50-60.  Some people could probably get it lower, but we eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day (at least), and there are very few coupons for fresh things like apples, strawberries, carrots, etc.  Eating health is important to us and a $6 total just isn't realistic or necessary for our family. 

If it interests you, here are some tips that I've learned along the way that have cut our grocery bill by more than half.  We eat normally, and we shop normally.  I don't have a stockpile that takes over my home.  We have a pantry upstairs and a pantry downstairs that holds the majority of our purchases.

1) SUBSCRIBE:  Get 1 copy of the Sunday paper per family member and a Subscription to All You Magazine.  You get more free items this way (and the cost of these subscriptions more than pay for themselves). 
2)  LET THE INTERNET DO THE REST.  People have already done the work for you!  You don't have to sit there and match up deals!  I live in the south so I used www.southernsavers.com  I click on my store of choice (Harris Teeter, btw).  I check the list and match up my coupons from the paper and All You.  I print other coupons to combine with the paper/magazine.  My store doubles all coupons up to 99 cents.

Example deal:

• Cereal A is $4 a box.
• It is on sale for buy one get on free (you only need to buy one because they both ring up at 1/2 price--this is a trick the stores use to get to you buy more!).  It is now $2
• I have a 75 cent of 1 box coupon.  This coupon doubles to $1.50.
• I buy the cereal for 50 cents a box.  I have 2 copies of the paper, plus a printable, so, in theory, I could get 3 boxes for .50 each, or $1.50 total.  NOW THAT'S A DEAL!

3)  FILE, DON'T CLIP.  When the Sunday paper comes, I file the Smart Source and Red Plum in a filing box.  When my website tells me I need the Clorox 55 cent off coupon from February 16, I go straight to that file and clip just the coupon I need.

If this is all going over your head, Jill Cataldo concisely explains couponing (more or less) in this video.  She completely shares my mentality behind couponing.  She saves a lot of money, but she isn't walking out with 18 grocery carts of things she will never use.



  If you want to try it out, start small.  Maybe you go to the store with 3 coupons and use them.  Then you get better and start adding more and find a way of making your list that works for you.  Happy (cheap) shopping!